Judge Mentioned in the Bible by name

Joshua

Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us, go out and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with God's (Elohim's) staff in my hand."

Joshua did as Moses had said and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron [Moses' brother], and Hur (Hebr. Chor) [a friend; the grandfather of the artist Bezalel, see Ex. 31:2] went up to the top of the hill (the height – Hebr. giva).

Joshua weakened (struck down – Hebr. chalash) [unusual word, see Job 14:10; Isa. 14:12] Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword (literally "the mouth of the sword" – Hebr. peh cherev).

The Lord said to Moses: "Write this down as a memorial in a book (scroll), and repeat it in Joshua's ears (read/tell it to him), for I will blot out [erase – like a manuscript that is cleaned of writing] the memory of Amalek from under heaven (literally: 'from under heaven')."
[This is the first time it is implied that Joshua is the one who will succeed Moses. The scroll may refer to the Book of Exodus, or another separate scroll. In Deut. 25:17–19, this exhortation not to forget what the Amalekites did is repeated. The complete eradication of Amalek's memory from the earth is described from God's perspective – I will blot out from the heavens. In the Eccles. book, the perspectives "under the sun" (Eccles. 1:1) and "under the heavens" (Eccles. 3:1; 2 Cor. 12:2) are used, which are the highest and originate from God's throne room.]

Moses began to walk with his servant Joshua, and Moses went up Mount God.

And when Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "There is a sound of war in the camp."

And Joshua, the son of Nun, who was Moses' servant from his youth, answered and said, "My lord Moses, silence them."

From the tribe of Ephraim, Hosea [Joshua], son of Nun. [Moses gives him a new name, see verse 17.]

And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored (investigated – Hebr. tor) the land, tore their clothes.

you shall certainly not enter the land, for which I raised my hand that I would let you dwell there, except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun.

But Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun, remained alive of these men who had gone and explored the land.

For the Lord (Yahweh) had said of them, "They shall surely die in the wilderness." [Num. 14:20–24] And not one man was left of them except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun.

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses, "Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hands on him

And Moses did as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before the priest Eleazar and before the whole assembly.

except Caleb, son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua, son of Nun, because they followed the Lord (Yahweh) wholeheartedly.

Moses gave clear orders about them to the priest Eleazar and to Joshua, the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses among the tribes of the sons of Israel.

These are the names of the men who shall take possession of the land for you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.

Joshua, the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go to that place; encourage him (make him strong and bold), for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, "Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) has done to these two kings; so shall the Lord (Yahweh) do to all the kingdoms when you cross over.

But challenge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall cross over before the people and he shall cause them to inherit the land that you have seen."

The Lord (Yahweh), your God (Elohim), will go (cross over) before you. He will destroy these peoples for you, and you shall drive them out. Joshua shall go before you [Israel], as the Lord (Yahweh) has spoken [Deut. 1:37; Num. 27:18–22; Josh. 1].

Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of (before the eyes of, within sight of) all Israel:
"Be strong (firm, confident, brave)
and courageous (steadfast, alert, brave),
for you shall go with (lead) this people into the land that the Lord (Yahweh) has sworn (promised) to give to their fathers [sworn with an oath: 'seventh himself', i.e. used the number of perfection to confirm his promise to their fathers], and you shall make it their property (let them inherit it, let them take it over).

The Lord said to Moses, "See, the day is coming when you must die. Call Joshua and position yourselves in the meeting tent (tabernacle) so that I can give him a mission." Moses and Joshua went and positioned themselves in the meeting tent (tabernacle).

He gave Joshua, the son of Nun, a mission and said, "Be strong (firm, confident, brave) and courageous (steadfast, alert, bold) [Josh. 1:6–9], for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land that I have sworn to them, and I will be with you." [See verse 7].

And Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Hosea [Joshua], the son of Nun. [It was Moses who later on gave Hosea the name Joshua, see Num. 13:8, 16.]

And Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him, and the house of Israel listened to him and did as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses.

