Study of Joshua

Overview of the book of Joshua

The book of Joshua tells how Israel, after forty years in the wilderness, entered the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It follows the death of Moses and opens with God commissioning Joshua to lead. It closes with Joshua’s death and a renewal of the covenant at Shechem.

Many readers know a few scenes well, such as the walls of Jericho, and little else. This study gives a path through the whole book, points out where Christians and Jews read passages differently, and ends with questions for personal reflection or a group.

Who was Joshua?

Joshua was the son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim. Numbers 13:16 says Moses changed his name from Hoshea to Joshua. The name is related to the Hebrew word for “salvation” and is the same name as Jesus in its Hebrew form (Yeshua), which is why some Christian readers see him as a faint pattern pointing ahead to Christ. Others are more cautious about drawing that link, so treat it as a reading, not a fact stated in the text.

Before he led Israel, Joshua served as Moses’ assistant, fought Amalek (Exodus 17), waited near the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:11), and was one of the twelve spies. Only he and Caleb urged Israel to trust God and enter the land (Numbers 14). He died at 110 years old (Joshua 24:29).

Five facts about Joshua

1. He was Moses’ long-time assistant and was commissioned to succeed him (Numbers 27:18-23).
2. With Caleb, he gave a faithful report as a spy, and the two were the only adults of that generation allowed to enter the land (Numbers 14:30).
3. He led Israel across the Jordan River and into the land.
4. He oversaw the division of the land among the tribes (Joshua 13-21).
5. He died at 110 and was buried in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah (Joshua 24:29-30).

Structure of the book

Most study guides divide Joshua into three or four parts:

• Chapters 1-5, entering the land. God commissions Joshua, Rahab shelters the spies, Israel crosses the Jordan, and memorial stones are set up.
• Chapters 6-12, the campaigns. Jericho falls, Achan’s sin brings defeat at Ai, the Gibeonites make a treaty, and kings in the south and north are defeated.
• Chapters 13-21, dividing the land. Territory is allotted by tribe, with cities of refuge and cities for the Levites.
• Chapters 22-24, faithfulness. The eastern tribes build an altar that is misunderstood, Joshua gives farewell addresses, and the people renew the covenant.

Key themes

God keeps his promises. Joshua 21:45 summarizes that not one good thing God promised failed. The book is partly a record of promise made and promise kept.

Courage rooted in God’s presence. God says “Be strong and of a good courage” and ties it to his presence: “for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9, KJV). Courage here is not self-confidence but trust. See also faith and fear in the Bible.

Obedience matters. Joshua 1:8 urges Joshua to meditate on the book of the law day and night. Success in the book is tied to obedience, and failure to disobedience, as with Achan.

Rest and inheritance. The land is presented as a gift and a place of rest (Joshua 21:44; 22:4), though Joshua 13:1 admits that much land remained to be taken. Hebrews 4 later picks up the idea of rest.

Key stories to study

Rahab and the spies (chapter 2)

A Canaanite woman in Jericho hides Israel’s spies and confesses that the LORD is God. She and her family are spared. The New Testament names her in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) and commends her faith (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25, discussed in our James 2 Bible study questions).

Crossing the Jordan (chapters 3-4)

The priests carry the ark into the river and the water stops. Twelve stones are set up as a memorial so children will ask what they mean. The scene deliberately echoes the crossing of the Red Sea.

Jericho (chapter 6)

Israel marches around the city for seven days and the walls fall. Interpreters differ on how much of this was literal military action and how much a liturgical, worshipful procession, but the text’s emphasis is that God gave the city.

Achan and Ai (chapter 7)

Israel loses at Ai because Achan took items that had been set apart for God. It is a sober chapter about hidden sin affecting a community. For the other side of hiding and confessing, see our Psalm 32 Bible study. It also shows Joshua praying in distress, confused about what went wrong.

The Gibeonites (chapter 9)

The Gibeonites trick Israel into a treaty by pretending to be from a distant land. Verse 14 says Israel did not ask counsel of the LORD. Israel kept the oath anyway.

The covenant renewal (chapter 24)

Joshua recounts God’s acts and challenges the people to choose whom they will serve: “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15, KJV). The people agree, but Joshua warns them they may not be able to keep it.

The difficult question of the conquest

Joshua describes the destruction of Canaanite cities, and many modern readers find this deeply troubling. It is fair to say that thoughtful believers disagree about it. A few of the main approaches:

• Judgment on wickedness. Some read it as God’s judgment on a people he had long been patient with (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:4-5), and stress that the same standard fell on Israel when it was unfaithful.
• Hyperbole in ancient war language. Others point out that Joshua uses sweeping language (“utterly destroyed”) alongside statements that Canaanites remained in the land (for example, Judges 1), and suggest this is typical ancient Near Eastern rhetoric.
• A hard text that should not be a model. Some stress that Joshua describes a unique, once-for-all event and that nothing in the New Testament permits violence in God’s name today.
• A moral difficulty to wrestle with. Others feel the passages cannot be fully resolved and should be left as honest questions.

A group leader does not have to settle this, but should acknowledge it and not hurry past it. Speaking with a pastor or teacher from your own tradition can help.

Joshua’s mistakes and limits

Scripture presents Joshua mostly with respect, but the book records some missteps:

• The Gibeonite treaty. He and the leaders made a treaty without seeking God’s counsel (Joshua 9:14-15).
• Confusion after Ai. After the defeat, Joshua cried out in anguish and seemed to question why God had brought Israel over the Jordan (Joshua 7:7-9). Most readers see this as human grief and honesty, not rebellion.
• Unfinished work. Joshua was old when large areas were still unconquered (Joshua 13:1), and the later book of Judges begins with Israel’s incomplete obedience.
• No clear successor. Unlike Moses, Joshua is not described as appointing a leader to follow him, and Judges 2:10 says another generation arose that did not know the LORD.

None of these are presented as a dramatic personal fall. They are reminders that Joshua was a human leader and that the book’s hero is ultimately God.

Main point of Joshua

Most summaries land on this: God is faithful to his covenant promises, and his people are called to trust and obey him. The land is a gift, not an achievement. The book ends with a question that is still addressed to every reader: whom will you serve?

“Which generation will not pass away?”

This question is sometimes linked to Joshua, but the phrase “this generation shall not pass” is from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32, not from Joshua. Christians read it in different ways, for example as the generation living in AD 70, as the generation that sees the signs, or as the Jewish people or humanity. Our study of Joshua does connect to generations in another way: Numbers says the wilderness generation would not enter the land except for Joshua and Caleb, and Judges 2:10 says the generation after Joshua forgot the LORD.

Discussion questions

1. What does it mean to be strong and courageous when the reason given is God’s presence, not our ability?
2. Why do you think the Bible includes Rahab, an outsider, in the story?
3. What does Achan’s story teach about how private choices affect a community?
4. What are some ways people today make decisions without asking for God’s guidance, as Israel did at Gibeon?
5. How should we handle the difficult conquest passages honestly and respectfully?
6. Joshua 24:15 asks for a choice. What practical choices does that verse put before your household?

Frequently asked questions

Is Joshua the same as Jesus? The names are the same in Hebrew. Joshua is not Jesus, but some Christians see him as pointing forward to Jesus as one who leads God’s people into rest.

Who wrote the book of Joshua? The book does not name its author. Tradition has often connected parts of it to Joshua himself, while many scholars think it was compiled over time. Views vary.

Should I study Joshua before or after Judges? Reading Joshua first makes sense, since Judges picks up after Joshua’s death.

Where can I go next? Another study of a Judges leader, such as the study of Gideon, shows what happened in the generations after Joshua.