Joshua chapter 1
1:1 Joshua the son of Nun had apparently been born Hoshea (Numbers 13:8) but was renamed Joshua by Moses
(Numbers 13:16). His long years of service as Moses' field commander (Exodus 17:9-16) and personal aide (Exodus
24:13) had prepared him well for this time when he would succeed his master. Joshua had served well (Exodus 24:
13; Numbers 14:6-10; 27:15-23), and as one who was full of the Holy Spirit (Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9), was
God's choice to succeed Moses (Numbers 34:17; Deuteronomy 1:38; 3:28; 31:7; 34:9), to conquer the land
(Deuteronomy 3:21; 31:7), and to see to it's proper apportionment (Numbers 34:17). He who would lead well must
first learn how to serve well (1 Kings 19:21).
1:2 The chronological anchor point of 1 Kings 6:1 necessitates a date for the death of Moses near the end of the
fifteenth century B.C. (see further, the Introduction). Because of unbelief, Moses had forfeited his opportunity to lead
the people into Canaan (Numbers 20:12 with Deuteronomy 31:7).
1:2, 3 The land was Israel's in accordance with God's promise in both the Mosaic (Deuteronomy 11:24) and
Abrahamic covenants (Genesis 13:14-17). Israel's prophesied return after after a four-hundred-year exile lay at hand
(Genesis 15:13, 14).
1:4 The boundaries of the land are given as the wilderness (i.e., the area south and east of Canaan) on the south,
Lebanon on the north, the Euphrates to the northeast, and the Great Sea (Mediterranean) on the west. All the land
of the Hittites meant the regions of Canaan and Syria, considered in both ancient Egyptian and Mediterranean
inscriptions as a buffer state between the two great powers. Because the Hittites were one of the large ethnic groups
that inhabited Canaan before Israelite conquest (Joshua 3:10, 9:1, 11:3, 12:8, 24:11), and because they were a
traditional power (occupying what is now Turkey and modern Syria) with whom the ancient Assyrians and Egyptians
were forced to deal, the land was called Hatti (Hittite) land in international correspondence.
1:6-9 The Lord's charge to Joshua is repeated from Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 23. The divine call is not only for manly
courage but for a courageous faith centered in the word of God (1 Chronicles 22:11-13; 28:20; Psalms 27:13, 24).
As the psalmist would later point out, true success comes from meditating deeply on God's Word (Psalms 1:2, 3; 119:
72, 97, 147, 148). Paul likewise encourages all believers to "quit you like men, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13).
1:8 This verse indicates both the existence of the law by the time of Joshua and its Mosaic authorship (Joshua 8:31-
35).
1:11 Some imagine a contradiction between the details of this verse and those of 2:22 and 3:1, 2. Actually the texts
are supplementary. (1) In Shittim, Joshua gives the command to make ready for breaking camp (verses 10, 11). (2)
As well, he sends spies to Jericho from which, after spending a night, they flee their pursuers and take refuge in the
mountains for three days (2:15-22). (3) Subsequently they return to Joshua, who leads the camp from Shittim to the
Jordan River, were they linger another three days. The prominence of three days in the accounts may be in harmony
with a recurrent emphasis in the Scriptures on the third day as the day of special activity, spiritual decision, and
newness of life and service (Genesis 22:4; Exodus 19:15; 2 Kings 20:5, 8: Ezra 6:15; Esther 5:1; Matthew 16:21; 17:
23; Luke 13:32; 24: 5-7, 21, 44-49; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 15:4).
Joshua chapter 2.
2:1 Shittim, formerly a place of spiritual failure (Numbers 25:1-13), became here a springboard for spiritual victory.
Joel (Joel 3:18) reports that one day the Valley of Shittim will be reinvigorated by waters from the house of the Lord.
Places and occasions of spiritual defeat and barrenness can be transformed into areas of spiritual victory and
blessing by the life-giving power of God. Rahab is not promised deliverance (verses 17-21; 6:23) simply because of
her shrewd evaluation of the situation (verses 9-13) or her effects on her behalf of the spies (verses 3-7, 21), but on
the basis of her faith (Hebrews 11:31). Neither her harlotry nor her lying is approved of. In His gracious providence,
God had prepared her heart to receive both the messengers and their God (verses 10, 11). Though she acted out
of her old habits in hiding and delivering the spies, her newly found faith was being tested at the risk of her life
(verse 14). God's further grace toward Rahab may be seen in her subsequent marriage to Salmon, through whom
was born Boaz, Ruth's husband (Ruth 4:21), so that she thus became an ancestress of David (1 Chronicles 2:11,
12), and hence of Christ Himself (Matthew 1:5, 6, 17). God's sovereign grace is sufficient for the vilest of sinners
(Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 Timothy 1:15).
