UNROLL
Sunrise seen from the first slopes of the hills west of Jericho: the wide Jordan valley below with the green palms of the oasis, a small dark camp of tents on the plain at Gilgal, the thin green line of the river’s thickets, and the long wall of the mountains of Moab beyond under a calm, pale gold sky.

The Book of

Joshua Intro

Across the river at last: the land God promised, given, fought for, shared out, and a people called to choose.

Before chapter 1≈ 2 min24 chapters

Images are artistic interpretations.

In 30 seconds

Moses is dead, and the Jordan is in flood.

God stops the river, and Israel crosses into the land.

Jericho falls; hidden sin brings defeat at Ai.

The land is shared out, tribe by tribe.

Joshua’s last word: choose whom you will serve.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Who wrote it

Joshua

Moses’ successor, who led Israel into the land

  • Born Hoshea; Moses renamed him Joshua, ‘the LORD saves.’Numbers 13:16
  • The book names no author, but says Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God.Joshua 24:26
  • Lines like ‘to this day’ show it was finished some time after the events.Joshua 4:9
  • The conquest is dated about 1400 BC or in the 1200s BC; Bible-believing scholars hold both.Scholars differ

How it’s built

Cross, conquer, divide, choose

Crossing over1–5 · into the landTaking theland6–12 · the LORDfights for IsraelDividing theland13–21 · a share foreach tribeChoose thisday22–24 · serve theLORD

Whiteboard

Four movements, one promise: the land sworn to Abraham, given to his children.

Reading Joshua

The battles were God’s judgment then, never a pattern now.

Rahab the Canaanite was spared: it was never about race.

The church’s battle is not against flesh and blood.

The land lists show God’s gift to every tribe and family.

Where it happens

Plains of MoabJordan RiverGilgal (site uncertain)JerichoAiGibeonHebronShilohShechemHazor

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

Into the land

From the plains of Moab across the Jordan to Gilgal and Jericho; up into the hills at Ai and Gibeon; south to Hebron and north to Hazor. The land is shared out at Gilgal and Shiloh, and the covenant renewed at Shechem. Gilgal’s and Ai’s sites are uncertain.

Big themes

Four threads to follow

Meet the cast

Four people to know

Watch for

Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.

Joshua 21:45

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Question

Quick question

His name says what the whole book shows.

What does the name Joshua mean?

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