And after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord (Yahweh) [around 1406 BC, according to Jewish tradition 7 Adar (often in March) – after a 30-day mourning period, see Deut. 34:5–8], the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' servant [east of the Jordan River in the plains of Moab, see Num. 33:48–50].
["And it came to pass after" is the literal beginning of the Book of Joshua, and it is a transition from the last chapter of the previous book, which describes Moses' death in particular, see Deut. 34. The first time Joshua is mentioned is when Moses appoints him to lead the battle against the Amalekites, see Ex. 17:8–13. Joshua was also one of the twelve explorers, and Moses gave him a new name, see Num. 13:2–4, 9, 17. He had been Moses' servant since his youth, see Ex. 24:13; 33:11; Num. 11:28 and was also appointed Moses' successor, see Num. 27:18–23.
Thirty-eight years had passed since Joshua and Caleb had spied out the land from Kadesh-Barnea, see Deut. 2:14. At that time, Caleb was 40 years old, see Josh. 14:7. Joshua was probably the same age or younger (but over 20 years old, see Num. 32:11–13), which means that he is now 60-78 years old. Joshua will live another 40 years and die at the age of 110, see Josh. 24:29.]
He [the Lord] said [to Joshua]:

Joshua then commanded the leaders of the people (overseers) and said:

And Joshua spoke to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, saying:

And they answered Joshua and said, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go.

Joshua, the son of Nun, secretly sent two spies from Shittim [a city east of the Jordan River just north of the Dead Sea where the Israelites had been camped for a long time] and said: "Go into the land [west of the Jordan] and explore it, especially [the city] Jericho."
They set out and stopped at the house of a prostitute [built on top of the wall, probably near the gate of Jericho]. The woman's name was Rahab (hebr. Rachav), and they spent the night there.
[This was a strategically good place to hide. The larger cities of Canaan were small kingdoms, each ruled by a local king. Despite the spies' caution, the guards at the city gate must have seen them.]

Then the two men returned and went down from the mountain and crossed [the Jordan River] and came to Joshua, the son of Nun, and they told him everything that had happened to them.

And they said to Joshua, "The Lord (Yahweh) has truly (indeed, most certainly) given the land into our hands, and moreover, all the inhabitants of the land tremble before us (melt away from our presence)." [Describing something they cannot possibly resist.]

Early the next morning, Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan. They camped there before crossing [the Jordan River].
[Caleb was about 80 years old (Josh. 14:7) and Joshua was probably a little younger; they had waited over 40 years for this opportunity to enter the Promised Land. They camped on the eastern side of the Jordan River. They crossed the Jordan on the 10th of Nisan, see Josh. 4:19, which corresponds to the month of April when the river flows over its banks, see verse 15.]

Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves [prepare yourselves, separate yourselves for holy service—a personal responsibility to deal with sin], for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

Then Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and go before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to make you great in the sight of Israel, so that they may know (be intimately acquainted with) that I am with you as I was with Moses,

And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "Come near and listen to the word of the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim)."

Joshua said, "This is how you will know that the living God (El-Chay) is among you, and that he will surely drive out:

the Canaanites,
the Hittites,
the Hivites,
the Perizzites,
the Girgashites,
the Amorites,
the Jebusites."
[Our spiritual struggle today is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces, see Eph. 6:12. By looking at the meanings of the names of these peoples, we can see the areas that believers today need to conquer in order to gain complete freedom:
Canaanites – were merchants, our relationship with money Hittites – fear and dread Hivites – city, village, life, alternative lifestyles, dependence on this world, worldliness Perizzites – unprotected cities, no protective wall Girgashites – one who lives in the earth/clay Amorites – a tall people, pride and boastful speech Jebusites – trampling on others, impurity There are three lists of these seven peoples, see Deut. 7:1; Josh. 3:10; 24:11. In the most common one, there are six of these, all except the Girgashites, see Ex. 3:17; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11; Deut. 20:17; Josh. 9:1; 11:3; 12:8; Judg. 3:5. In Ezra 9:1, the Moabites and Egyptians are also mentioned. There are two lists where the Canaanites are also missing, see 1 Kings 9:20; 2 Chron. 8:7. In the list in Nehemiah 9:8, the Hivites are not mentioned. The order is not the same but varies. Even in a Christian's life, there can be variation in the order of the areas that need to be conquered. The Israelites had different strategies for different peoples, and there are different strategies in spiritual warfare as well.]

