Joshua: Conquest and Settlement

Introduction

The book of Joshua marks a turning point in Israel’s story. After the wilderness wanderings narrated in Numbers and the covenant renewal speeches in Deuteronomy, Joshua leads the people across the Jordan into the promised land. The narrative combines military conquest, divine promise, and covenant obedience. While modern readers often wrestle with Joshua’s depictions of warfare, the book emphasizes theological themes: God’s faithfulness to His promises, the necessity of obedience, and the gift of land as part of the covenant inheritance.

This article explores the historical and archaeological debates about the conquest, the structure and theology of Joshua, the themes of promise, obedience, and covenant renewal, and the way later Jewish and Christian traditions have interpreted the conquest and settlement narratives.

Historical and Archaeological Context

The Conquest Debate

Archaeology has fueled significant debate about the historical reliability of Joshua’s conquest accounts. Traditional readings assume a swift military conquest under Joshua around the late 13th century BCE. However, archaeological findings present a mixed picture:

• Jericho: Excavations have shown destruction layers around 1550 BCE, earlier than Joshua’s timeframe, leading many to conclude that Jericho was not a walled city in the 13th century (Kenyon, 1957).

• Ai: The site identified as Ai (et-Tell) appears to have been abandoned centuries before Joshua.

• Hazor: Excavations show a major destruction layer around the 13th century BCE, aligning with the biblical account (Yadin, 1972).

Scholars propose different models:

1. Conquest Model: Israel entered Canaan through military conquest (Albright, 1935; Kitchen, 2003).

2. Peaceful Infiltration Model: Israel gradually settled among Canaanites, as nomads moving into agricultural zones (Alt, 1925).

3. Peasant Revolt Model: Israel emerged from within Canaanite society as a social revolution (Mendenhall, 1962).

While debates continue among scholars and are helpful in understanding the environment of the period, most agree that Joshua reflects theological interpretation of Israel’s emergence in Canaan, whether by conquest, gradual settlement, or transformation from a scholarly perspective.

Theological Significance of the Debate

The conquest debate highlights that Joshua is not merely reporting battles but presenting theological history. The land is gift, not achievement. Victory comes by God’s hand, not Israel’s might (Josh. 6:16). Archaeology informs the background and is always advancing in it’s understanding, but the central message is theological: God keeps His covenant promises.

Structure and Major Themes of Joshua

Joshua divides into four main sections:

1. Entry into the Land (Josh. 1–5): Commissioning of Joshua, crossing the Jordan, and covenant renewal at Gilgal.

2. Conquest Narratives (Josh. 6–12): Battles at Jericho, Ai, southern and northern campaigns, and lists of defeated kings.

3. Division of the Land (Josh. 13–22): Allocation of land to tribes, cities of refuge, and Levitical towns.

4. Covenant Renewal and Farewell (Josh. 23–24): Joshua’s farewell speeches, culminating in covenant renewal at Shechem.

This structure mirrors the covenantal rhythm: promise, fulfillment, inheritance, and renewal.

Promise and Fulfillment

God’s Promise of Land

The land promise given to Abraham (Gen. 12, 15, 17) finds fulfillment in Joshua. The repeated refrain is that God “gave” Israel the land (Josh. 21:43–45). This underscores divine initiative: conquest is not Israel’s achievement but God’s gift.

Crossing the Jordan

The crossing of the Jordan (Josh. 3–4) parallels the crossing of the Red Sea, symbolizing God’s power to lead His people. The memorial stones at Gilgal serve as tangible reminders of covenant faithfulness, reinforcing the theme of remembering God’s acts.

Obedience and Covenant Loyalty

Jericho and Ai

The fall of Jericho demonstrates obedience and divine power: the walls fall not by siege but by ritual obedience to God’s command. Conversely, the initial defeat at Ai shows the consequence of disobedience (Achan’s sin, Josh. 7). Together, these stories teach that covenant loyalty determines success, not military strength.

Rahab’s Faith

Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, becomes a model of covenant faith. Her faith in God’s power and her protection of the spies bring salvation to her household. Rahab is later remembered in Jewish tradition as a convert and in Christian tradition as an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:5; Heb. 11:31).

Division of the Land

The detailed allotments in Joshua 13–22 may seem tedious, but they emphasize that each tribe has a covenant share in the inheritance. Land is not just geography; it is theological — a tangible sign of God’s promise.

The establishment of cities of refuge highlights covenant justice, providing sanctuary for those guilty of accidental manslaughter. Levitical cities ensure that the priesthood is distributed throughout the land, embedding worship and teaching in every region.

