Joshua – Conquest, Coexistence, or Genocide – Christianity

The book of Joshua provokes much criticism. To some, It’s full of nonhistorical legends composed centuries after the fact. Others insist on super-literalism. To them, Joshua’s account exposes God’s wrathful, bloodthirsty, jealous nature. Even more mock the book as ridiculously unscientific; no way can the sun physically stand still without disastrous orbital repercussions. This article addresses these charges.

Conquest

Throughout the first to middle part of the twentieth century, Scholars like William Albright and George Ernest Wright dominated the field of Biblical Archaeology. They believed in a blitzkrieg conquest of Canaan. Garstang’s excavations at Jericho seemingly supported their view. Unfortunately, later archaeological digs proved otherwise. Other than the site of Hazor, there has been no significant destruction layers found anywhere in Canaan dating to the time of Joshua. The supposed genocidal claims never happened.

Well then, how did Israel come to be? Lack of evidence gave permission to many scholars to dismiss biblical accounts altogether and propose new theories. These include peaceful infiltration, peasant uprisings, and various other hypotheses. The quest went from what happened to what possibly might have happened. Imagination ruled. Archaeological evidences that conflicted with pet positions were simply ignored or dismissed.

A Closer Look

So, what do we do with the book of Joshua? The first step is to decipher the author’s intent within the cultural context when it was written. Joshua is not primarily a book of history, though it contains a lot of history. It is not primarily a book of conquest, though it contains a number of conquest accounts. So, what is it? It is a theological book of covenant between God and his people. Blessings follow obedience; consequences follow rebellion. In the following paragraphs, I’ll paraphrase through much of the book of Joshua describing how many maximalist scholars (those who take scripture seriously) interpret it.

The book starts with a transfer of power from Moses to Joshua, his anointed heir (not by genetics, but by God’s appointment). The twelve tribes are unified as they are directed to enter the promised land. A rockslide at the city of Adam (Damiya in Jordan) blocked the waters and the people crossed. Similar rockslides have occurred at the same place from time to time over the centuries. Most recently in 1927, a 6.25 magnitude earthquake blocked the Jordan river for twenty-one hours.

The Battle of Jericho

Jericho is the first test. It is not a huge metropolis as some would have it. It had to be small enough for an army to march around it seven times in a day. Likely it was a small garrison with casemate walls (double with homes built between the inner and outer sections). Archaeology has little to say. Erosion and leveling by later empires have destroyed most of the evidence. Italian archaeologist Lorenzo Nigro however, did found remnants of a small active Late Bronze Age (13th century BCE) settlement at the site. All was well. Joshua and the people followed detailed instructions to a tee. Yet, a warning! Joshua encountered the commander of the Lord’s army. The victory was not to be because of Joshua or because of a superb military strategy. God was fighting for his people. A likely earthquake tumbled the walls.

The Jericho text contains a detail that is significant. Rahab, a Canaanite aligns with the Israelites and is grafted into the community. She was originally one of the “wicked ones” who supposedly were to be eliminated. Yet, she and her family were spared. She even becomes part of the genealogy of Jesus, the future messiah. Did this opportunity apply only to Rahab? Might other Canaanites have followed the same course? Apparently yes. Yet, Joshua tells us that none of the other towns were willing to join up (Josh 11:19). Israel from the beginning was a mixed multitude (Exod 12:38; Num 11:4), just as believers are today. God always did and still does have a soft heart for those who seek him.

The Battle of Ai

This brings us to chapter 7 in the Joshua text. We are already about a quarter way through the book. Jericho has been burned, and the people are back at their Gilgal headquarters. No territory has yet been occupied.

Ai is next, a small hill country outpost near Bethel. It lies between powerful northern and southern city states. Hill country population declined since the Middle Bronze Age (see chart left). Note the explosive expansion starting with Iron Age 1 (Joshua’s time). A hill country foothold was ideal. It would be difficult to attack because chariots and long-range javelin type weapons are useless there. These facts demonstrate God’s providence. Perfect entry point, largely empty.

Things go wrong. No prayer this time; no communication with God. A “We can do this ourselves” attitude creeps in. “We only need three brigades; no need to trouble all the people.” Big mistake! The first defeat! What were the Amorite kingdoms to think? These people can be defeated; their god is not so strong after all.

What does Joshua do? He questions God’s goodness; sackcloth, ashes, and all. It wasn’t God’s fault; there was treason in the camp. Achan violated God’s direct command. Ancient clan-based cultures are not like ours. A sin like this affects the family, the clan, and all of the tribes. It cannot be ignored. So, Israel does what it must and gets on track. Then by God’s direction, Joshua takes Ai seriously and wins the battle. The people now have a foothold in the hill country; it can begin settling the empty regions. The army though, returns to their headquarters at Gilgal.