And it came to pass that when all the people were clean, they crossed the Jordan as the Lord (Yahweh) had spoken to Joshua, saying:

Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from among the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe (literally: "one man, one man"). [The same emphatic repetition as in verse 2.]

And Joshua said to them, "Go over before the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) to the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

And the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. And they carried them over with them to the place where they camped and laid them down there.

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

The priests who carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was finished, as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried to cross over.

On that day the Lord (Yahweh) made Joshua great in the sight of all Israel, and they revered (feared) him, as they had revered (feared) Moses, all the days of his life.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Joshua, saying

So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, "Come up out of the Jordan."

And Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan at Gilgal.

At that time, the Lord (Yahweh) said to Joshua, "Make yourself knives of flint and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time." [Gen. 17:7–14]

And Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Givat-Haaralot [meaning: "the hill of the foreskins" or "the hill where one is considered uncircumcised"].

The reason Joshua circumcised them was this: All the people who had come out of Egypt—all the men of military age—had died in the desert on the way from Egypt.

And he raised up their sons in their place, whom Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away (literally 'rolled away') the reproach (disgrace, shame) of Egypt from you." Therefore, the place is called Gilgal [which means "wheel" or "something that rolls"] to this day.

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man before him with his sword drawn in his hand. [Ex. 3:2–4:17; Judg. 6:11–23] And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?"

And he said, "No, but I am the commander of the army of the Lord (Yahweh). Now I have come." [Ex. 15:3]
And Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?"

And the commander of the Lord's (Yahweh's) army said to Joshua, "Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
[This encounter corresponds to Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush. Both Joshua and Moses needed these encounters with God himself before they entered into their missions, see Ex. 3:5.]

The Lord (Yahweh) said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty warriors.

And Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets (Hebr. shofar jóvel) before the ark of the Lord (Yahweh)."

And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests who carried the seven trumpets of rejoicing went before the Lord, blowing the shofars, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

And Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall any word pass out of your mouths until the day I tell you to shout—then you shall shout."

Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord (Yahweh).

And it came to pass, that on the seventh time, when the priests blew the shofars, Joshua said to the people, "Shout (give a battle cry), for the Lord (Yahweh) has given you the city,

And Joshua said to the two men who had explored (spied on) the land, "Go into the harlot's house and bring out the harlot and all who are with her, as you promised her."

But Joshua spared the prostitute Rahab and her father's household and all that she had, and she lives in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho [Matt. 1:5; Heb. 11:31; James 2:25].

At that time Joshua made the people take an oath, saying:
"Cursed (utterly destroyed – Hebr. arar) is the man before the Lord (Yahweh)
whoever rises up and rebuilds this city of Jericho,
he shall lose his firstborn
when he lays its foundation
and his youngest son
when he sets up its gates."
[Archaeological inscriptions in Assyria show that it was not unusual for destroyed cities not to be rebuilt. However, none of these have an accompanying oath. Joshua's words here are similar to Moses' instructions in Num. 13:12–16. Many years later, this curse is fulfilled when Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilds Jericho. He loses his firstborn son Aviram and his youngest son Segov, see 1 Kings 16:34]

So the Lord (Yahweh) was with Joshua, and he was respected throughout the land.

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beit Aven [literally "house of emptiness"], on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go and spy out the land." And the men went and spied out Ai.
[Ai has traditionally been identified as Et-tell, 14 km west of Jericho and 16 km north of Jerusalem. However, the city appears to have been abandoned at this time, and the ruins at Khirbet el-Maqatir, 1.5 km west of traditional Ai, fit the biblical description. Wadi Sheban on the western side serves as a good hiding place, see Josh. 8:4.]

They returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not have all the people go up, but let about 2,000 or 3,000 men go up and attack Ai. Do not have all the people go up, for they are few."

And Joshua said, "Alas (oh no), Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), why did you bring your people across the Jordan? To deliver us into the hands of the Amorites and cause us to perish? It would have been enough if we had been allowed to live on the other side of the Jordan.

So Joshua rose early the next morning and gathered Israel according to their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was shown (taken, pointed out).

Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and behold, it was hidden in the tent, and the silver was underneath.

And they took the objects from the middle of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to the sons of Israel, and they laid them down before the Lord (Yahweh).

And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the bar of gold, and his sons and his daughters, and his oxen and his asses and his sheep, and his tent and all that he had, and they brought them to the valley of Achor [meaning: "Valley of Trouble"].

The Lord (Jahweh) said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or dismayed; take all the fighting men [not just 3,000, see Josh. 7:5] with you and get up and go to Ai. See, I have delivered the king of Ai and his people, his city and his land into your hand.

So Joshua rose up with all the people of war to go to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 men, mighty men (Hebr. gever) of courage and valor, and sent them forth by night. [Ten times as many as the first attempt, see Josh. 7:3.]

And Joshua sent them forth, and they lay in ambush and sat between Bethel and Ai on the west side of Ai. But Joshua remained among the people that night.

And Joshua rose early in the morning and counted the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.

The people prepared for battle, and the whole troop that was north of the city lay in ambush west of the city. And Joshua went that night to the middle of the valley (wider valley – Hebr. emeq).

And Joshua and all Israel behaved as if they had been defeated before them and fled along the road toward the desert.

And all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Joshua, "Stretch out the sword (shorter curved sword – Hebr. kidon) that you have in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. [Most likely, the sun reflected off the blade of the sword and gave a flashing signal. The usual Hebrew word for spear chanit is not used here.]

And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke from the city was rising, they turned back and struck the men of Ai. [Suddenly, the army from Ai met resistance, and they also had the disadvantage of having the morning sun in their eyes when Joshua attacked them.]

And they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he had stretched out his sword (a shorter curved sword – Hebr. kidon) until he had completely destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. [Moses had previously stretched out his hands in prayer, see Ex. 17:11.]

Only the livestock and the spoil of the city were taken by Israel as booty for themselves, according to the word that the Lord (Yahweh) had spoken when he commanded Joshua.

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a ruin (a mound formed by repeated settlement – Hebr. tel), and it remains a desolate place to this day. [Ai means ruin.]

[This last section focuses on God's word and is thematically related to the opening passage in Josh. 1:1–18. In the first chapter, God's word to Joshua played a central role. Here, Joshua leads a ceremony at Mount Ebal.]
Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel (Elohim), on Mount Ebal,

There was not a single word that Joshua failed to read, of all that Moses had commanded, before the whole assembly of Israel, the women and children, and the strangers who walked among them.

they gathered together to fight against Joshua and Israel, as one man (literally, as one mouth).

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon [8 km southwest of Ai] heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,

So they went to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land, so make a covenant with us."

But they answered Joshua, "We are your servants (Hebr. eved)."
And Joshua asked, "Who are you, and where do you come from?"

And Joshua made a covenant of peace ("made peace" – Hebr. shalom) with them and made a covenant (cut a blood covenant) with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation (assembly) gave them their oath.

And Joshua called them and spoke to them, saying, "Why did you deceive us and say, 'We are far away,' when you live among us?

And they answered Joshua and said, "Since it was surely told (Hebr. nagad nagad) to your servants how the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, therefore we were utterly terrified (frightened, panicked) for our lives because of you and have done this.

And Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation [the people of Israel] and for the altar of the Lord (Yahweh), to this day [for all time], to the place which he shall choose.
[The tabernacle was first moved to Shiloh (Josh. 18:1), then to Gibeon (1 Chron. 16:39), and finally to Jerusalem. After the exile, the Gibeonites were among those who repaired the walls (Neh 3:7; 7:25). The people of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth are also mentioned among those who returned, see Ezra 2:25; Neh 7:29. All these peoples had then become part of the Jewish people, in the same way as Rahab and other Gentiles who had received God's grace and been grafted in, see Gen. 12:3; Josh. 6:25.]

