Background
He was the son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim.
He was the son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim.
Already in the early stages of the wanderings in the desert, Moses appointed him field commander to lead the Israelites in their successful battle against the Amalekites at Rephidim (Exod. 17:8-13). He was still a young man when he accompanied Moses on the first part of his ascent of Mount Sinai and when the Tent of Meeting was constructed, he was in charge of its security. As Moses’ spiritual disciple, he zealously defended his master’s prerogatives. When Moses sent twelve spies, one from each tribe, to survey the land of Canaan, only Joshua (together with Caleb) brought back a favorable report, contrary to the defeatism of the others, and recommended a direct assault to capture Canaan. For this service, he and Caleb were the only Israelites who had left Egypt who were privileged to enter the Promised Land.
On God’s instruction, Moses lay his hands on Joshua, whom he designated as his successor and gave him the responsibility — along with Eliezer the priest and an official from each tribe — of dividing up the land of Canaan among the tribes.
With the death of Moses, Joshua took over the leadership. Subsequent events are detailed in the Bible in the book of Joshua. The conquest of Canaan was achieved despite the military advantages of the Canaanites, who had experienced armies, chariots, fortified cities, and a cohesive system of alliances. Joshua succeeded by waging a “holy war” in the name of God and demanding obedience to the word of God.
After a miraculous crossing of the river Jordan, Joshua ordered the circumcision of all males — a rite neglected in the wilderness. Jericho was conquered after its walls fell down, and before long the city of Ai was destroyed. Joshua made use of military intelligence and other ruses, such as the spies he sent into Jericho (Jos. 2) and capture by ambush, as in the case of Ai (Jos. 8).
When lie reached Mount Ebal he built an altar (apparently identified in a recent excavation) where he pronounced the blessings and curses as laid down by Moses (Jos. 8:30-35). He went on to make a covenant with the cities of Gibeon; score a victory over a coalition of five Amorite rulers; and defeat an alliance of northern monarchs ted by the king of Hazor.
After subduing most of the land (he was unsuccessful along the Mediterranean coast), he announced the allotment of territories to the various tribes. He also determined cities of refuge and forty-eight cities allocated to the Levites who had no tribal territory of their own. After his farewell address, in which he exhorted the tribes to be ruled by God alone, Joshua died at the age of 110 and was buried in his own allotted territory.