Gibeonites: Another Mistake

Joshua renews the covenant at Mt. Ebal. He perfectly fulfills the instructions set forth in Deuteronomy. Apparently, everything is going well. Not so fast. Here come the Gibeonites, dirty, shabby, unkempt. They claim to be foreigners; they even acknowledge the power of Yahweh. Joshua and the elders pledge a covenant. This group agrees to become subservient; Israel commits to their protection. What could be wrong with that? The Israelites failed to seek God’s council.

They were duped. The Gibeonites weren’t foreigners; they were neighbors living among them. Still, so what? We have a covenant violation (Exod 23:32). The Gibeonites get to remain in Canaan and keep worshipping foreign gods. The best that could be done at this point is to require them to carry wood for Yahweh sacrifices. Perhaps they can in time learn to acknowledge only him. This incident is the first of many compromises where Canaanite neighbors remain and worship gods other than Yahweh.

More Wars

Chapters ten through twelve describe two wars. First an Amorite coalition from the south attacks. They and their kings are defeated. Next the more powerful city states from the north repeat the attempt to wipe out this Israelite intrusion. In accordance with other Late Bronze Age documents, less details are provided than what we have for Jericho and Ai. So, what do we have? Kings (local leaders) are killed, and their armies fall. Only Hazor, the chief city of the north, is burned to the ground (Josh 11:10–11). Settlement continues in the hill country. The army returns to Gilgal.

Tribal Allotments

Up to now, Israel is presented as a single unified force. This is about to change. Although the local infrastructure of Canaan has been destroyed, and its cities defeated, there is much yet to do. The local populations remain. So, Joshua allocates regions according to tribal sizes and by lot to the various tribes. Many chapters document these allocations. Archaeologists work to identify the various cities that are listed.

After receiving their allocations, it is up to each tribe individually to establish themselves within their respected regions. Signs of trouble will emerge as the military divides into local units. The tribe of Dan will fail, so part of the tribe moves north and occupies the region near Lachish (Jdg 18). The tribe of Judah will not be able to uproot the Jebusites because they have iron chariots (Jdg 1:19). Some areas would never be successfully occupied; others only after Saul and David come to power and overcome the Philistines. In any case, Joshua was successful. God has delivered on all his promises. The infrastructure of Canaan is toppled readying the process of occupation. It is up to the tribes to remain faithful and continue the process.

Final Declaration

Joshua gives his final address in chapter 23. He exhorts the people to have courage and remain faithful to serve only the God of Israel. He warns that if they do not, God will withdraw his support. Chapter 24 describes all of the leaders and elders gathering at the new religious center (Shechem). Joshua reminds the people of their history and God’s faithfulness. The people pledge to serve only Yahweh, and a stone of remembrance is set up.

Conclusion

I think we have shown that the book of Joshua does not describe a quick blitzkrieg conquest. It documents God’s covenantal support when the people lean on him. It also documents his denial of support after the people rebel. It anticipates the long-term process of occupation that will continue for several hundred years until finally, the kingdoms of David and Solomon are established. There was never a genocide as super-literalists charge. Neither do archaeological finds refute the biblical account.

We still have more to discuss. Some of the language of Joshua seems harsh and violent:

Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining (Josh 10:28).

The Hebrew word, herem, also gives many pause. This word refers to a thing dedicated to destruction or devoted for a specific purpose. It often involves total destruction or expulsion of a community.

Finally, what about the sun standing still in the sky for a day in chapter 10? Did that really happen? Or are we anachronistically reading into the passage? I’ll address these issues in the next article.

There is an application in the book of Joshua as we consider the New Testament church. The hardheartedness of the ancient Israelites delayed their occupation of the promised land (Jdg 2:1–4). Many of us are quick to judge. But how do we differ? The New Covenant Kingdom of God was initiated by Jesus. Here we are two thousand years later and we’re still working on it. Perhaps we are not so different than these ancient people after all.

Thanks for Listening

References

Richard S. Hess, Joshua, Intervarsity (2008).
James K. Hoffmeier, Israel in Egypt, Oxford (1996), Ch. 1–2.
Bill T. Arnold and Rishard S. Hess, Ancient Israel’s History, Baker (2014), Ch. 14.
John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, Intervarsity (2000).
K. A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament, Eerdmans (2006), Ch. 5.
“Israelite Origins: Population decline and explosion,”
A. Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible 10,000-586 B.C.E, Yale University (1990), 334-338.
Israel Finkelstein & Neil Silberman, The Bible Unearthed (Touchstone, 2002), 107.

Dan Harvey, author of Wrestling with Faith and Experiencing the Apocalypse, secondlooknow.com

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