[This is the first time the name Jerusalem is used in the Bible, although other names (Salem) have been used to refer to the city, see Gen. 14:18; 22:14. The Hebrew name for Jerusalem is Yeroshalayim. In addition to singular and plural, Hebrew also has dual, which means two – the ending ajim indicates this. The dual form of Jerusalem has sometimes been interpreted as the two mountains on which the city rests, but it can also be taken literally to mean that the city signifies double peace. This also suggests that there are two Jerusalems – the heavenly and the earthly. This is quite clear in the Book of Revelation (Rev 21:2, 10), but the prophets also hint at it (Isa. 26:1–3), and this view is also found in many of the rabbinical interpretations of these verses. In ancient Egyptian sources, the city is called Ursalimmu, which means "foundation of peace/basis of peace." Jerusalem will become Israel's most important city, but it will take a few hundred years until David's time before that happens, see 2 Sam. 5:6–19.]
And it came to pass that when Adonitsedek, king of Jerusalem [meaning "my lord is righteousness," synonymous with Melchizedek, see Gen. 14:18] heard how Joshua had captured Ai and completely destroyed the city—how he [Joshua] had done to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them—

"Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon, for they have made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel."

And the men of Gibeon sent messengers to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal [near Jericho] and said, "Do not withdraw your hand from your servants, but come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country [Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmoth, Lachish, and Eglon] have gathered together against us."

So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, for I have given them into your hand; not one of them shall stand before you."

So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up from Gilgal all night long. [A distance of 30 km, with a steep climb from the Jordan Valley.]

[This verse begins with Hebr. az and describes a parallel event. The hail and stones in verse 11 are therefore probably related to the events in verses 12–13.]
At that time, Joshua spoke to the Lord (Yahweh) on the day when the Lord (Yahweh) delivered the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:
"Sun, stand still (be silent – Hebr. dom) over Gibeon,
and you, moon, in the valley of Aijalon."

And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
[The events here begin with Joshua walking all night, see verse 9. A great storm with hailstones as large as stones fell upon the enemy armies. Then a strange event occurs that affects both the sun and the moon. That the sun and moon "become silent" can be described as them ceasing to do what they usually do. One suggestion is that it is a solar eclipse where the moon passes in front of the sun, but then it must also be something unique that made this day special, so that there has been no such event either before or since. The author seems to emphasize that the great thing was that God heard a man's prayer, rather than the miracle itself. The two previous great miracles—the waters of the Jordan River stopping at Adam (Josh. 3:16) and the victory over Jericho (Josh. 6:20)—had been on God's initiative. This time it was in response to a man's prayer!]

And they told Joshua, saying, "The five kings have been found, hiding in a cave at Mackedah." [Mackedah is present-day el-Qom between Lachish and Hebron, 14 km west of Hebron.]

Joshua replied, "Roll large stones in front of the cave's opening [literally, mouth] and place men there to guard them.

And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them in a very great slaughter, until they were consumed, and the remnant of them that were left went into their fortified cities,

all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Mackedah in peace (shalom), no one sharpened his tongue (dared to say even the slightest thing) against any of the sons of Israel.

Then Joshua said, "Open the cave [remove the large stones from the opening] and bring the five kings out to me from the cave."

And it came to pass, when they had brought these kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, "Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings." And they came near, and put their feet upon their necks.

And Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, be strong and courageous, for this is how the Lord (Yahweh) will do to all our enemies whom we fight against."

Then Joshua struck them and killed them and hung them on five trees, and they hung on the trees until evening.

And Joshua took Mackedah that day and smote it with the edge of the sword, and its king, he utterly destroyed them, and the souls that were therein, he left none remaining, and he did to the king of Mackedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

And Joshua went from Makkeda and all Israel with him to Libnah and fought against Libnah.

And Joshua went from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against Lachish.

Then Gezer, king of Horam, came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people until he had left none remaining. [Gezer was an important trading city located halfway between Joppa and Jerusalem.]

And Joshua went from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon, and encamped against it and fought against it.

And Joshua went from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron, and fought against it.

And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Devira, and fought against it.

So Joshua smote all the country, the hill country [central highlands] and the Negev and the Lowland [Hebr. Shefelah – the lowlands between the Mediterranean coast and the hill country of Judah] and the slopes (mountain slopes; wadis – Hebr. aseda) [probably the slopes down to the Dead Sea east of the central hill country] and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed everything that breathed, as the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel (Elohim), had commanded.

