Joshua 1
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Joshua 1 is the first
chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...
of the
Book of Joshua The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile. It tells of the ...
in the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
of the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to
Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...
, with additions by the high priests
Eleazar Eleazar (; ) or Elazar was a priest in the Hebrew Bible, the second High Priest, succeeding his father Aaron after he died. He was a nephew of Moses. Biblical narrative Eleazar played a number of roles during the course of the Exodus, from ...
and
Phinehas According to the Hebrew Bible, Phinehas (also spelled Phineas, ; , ''Phinees'', ) was a priest during the Exodus. The grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the High Priests (), he distinguished himself as a youth at Shittim with his zeal again ...
,Gilad, Elon
Who Really Wrote the Biblical Books of Kings and the Prophets?
''Haaretz'', June 25, 2015. Summary: The paean to King Josiah and exalted descriptions of the ancient Israelite empires beg the thought that he and his scribes lie behind the Deuteronomistic History.
but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the books of Deuteronomy to
2 Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of ancient Israel also including ...
, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king
Josiah Josiah () or Yoshiyahu was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE). According to the Hebrew Bible, he instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Until the 1990s, the biblical description of Josiah’s ...
in 7th century BCE. This chapter focuses on the commission of
Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...
as the leader of Israel after the death of
Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
, a part of a section comprising Joshua 1:1–5:12 about the entry to the
land of Canaan CanaanThe current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interprets. 2. ed. / recogn. et emendavit Robert Hanhart. Stuttgart : Dt. Bibelges ...
.


Text

This chapter was originally written in the
Hebrew language Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language unti ...
. It is divided into 18 verses.


Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
are of the
Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...
tradition, which includes the
Codex Cairensis The Codex Cairensis (also: ''Codex Prophetarum Cairensis'', ''Cairo Codex of the Prophets'') is a Hebrew manuscript containing the complete text of the Hebrew Bible's Nevi'im (Prophets). It has traditionally been described as "the oldest dated He ...
(895),
Aleppo Codex The Aleppo Codex () is a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The codex was written in the city of Tiberias in the tenth century CE (circa 920) under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate, and was endorsed for its accuracy by Maimonides. ...
(10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the
Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...
including XJoshua (XJosh, X1; 50 BCE) with extant verses 9–12.Dead sea scrolls - Joshua
/ref> Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into
Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...
known as the
Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
(originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include
Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...
(B; \mathfrakB; 4th century) and
Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...
(A; \mathfrakA; 5th century). Fragments of the
Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
Greek text containing this chapter is found in manuscripts such as Washington Manuscript I (5th century CE), and a reduced version of the Septuagint text is found in the illustrated
Joshua Roll The Joshua Roll is a Byzantine art, Byzantine illuminated manuscript of highly unusual format, probably of the 10th century Macedonian Renaissance, believed to have been created by artists of the imperial workshops in Constantinople, and now in ...
.


Old Testament references

* : Joshua 1
Berean Study Bible
Verse 8 is the first reference to
Jewish meditation Jewish meditation includes practices of settling the mind, introspection, visualization, emotional insight, contemplation of divine names, or concentration on philosophical, ethical or mystical ideas. Meditation may accompany unstructured, perso ...
in the Book of Joshua.


Analysis

The narrative of Israelites entering the land of Canaan comprises verses 1:1 to 5:12 of the Book of Joshua and has the following outline: :A. Preparations for Entering the Land (1:1–18) ::1. Directives to Joshua (1:1–9) ::2. Directives to the Leaders (1:10–11) ::3. Discussions with the Eastern Tribes (1:12–18) :B. Rahab and the Spies in Jericho (2:1–24) ::1. Directives to the Spies (2:1a) ::2. Deceiving the King of Jericho (2:1b–7) ::3. The Oath with Rahab (2:8–21) ::4. The Report to Joshua (2:22–24) :C. Crossing the Jordan (3:1–4:24) ::1. Initial Preparations for Crossing (3:1–6) ::2. Directives for Crossing (3:7–13) ::3. A Miraculous Crossing: Part 1 (3:14–17) ::4. Twelve-Stone Memorial: Part 1 (4:1–10a) ::5. A Miraculous Crossing: Part 2 (4:10b–18) ::6. Twelve-Stone Memorial: Part 2 (4:19–24) :D. Circumcision and Passover (5:1–12) ::1. Canaanite Fear (5:1) ::2. Circumcision (5:2–9) ::3. Passover (5:10–12)