2:1 Rahab was a harlot of Jericho, at whose house two spies stayed just before Joshua conquered Palestine around
1407 B.C (verses 1-21). She believed that the God of Israel was the true God (verses 10-13), and her faith is
commended in the New Testament, in Hebrews 11:31, and in James 2:25 (her demonstration of faith by good works).
At the fall of Jericho, Joshua spared Rahab and her relatives (6:17, 22, 25). Rahab's son, Boaz, married Ruth and
became the father of Obed, the grandfather of Jesse, and the great-grandfather of David. Thus, a Canaanite harlot
became part of the lineage of King David, from whom the Messiah descended (Ruth 4:20, 21; Matthew 1:4, 5; Luke 3:
32). This demonstrates that God's grace and forgiveness is extended to all, and is not limited by nationality or by the
nature of a person's sins. (First and Primary Reference, Joshua 2:1-21.)
2:1 Jericho is one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world. It is situated in the wide plain of the Jordan Valley
(Deuteronomy 34:1, 3) at the foot of the ascent to the Judean mountains. Jericho is about eight miles northeast of
the site where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. The city is about eight hundred feet below sea level and has
a tropical climate that is at times very hot. Event though only a few inches of rainfall are recorded each year, the city
is a wonderful oasis. Known as "the city of palm trees" (Deuteronomy 34:3; Judges 3:13), Jericho has many date
palms, banana trees, balsams, sycamores, and henna (Song of Solomon 1:14; Luke 19:4). Old Testament Jericho
first appears in the biblical record when the Israelites encamped Shittim on the east side of the Jordan River
(Numbers 22:1; 26:3). Joshua sent spies to examine the city (verses 1-24). Then he placed a curse on anyone who
would attempt to rebuild Jericho after the Israelites took it (6:26; 1 Kings 16:34). Jericho was awarded to the tribe of
Benjamin (16:1, 7). During the days of Elijah and Elisha, Jericho was of community of the prophets (2 Kings 2:5; Ezra
2:34; Nehemiah 3:2, Jeremiah 39:5). New Testament Jericho lay about a mile south of the Old Testament site.
2:6 These stalks of flax, which had been soaked in water, would have been laid out in short piles on the roof to dry.
The use of flax in ancient Canaan is confirmed by its mention in the famous Gezer Calendar, variously dated
between the eleventh and ninth centuries B.C.
2:15 The existence of houses on the thick walls of ancient cities in the Near East has been confirmed by archeology.
Mountainous cliffs reaching some 1,500 feet above the plain lay west of the city, so Rahab's house was probably
perched on Jericho's western wall, from which escape directly to the mountain might be accomplished without
observation. Further, Rahab had sent the king's pursuers eastward toward the Jordan River (verse 7), where several
known fording places existed.
2:18 Rahab's scarlet thread, bound to the window of her house, made the house easily identifiable by the Israelite
troops. The incident is reminiscent of the protection accorded the Israelites in Egypt at the first Passover (Exodus 12:
7, 21, 23). The scarlet may also contain an indication of Rahab's sin, covered by the blood (Isaiah 1:18; 1
Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 9:22).
Joshua chapter 3
3:1 Early in the morning: The Phrase is Characteristic of Joshua’s habit of life (cf. 6:12; 7:16; 8:10). The similar
report concerning our Lord’s rising early to pray (Mark 1:35) and the frequent mention of those who spent the early
morning in that spiritual exercise (Job 1:5; Ps 88:13; 119:147) may pint to the content of Joshua’s early morning
activities.
3:3, 4 The ark symbolized the presence of the Holy One of Israel (cf. Num 7:89), Because God was due His proper
reverence, no careless handling of the ark could be permitted (cf. 1 Sam. 6:19; 2 Sam. 6:6,7). As the priests had
carried the ark into the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle (Ex. 40:3; cf. Num. 4:5-15; Deut. 10:8; 1 Sam. 6:15) they
would one day carry it into the Holy of Holies in the temple (1 Kin. 8:6).
