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Gordon McConville is professor of Old Testament theology at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, England.

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Joshua

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Contents

Preface...............................................................xAbbreviations.........................................................xiIntroduction to Joshua (Gordon McConville)............................1Commentary on Joshua (Gordon McConville)..............................13Theological Horizons of Joshua (Stephen Williams).....................93Bibliography..........................................................236Author Index..........................................................246Scripture Index.......................................................249

Chapter One

1:1-5 The new stage in the story of Israel opens by recalling the death of Moses. (The book of Judges begins in a similar way.) Joshua is already known to readers of the Pentateuch as Moses' "servant" ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]/me?aret; Exod 24:13; 33:11; Num 11:28), a term which points to a religious role (esp. Exod 33:11). Joshua had accompanied Moses when he went up Mount Sinai to receive the commandments from God (Exod 24:13), on that occasion apparently going further than Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders who also set out with Moses (Exod 24:9). This marks him out as preeminent among those who would survive Moses.

From the first verse, God now addresses Joshua directly. The crossing of the Jordan which he is to lead (v. 2) will be symptomatic of the possession of the land, a full circle from the exodus from Egypt, which had also involved a crossing (of the Reed Sea; Exodus 14–15). His special assignment is to lead the people of Israel into the land that God had promised to give them, as far back in the story as Abraham (Gen 12:7). For a moment, God's address shifts to the people as a whole (vv. 3-4), when he expands on the promise of land, in terms close to those of Genesis and Deuteronomy (e.g., Gen 15:18-21; Deut 1:6-8; 11:24; 17:14; 34:1-4). Joshua's role was always to have a military aspect (Num 13:16; 14:6, 30; Deut 31:3, 7-8, 23). It is in this connection that God promises to be with Joshua (v. 5), a promise that has been made to him once already (Deut 31:23c), and which reminds us of God's assurance to Moses himself (Exod 3:12). The continuation, "I will never leave you or forsake you," was first spoken to Israel (Deut 4:31; 31:6), but now to Joshua (as later recalled in Heb 13:5).

1:6-9 The next short paragraph records Joshua's commissioning for the task. It is not a first charge to Joshua, but a reaffirmation, for God had already commissioned him while Moses was still alive (Deut 31:7, 14-15, 23). Indeed, v. 6 virtually repeats Deut 31:7. The charge to "be strong and courageous" is suitable for the military task ahead. But the word used, "cause to inherit" (ESV; cf. "put in possession," NRSV), speaks of more than victory, rather of legitimate occupation. The idea of "inheritance" is a way of expressing Israel's God-given right to the land, frequent in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:21). The story of Joshua will tell first of the victory (chs. 2–12), then of the "causing to inherit," as the tribes in turn receive their portions of the territory (chs. 13–22).

The possession of the land will be in fulfilment of God's promise to their "fathers" (v. 6). In itself, "fathers" might refer to the preceding generation. However, in the context it should be taken to mean Abraham and the generations after him, to whom the promise of the land first came (Gen 12:1-3; 28:1315), and this is the basis of NRSV's "ancestors." That is, God swore to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) that he would give the land to their descendants. This is the generation that will now benefit from that promise.

The exhortation to be strong and courageous is now repeated (v. 7), and with a new end in view. The repetition is surprising at first glance, for now Joshua's courage is directed towards keeping the law of Moses. This is primarily the laws and commands as given by Moses in Deuteronomy, for it is there that such laws are commanded to be written in the "Book of the Law" (Deut 28:58, 61; 31:9, 24-26). Moreover, any future king of Israel was especially required to keep his own copy of this book and obey the laws in it (Deut 17:1820). The command to Joshua here is very like that given to the king in that place, so that many have thought that Joshua is a royal figure in all but name. It is not necessary to go so far, however. Rather, the standard for all leaders of Israel is set by these terms.

The focus remains on law-keeping in vv. 7-8, before returning to the military context in v. 9. The turn to law-keeping is sometimes regarded as intrusive at this point and indicative of the special interest of a "nomistic" editor (one with a strong interest in law). However, vv. 6-8 make a point that is fundamental to Joshua, namely that possession of the land, though legitimated first of all by God's gift, can continue to be legitimate only when it is held according to God's law. God's writ will run in the land that he gives to his people.

The narrative's horizon returns to the taking of the land (v. 9). The command to be strong and courageous is given again in this context. This is clear first from its accompaniment, that Joshua should not fear or be dismayed, which is like what was said to Israel through Moses in Deut 1:21. In that place we saw that this "not fearing" was the test of faith on which the taking of the land would depend, a test which Israel first failed (Deut 1:26-33). The test of faith now comes to Joshua himself. But God reassures him in words which he had already heard from Moses (Deut 31:7). The promise that God would be with him also recalls God's words to Moses himself at the beginning of that leader's own great test of faith (Exod 3:12). There are prophetic overtones here as well (Jer 1:17-19).

1:10-11 Joshua's command here testifies to an organization of the people for war already in place. The "officers" are administrative figures. In Deut 1:15 they are among officials appointed by Moses to ease his burden of leadership, and in Deut 16:18 they are to be appointed alongside judges, in that case to assist in judicial administration. It may be supposed that the officials are here appointed according to tribe, as in those cases. Here (as in Deut 1:15) they are part of a military chain of command. The command itself shows a mix of prudence and faith: they will be prepared for the march, but also go in faith that the struggle is in principle won, because God gives them the land to possess.

Israel is about to "cross" the Jordan, "to take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own." The phrasing is typical in Deuteronomy (e.g., 9:1; 11:31). The time long heralded has come. Yahweh not only "gives" the land for Israel to "inherit" it, but they will then "possess" it, a term used now for the first time in Joshua, and immediately repeated. These different terms have their own significance. By Yahweh's gift Israel will be the legitimate holders of this land.

1:12-18 The narrative now remembers that part of the land has already been given and possessed, that is, the Transjordanian part (to the east of the River Jordan). This was territory already acquired under Moses by victories over the Amorite kings Sihon and Og and given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh. The story is told in Numbers 32 and Deut...