Commissioning of Joshua (1:1–9)

This section forms a transition from the narratives of the wilderness wanderings of Israel into the settlement of the land of Canaan, which
YHWH The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from right to left, a ...
has promised to give to his people (verses 3-4; cf Genesis 15:17-21; Exodus 3:17; Deuteronomy 1:7-8), as an overture to the
book of Joshua The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile. It tells of the ...
.
Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
had led the Israelites since
the Exodus The Exodus (Hebrew language, Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, ''Yəṣīʾat Mīṣrayīm'': ) is the Origin myth#Founding myth, founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four of the five books of the Torah, Pentateuch (specif ...
from
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
throughout the time in the
wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
, but he was not to enter the promised land; rather, Joshua would do that, so the commissioning of
Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...
in succession to Moses is the focus of this narrative, with a reference to Moses' death linking it to the closing words of the
Book of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...
(the last book of the
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
). The relationship between Moses and Joshua is well documented in Exodus 17:8–16; Numbers 27:12–23, and in the
Book of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...
(1:37–38; 3:21–28; 31:1–23; 34:9). The first speech in this chapter (verses 2–9) contains God's command to Joshua to cross the
Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...
, so the people of Israel could possess their land (verse 6), and a transfer of the privileges and role of Moses to Joshua. The elements in this transfer are #the encouragement of Joshua (verses 6, 7, 9) #the task to possess the land for the people (verse 6), with the implication of distributing its parts to the tribes (Joshua 13–19) #the assurance of God's presence with him (verse 9). These recall the law of the 'king' (Deuteronomy 17:14–20), which refer to all who would lead in Israel. Joshua's special position is that YHWH's promise of presence is peculiarly his (verse 9), while Joshua place himself under the authority of the law of God given to Moses (verse 7).


Verse 1

:''Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,'' *"Servant of the LORD" ('servant of YHWH'; , '' ''Joshua 1:1 Hebrew Text Analysis
Biblehub
): a phrase that marks both relationship and responsibility, also used elsewhere of Moses (Exodus 14:31; Deuteronomy 34:5), and of King David (2 Samuel 7:5). *"Moses' servant": from , '' '', "minister" or "assistant" of Moses, "the one who serves Moses". This was Joshua's continuous title in the
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
(Exodus 24:13; 33:11; Numbers 11:28), an important role especially as it is associated with present of God's Spirit in him, a key reason for his designation as Moses' successor (later also confirmed by Moses' laying hand on Joshua; Deuteronomy 34:9). From a 'second to Moses', Joshua's commissioning puts him in Moses' place, which is explicitly restated in (cf. Exodus 3:12 for Moses). By the end of his life, Joshua was finally called "the servant of the " ("servant of YHWH"; Joshua 24:29).


Verse 2

:''"Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel."'' *"Moses My servant is dead": The death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34) sets for Joshua's commission, because God did not allow Moses to enter the land (Deuteronomy 32:48–52).


Joshua assumes command (1:10–18)

In verses 10–11 Joshua gave his first command to the 'officers of the people' (presupposed in Exodus 5:10-19; commissioned in Numbers 1:16, Deuteronomy 1:15.) to prepare each tribe for the coming military campaign (Deuteronomy 11:31). Verses 12–15 record Joshua's speech to the 'Transjordanian tribes' — the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh who had set their territories east of the Jordan river (cf. Numbers 32; Deuteronomy 3:12-21) — that they should send their men to fight with other tribes to conquer the land west of Jordan and only return after the conquest is considered complete. The topic is addressed again in Joshua 22, thus bracketing the main parts of the book. The reply of these tribes in verses 16–18 echoes God's assurance in verses 1–9 and brings conclusion to this chapter.


Verse 15

: "until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise." ESV * "Rest" is the key theological idea for the goal of the conquest (also in verse 12; cf. Deuteronomy 12:9), 'entailing the complete possession of the land and the subduing of enemies' (Joshua 11:23).


See also


Explanatory notes


Citations


General and cited references

* * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
translations: *
Yehoshua - Joshua - Chapter 1 (Judaica Press)
Hebrew text and English translation ith Rashi's commentary">Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentaryat Chabad.org *
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
translations: *
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) *
Joshua chapter 1. Bible Gateway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joshua 01 01 Jewish meditation">Book of Joshua chapters">01 Jewish meditation