And Joshua defeated them from Kadesh Barnea [in the far south] all the way to Gaza [on the Mediterranean Sea] and all of Goshen [the area between Hebron and the Negev desert] all the way to Givon [just northwest of Jerusalem].

And all these kings and their lands Joshua took at one time (at once), because the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel (Elohim), fought for Israel.

And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal. [Same phrase as in verse 15. Gilgal is the base for military operations.]

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will deliver them all up slain before Israel; you shall cut the sinews of their horses and burn their chariots with fire." [A wounded horse could no longer be used in the cavalry, see also Ps. 20:7; 147:10.]

So Joshua suddenly (unexpectedly) came upon them, and all the people of war with him, at the waters of Merom [present-day Lake Hula] and attacked them.

And Joshua did to them as the Lord (Yahweh) had told him, he cut off the tendons of their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

And Joshua returned at that time and took Hazor and struck its king with the sword, because Hazor had previously been the head (leader) of these kingdoms.

And all the cities of these kings and their kings, Joshua took and smote them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed them, as Moses, the servant of the Lord (Yahweh), had commanded.

But the cities that stood on their mounds (heights that arose through repeated settlement – Hebr. tel) Israel did not burn, except for Hazor, which Joshua burned down.

As the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses had commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses.
[Chatsor (also known as Hazor or Hazor) means castle/fortress in Hebrew. The first excavation took place in 1926, followed by a larger expedition in the 1950s and 1990s. The city covered an area of 80 hectares, with an upper and lower part. At that time, it had a population of 15,000–20,000, ten times more than Jerusalem. During the excavations in 1992, an inscription "to King Javin" was found, dating from 1500-1600 BC. Previously, another older inscription from 1700 BC was found there, also using the name Javin. Javin was probably a title, similar to pharaoh, the king of Egypt, see Ex. 6:11. In the layer from this period, ashes and stones cracked by heat were found, confirming that the city had been burned down. This type of destruction has not been seen in excavations in surrounding cities.]

So Joshua took the whole land: the hill country [central highlands] and the Negev [southern part] and all the land of Goshen [the area between Hebron and the Negev desert] and the Lowlands [Hebr. Shefelah – the lowlands between the Mediterranean coast and the hill country of Judah] and the Arava (the wilderness, the heath) [the area around Jericho in the Jordan Valley] and the hill country of Israel and its lowlands (Hebr. shefela),

Joshua fought a long time with all these kings.

And Joshua came at that time and exterminated (cut off) the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Devir, from Anav, and from the entire hill country of Judah and from the entire hill country of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them with their cities.

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord (Yahweh) had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.
And the land rested (was quiet; had peace) from war.

And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the sons of Israel defeated on the other side of the Jordan to the west, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon [in the north] to the bare mountains that go up to Seir [Edom – in the south]. And Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel as an inheritance according to their division,

[The last part of the book is also structured as a chiasm with the center where the distribution takes place in Shiloh where the tabernacle stands.
A. Introduction (Josh. 13:1–7)
B. Tribes outside Canaan (Josh. 13:8–33)
C. The Levites (Josh. 14:1–5)
D The hero from Kadesh: Caleb (Josh. 14:6–15)
E. Tribal allocation – not Rachel's children: Judah (Josh. 15:1–63)
F. Rachel's tribal allocation: Joseph (Josh. 16:1–17:18)
G. Center – allocation in Shiloh: seven tribes receive land through Yahweh's lot (Josh. 18:1–10)
F. Rachel's tribe allocation: Benjamin – next to Joseph (Josh. 18:11–28)
E. Tribal allocations – not Rachel's children: Simeon (within Judah) and others (Josh. 19:1–48)
D. The hero of Kadesh: Joshua (Josh. 19:49–50)
C. The Levites (Josh. 20:1–21:45)
B. Tribes outside Canaan (Josh. 22:1–34)
A. Conclusion (Josh. 23:1–24:33)]
And Joshua was old and advanced in years (many years), and the Lord (Yahweh) said to him, "You are old and advanced in years (many years), and there is still much land to be occupied.

And this is the inheritance which the children of Israel took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, gave unto them.