Covenant Renewal at Shechem

Joshua concludes with covenant renewal at Shechem (Josh. 24). Joshua recounts God’s acts, calls Israel to exclusive loyalty, and sets before them a choice: “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15). This echoes Deuteronomy’s call to choose life and underscores that inheritance is contingent upon obedience.

A stone witness is erected, symbolizing permanence of the covenant. This renewal shows that even after conquest, covenant fidelity remains central.

Theological Reflections

Holy War and Herem

One of the most difficult themes in Joshua is the concept of herem (ban), where entire cities are devoted to destruction (Josh. 6:21). Historically, such language reflects ANE war rhetoric, where total annihilation symbolized divine victory. Theologically, Joshua presents the conquest as judgment on Canaanite wickedness and preservation of Israel’s holiness (Deut. 9:4–5).

Later Jewish and Christian interpreters wrestled with this theme. Some allegorized the conquest as spiritual warfare against sin, not literal enemies. Others emphasized the uniqueness of the conquest as unrepeatable, tied to Israel’s initial possession of the land.

Covenant Faithfulness

The central theological lesson of Joshua is that God keeps His promises: “Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (Josh. 21:45). Yet covenant blessings require loyalty: Rahab’s faith is rewarded, Achan’s disobedience brings disaster.

Land as Inheritance

Land is covenant inheritance, not human achievement. It symbolizes God’s faithfulness to Abraham’s descendants. Yet the conditional nature of the covenant warns that disobedience could lead to loss of the land, a theme fulfilled in the exile centuries later.

Later Interpretations

Jewish Tradition

In Jewish tradition, Joshua is remembered as a model of faithful leadership. The conquest is seen as fulfillment of God’s promise to the patriarchs. The focus often shifts from violence to themes of covenant loyalty and inheritance.

Christian Tradition

In Christian tradition, Joshua’s name (Yehoshua, meaning “YHWH saves”) foreshadows Jesus (Greek: Iēsous). The crossing of the Jordan has been interpreted as a symbol of baptism, and the conquest as a metaphor for spiritual warfare. Hebrews 4 reflects on Joshua’s rest, pointing beyond the land to the ultimate rest in Christ.

Scholarly Perspectives

1. Archaeology and History: Jericho, Ai, and Hazor remain debated, with scholars offering conquest, infiltration, and revolt models (Kenyon, 1957; Kitchen, 2003; Finkelstein & Silberman, 2001).

2. Covenant Themes: Weinfeld (1972) highlights covenant treaty parallels in Joshua’s covenant renewal at Shechem.

3. Holy War: Younger (1990) examines ANE war rhetoric, showing that herem reflects theological emphasis rather than literal genocide.

4. Theology of Promise: Childs (1992) emphasizes Joshua as theological history, showing God’s promises fulfilled.

5. Reception History: Jewish and Christian traditions reinterpret conquest spiritually, focusing on faith, obedience, and divine inheritance.

Conclusion

The book of Joshua is not merely about battles and land distribution; it is about covenant faithfulness. Historically, the conquest narratives are complex, with archaeological debates and multiple interpretive models. Theologically, Joshua proclaims that God fulfills His promises and that obedience determines whether His people enjoy His blessings.

For later traditions, Joshua became a symbol of leadership, inheritance, and faith. Whether interpreted historically, theologically, or spiritually, Joshua continues to challenge readers to trust God’s promises, obey His commands, and live faithfully in covenant relationship.

Competency Goals

By the end of this article, you should be able to:

• Summarize the structure and main themes of Joshua.

• Explain the historical and archaeological debates about conquest.

• Analyze the theological themes of promise, obedience, and covenant renewal.

• Reflect on the significance of land as covenant inheritance.

• Evaluate scholarly perspectives on Joshua as theological history.

• Recognize later Jewish and Christian interpretations of the conquest.

References

Albright, W. F. (1935). The Archaeology of Palestine. Penguin.

Childs, B. S. (1992). Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments: Theological Reflection on the Christian Bible. Fortress Press.

Finkelstein, I., & Silberman, N. A. (2001). The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. Free Press.

Kenyon, K. M. (1957). Digging Up Jericho. Praeger.

Kitchen, K. A. (2003). On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Eerdmans.

Mendenhall, G. E. (1962). The Hebrew conquest of Palestine. Biblical Archaeologist, 25(3), 66–87.

Weinfeld, M. (1972). Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School. Oxford University Press.

Yadin, Y. (1972). Hazor: The Rediscovery of a Great Citadel of the Bible. Random House.

Younger, K. L. (1990). Ancient Conquest Accounts: A Study in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History Writing. JSOT Press.