3:10 The Canaanite nations mentioned here comprise one of several such lists detailing the peoples who made up
the early settlers of Canaan (Gen. 10:15-18; 15:19-21; Ex. 3:8, 17; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11; Deut. 7:1; 20:17; Josh. 9:1;
11:3; 12:8; 24:11; Judg. 3:5). Due to their religious and moral perversity, the Canaanites were to be driven out of the
land. Not only did these nations deserve judgment, but Israel’s own faith must not become compromised by contact
with the corruptions of the Canaanites. The extreme dangers involved in any coexistence with the Canaanites are
illustrated by the archaeological findings of Tell Ras Shamra, Ugarit, which detail the gross immorality and social
wickedness of early Syro-Palestine.
3:16 The damming up of the waters at Adam and Zaretan, some 16 miles above Jericho (which was four miles above
the Dead Sea), would leave some 20 miles for the Israelites to cross the Jordan River. Apparently God’s presence
was felt by all in a gigantic earthquake (cf. Judg. 5:4; Ps 114:3,4) which caused the high banks of the Jordan to
topple into the river, thus stopping its flow, Similar blockings of the Jordan occurred in A.D. 1267 and as recently as
1927. Nevertheless, an earthquake does not account, for all the miraculous details relative to the Israelites’ crossing
of the Jordan at high tide (v. 15) on dry ground (v. 17).
Joshua chapter 4
4:4-11 Some suggest a contradiction here with Joshua 3:17, where the Israelites are reported to have already
crossed the Jordan. Actually verses 4 and 5 simply report that twelve men, one from each tribe, were commanded to
go back where the priests remained standing in the midst of the dry bed of the Jordan. Once there, they were to take
up twelve stones and carry them to the west bank of the Jordan and build a cairn commemorating this event. Verse 9
records that Joshua had another set of stones set up to mark the place where the priests stood in the midst of
Jordan. Only after all of this had been done and all the people had passed over did the priests leave their post and
finish crossing the river (vv. 10,11).
4:21 These words (cf. vv. 6,7) are part of a catechetical exercise designed so that parents might educate their
children as to their national and spiritual heritage (cf. Ex. 12:26, 27; Deut. 6:20-23). The proper parental training of
children is a God-given privilege and responsibility (cf. Prov. 1:8, 9; 22:6; 28:7; 29:15, 17).
Joshua chapter 5
5:2 Circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Gen. 12:1-3; 17:10-14). As Moses circumcised his sons
before the first Passover (Ex. 4:24-26) and led a circumcised people out of Egypt (v. 5), so Joshua would be lead a
circumcised army into Canaan. Apparently the rite had been neglected during the years in the wilderness (vv. 6,7).
The incapacity of the army for fighting would demand their total faith and reliance upon God. Moreover, the proper
observance of the Passover, held before the campaign for Jericho (v. 10), demanded that it be observed by those
who were duly circumcised (Ex. 12:44,48). With the renewal of circumcision and the Passover, a sanctified people
were ready for God to lead them into the holy warfare that lay ahead (cf. Deut. 20:1-4).
5:9 A play on words occurs here. Gilgal (“Rolling Away”) marks the place were God rolled away the reproach of
Egypt. Israel’s era of shameful captivity now came officially to an end. The inheritance of Canaan lay ahead (cf. 1:6;
21:43-45). The same verbal root marks the New Testament site of Golgotha, the place where mankind’s captivity by
sin was ended. There man’s sins were rolled away and rolled onto the person of Jesus Christ, so believers might
enter God’s spiritual inheritance (Col. 1:12-14, 20).
5:12 The manna, which had been given first some 40 years before (Ex. 16:15) and had been designed to sustain a
humble and grateful people (Deut. 8:1-3), now ceased.
5:13-15 Joshua’s worship of the captain of the host of the Lord and the instructions of verse 15 (cf. Ex. 3:5) show
clearly that Joshua stood before the divine presence (cf. Ex. 33:14). Many believe that the divine captain with sword
drawn was none other than Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate appearance. If so, it may anticipate a later appearance of
our Lord at the head of the heavenly armies, out of whose mouth “goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite
the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Rev. 19:15). For the drawn sword, see the note at 1
Chronicles 21:16; compare Genesis 3:24 and Number