[In the chiastic pattern, this passage is connected to Josh. 19:49–50, where Josh. 1, like Caleb here, receives his reward for the events at Kadesh-Barnea.]
Then the sons of Judah came near to Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, said to him: "You know (are intimately familiar with) the things that the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and you at Kadesh-Barnea.

And Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as an inheritance.

And to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, he gave a portion among the sons of Judah according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, Kiriath-Arba, the Arba whose father was Anak, that is, Hebron.

And they came near before the priest Eleazar and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the leaders, and said, "The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers." Therefore, according to the command of the Lord, he gave them an inheritance among their father's brothers.

And the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given me one lot and one portion as an inheritance? Behold, I am a great people, for the Lord (Yahweh) has blessed me greatly."

And Joshua said to them, "If you are a great people, then go up to the forest and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too crowded for you." [The hill country of Ephraim stretched from Bethel, north of Jerusalem, up to the plain of Jezreel.]

And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, "You are a great people and have great power (strength); you shall not have only one lot,

And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "How long will you neglect (delay) going to take possession of the land that the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of your fathers, has given you?

And the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, "Go and walk through the land and describe it, and come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord (Yahweh) in Shiloh."

And the men went and passed through the land and described it with the cities in seven parts in a book, and they returned to Joshua, to the camp at Shiloh.

And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord (Yahweh), and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions.

When they had finished dividing the land as an inheritance with its borders, the sons of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua, the son of Nun, in their midst.

These are the inheritance portions that Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun, and the leaders of the tribes of the sons of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, distributed as inheritance in Shiloh before the Lord (Yahweh), at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Thus they finished dividing the land.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Joshua, saying

The leaders of the fathers' houses of the tribe of Levi came near the priest Eleazar and Joshua, the son of Nun, and the leaders of the fathers' houses of the sons of Israel,

Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh

So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

And to the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave among their brothers beyond the Jordan to the west. When Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them

And it came to pass after many days, when the Lord (Yahweh) had given Israel rest from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old and advanced in years,

that Joshua called all Israel, their elders and their heads (leaders) and their judges and their chiefs, and said to them, "I am old and have reached a ripe old age (have grown old).

And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned all the elders of Israel and their leaders and their judges and their commanders, and they stood before God (Elohim).

And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel: Your fathers dwelt beyond the river [Euphrates]—Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—and they served other gods.

And Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the Lord (Yahweh) for he is a holy God (Elohim). He is a jealous God (Hebr. El qana) [Ex. 20:5]. He will not forgive your transgressions, nor your sins.

And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the Lord (Yahweh)."

And Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord (Yahweh) to serve him." And they replied, "We are witnesses."

And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God (Yahweh Elohim) and obey his voice."

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and gave them a decree (literally "things engraved") and a commandment (binding legal decision) in Shechem.

And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God (Hebr. Torah), and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree at the sanctuary of the Lord (Yahweh).

And Israel served the Lord (Yahweh) all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known the works of the Lord (Yahweh) that he had done for Israel.

Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the sons of Israel each went to his inheritance to possess the land.

And the people served the Lord (Yahweh) as long as Joshua lived (all the days of Joshua) and all the days that the elders outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord (Yahweh) that he had done for Israel.

And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord (Yahweh), died at the age of 110. [Joshua was in his 60s when he entered the land of Canaan, see Josh. 1:1; 14:7; Num. 32:11–13. The phrase "servant of the Lord" was first used of Moses, see Deut. 34:5.]

I will not drive out any of the peoples (nations) that Joshua left when he died,

In his days, the Bethelite Hiel built Jericho, with Abiram, his firstborn, laying its foundation, and with his youngest son Segub setting up its gates, according to the word of the Lord (Yahweh) [Josh. 6:26] which he had spoken through the hand of Joshua, the son of Nun.

whose son was Non, whose son was Joshua.

Our fathers inherited that tent, and they brought it here under Joshua's leadership when they took over the land from the peoples whom God drove out before them. It remained here until the time of David.

[This rest did not refer to how the Israelites entered the land of Canaan.] For if Joshua had brought them into rest (as in resting from work), God would not have later spoken of another day.