Joshua

This page is about the Hebrew Bible character. For the Biblical book, see Book of Joshua.

For other uses, see Joshua (disambiguation).

Josue or Yehoshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Tiberian: jə.ho.ˈʃu.aʕ, Israeli: Yəhoshúa) is a person mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the Book of Joshua. In that account, Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites and led their conquest of Canaan.

Joshua is thought to have lived sometime in the Bronze Age. However, he is associated with problems concerning the evidence for the Exodus from Egypt. Various reconstructions of the biblical data about the Exodus have not yet matched the archeological evidence. Accordingly, archeologists dispute the historicity of the many details in the biblical account of the Exodus and often treat it as legendary embellishments of an earlier (still unidentified) event.

Hebrew Name

The original Hebrew name Yehoshua Template:Hebrew often lacks a Hebrew letter Vav (Template:Hebrew) after the Shin (Template:Hebrew), allowing a misreading of the vocalization of the name, as if Yehoshea (Template:Hebrew), and indeed his name was Hoshea before his namechange to Yehoshua (Numbers 13:16). Nevertheless, the use of a mater lectionis was an orthographic innovation, and although the use of two Vavs is well attested as Template:Hebrew (for example, Deuteronomy 3:21), traditional orthography tended to avoid the second Vav as too intrusive when spelling Yehoshua. The name Yehoshua` in Hebrew means "Yehova saves". It is the original form of what in Greek became Ιησούς (i.e., Jesus).

Biblical account of his life

According to the biblical data, Joshua was the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim and the successor to Moses as the leader of Israel. See also History of ancient Israel and Judah. He was born in Egypt, and was probably the same age as Caleb, with whom he is generally associated.

Joshua shared in all the events of the Exodus. He was Moses' minister, and accompanied him part of the way when he ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments (Exd. 32:17). He was also one of the twelve spies who were sent on by Moses to explore the land of Canaan (Num. 13:16, 17), and only he and Caleb gave an encouraging report. He was commander at their great battle against the Amalekites in Rephidim (Ex. 17:8-16).

Joshua succeded Moses as leader of the Israelites upon his death. In this role, he led the Israelites across the Jordan into the Hebrew "promised land". He commanded subsequent conquest of Canaan. The first major battle was in Jericho, which he took by ordering his host to march around the city for seven days, whereupon the city walls fell. The Israelites then slaughtered "every living thing" inside Jericho.

Joshua performed one of the most dramatic miracles of the Old Testament, halting the sun and moon in the sky (Joshua 10:12-13).

When he was "old and stricken in age" Joshua convened the elders and chiefs of the Israelites and exhorted them to have no fellowship with the native population. At a general assembly of the clans at Shechem he took leave of the people, admonishing them to be loyal to their God, who had been so mightily manifested in the midst of them. As a witness of their promise to serve God, Joshua set up a great stone under an oak by the sanctuary of God. Soon afterward he died, at the age of 110, and was buried in Timnath Serah.

In rabbinical literature

In rabbinic Jewish literature Joshua is regarded as a faithful, humble, deserving, wise man. Biblical verses illustrative of these qualities and of their reward are applied to him. "He that waits on his master shall be honored" (Pro. xxvii. 18) is construed as a reference to Joshua (Midrash Numbers Rabbah xii.), as is also the first part of the same verse, "Whoso keepes the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof" (Midrash Yalk., Josh. 2; Numbers Rabbah xii. 21). That "honor shall uphold the humble in spirit" (Pro. xxix. 23) is proved by Joshua's victory over Amalek (Midrash Numbers Rabbah xiii). Not the sons of Moses — as Moses himself had expected — but Joshua was appointed successor to the son of Amram (Midrash Numbers Rabbah xii). Moses was shown how Joshua reproved Othniel (Yalḳ., Num. 776). Joshua's manliness recommended him for this high post. David referred to him in Psalms lxxxvii. 25, though without mentioning the name, lest dissensions should arise between his sons and those of his brothers (Yalḳ., quoting Sifre).

In later literature

In the Divine Comedy Joshua's spirit appears to Dante in the Heaven of Mars, where he is grouped with the other "warriors of the faith".

External links

• Book of Joshua at Wikisource.
• Israel Period of the Judges
• Why Yahushua?

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