The Book of Judges:
JOSHUA
Joshua 1
Joshua was mainly written by Joshua himself, but later put together with what we know today as the book of Judges by Samuel the Prophet. It was later re-edited by Ezra when he canonized the complete Old Testament. See note on Ezra in the Book of Ezra-Nehemiah. Joshua--The original name, Oshea, (Numbers 13:8), which had been, according to Eastern usage, changed like those of Abram and Sarai (Genesis 17:5-15) into Jehoshua or Joshua (that is, "God(Elohim/Theos)'s salvation") was significant of the services he was to render, and typified those of a greater Saviour (Hebrews 4:8).
1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD(Jesus) it came to pass, that the LORD(Jesus) spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying:
2 Moses my servant is dead; now get up and go over this Jordan(River), you, and all this people, into the land which I am giving to you, the children of Israel.
3 I am giving you every place you will step on with the sole of your foot, as I said to Moses.
4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the great sea [Mediterranean Sea] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.
5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.
7 Only be strong! Be courageous! Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.
8 Yes, keep this book of the Torah(first 5 books of Moses) on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed.
9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) is with you wherever you go.
10 Joshua then instructed the officials of Israel,
11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) is giving you.”
12 Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them,
13 “Remember what Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), commanded you: ‘The LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’
14 Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them
15 until the LORD(Jesus) have given your fellow countrymen rest, as he has given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) gives to them: then you will return to the land of your inheritance, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD(Jesus)'s servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sun-rise.”
16 They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us.
17 We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) be with you as he was with Moses.
18 Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”
The Book of Judges: Joshua 2
Rahab
1 Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
Many expositors, desirous of removing the stigma of this name from an ancestress of the Saviour (Matthew 1:5), have called her a hostess or tavern keeper. But Scriptural usage (Leviticus 21:7-14, Deuteronomy 23:18, Judges 11:1, 1 Kings 3:16), the authority of the Septuagint, followed by the apostles (Hebrews 11:31, 2:25), and the immemorial style of Eastern khans, which are never kept by women, establish the propriety of the term employed in our version. Her house was probably recommended to the spies by the convenience of its situation, without any knowledge of the character of the inmates. But a divine influence directed them in the choice of that lodging-place.(Jamieson)
2 But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”
4 And the women had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from.
5 They left the town just before sunset, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.”
The gates of all Oriental cities are closed at sunset, after which there is no possibility either of admission or egress. This has nothing to do with the Sabbath, as we see in Nehemiah 13:19.
6 Actually she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax she had spread out there.
7 So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.
8 The two men had not yet lain down when she returned to the roof
9 and said to them, "I know that the LORD(Jesus) has given you the land. Fear of you has fallen on us; everyone in the land is terrified at the thought of you.
10 For we have heard how the LORD(Jesus) made a dry path for you through the Red Sea[b] when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.
The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the LORD(Jesus), either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) is the supreme God(Elohim/Theos) of the heavens above and the earth below.
12 “Now swear to me by the LORD(Jesus) that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that
13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
14 “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the LORD(Jesus) gives us the land.”
15 Then she lowered them by a rope through the window; since her house abutted the city wall, indeed was actually built into it.
16 She told them, "Head for the hills, so that the pursuit party won't get their hands on you; and hide yourselves there for three days, until the pursuers have returned. After that, you can go on your way."
17 The men said to her, "We will not be guilty of violating the oath you made us swear, provided that
18 when we enter the land, you tie this piece of scarlet cord in the window you let us down from; and you gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and your father's entire household.
19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house into the street, he will be responsible for his own blood, and we will be guiltless. But everyone who stays with you in the house - we will be responsible for his blood if anyone lays a hand on him.
20 However, if you say a word about this business of ours, then we will be free of your oath that you made us swear."
21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
22 The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success.
23 Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshuan the son of Nun, all that had happened to them.
24 “The LORD(Jesus) has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.”
The Book of Judges: Joshua 3
The Israelites Cross the Jordan
A symbol of entering into the promised land
1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they remove left the Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where he and all the children of Israel camped before crossing.
2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp,
The 3 days here is symbloc of Christ's 3 days and 3 nights
3 giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos), move out from your positions and follow them.
4 Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about a half mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer.”
5 Then Joshua told the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD(Jesus) will do great wonders among you.”
6 In the morning Joshua said to the priests, “Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.” And so they started out and went ahead of the people.
7 The LORD(Jesus) told Joshua: Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.
8 Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’”
9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) says.
10 Today you will know that the living God(Elohim/Theos) is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you.
11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the LORD(Jesus) of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River!
12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.
13 The priests will carry the Ark of the LORD(Jesus), the LORD(Jesus) of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”
14 So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.
15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge,
16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.
17 Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the LORD(Jesus)’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 4
1 And it came to pass when all the people had crossed the Jordan, the LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua:
2 Take twelve men out of the assembly, out of every tribe a man,
3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’
4 Then Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel.
5 And said to them, "Go on ahead of the ark of theLORD(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos) into the riverbed of the Jordan Then, each of you take a stone on his shoulder, corresponding to the number of tribes of the people of Israel.
6 This will be a sign for you. In the future, when your children ask, 'What do you mean by these stones?'
7 You will answer them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD(Jesus)’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”
8 So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the LORD(Jesus) had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there.
9 Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.
10 The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the LORD(Jesus)’s commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed.
11 And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the LORD(Jesus) as the people watched.
12 The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh led the Israelites across the Jordan, just as Moses had directed.
13 These armed men—about 40,000 strong—were ready for battle, and the LORD(Jesus) was with them as they crossed over to the plains of Jericho.
14 That day the LORD(Jesus) made Joshua a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites, and for the rest of his life they revered him as much as they had revered Moses.
15 The LORD(Jesus) had said to Joshua:
16 Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenan to come up out of the riverbed.
17 So Joshua ordered the priests saying “Come up out of the Jordan.”
18 As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the LORD(Jesus)’s Covenant came up out of the riverbed and their feet were on high ground, the water of the Jordan returned and overflowed its banks as before.
19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho.
This would be the same day as Israelites are instructed to select their lambs for Passover, or on our calendar, the 29th of March.
20 It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River.
21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’
22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
23 For the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea[c] when he dried it up until we had all crossed over.
24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the LORD(Jesus)’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) forever.”
The Book of Judges: Joshua 5
1 When all the kings of the Amorite's on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the (Mediterranean) Sea heard how the LORD(Jesus) had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they fell into depression because of the people of Israel.
Israel Reestablishes Circumcision:
2 It was at that time that the LORD(Jesus) told Joshua, Make yourself knives of flint, and circumcise the people of Israel again, a second time.
literally, "return and circumcise." The command did not require him to repeat the operation on those who had undergone it, but to resume the observance of the rite, which had been long discontinued. The language, however, evidently points to a general circumcising on some previous occasion, which, though unrecorded, must have been made before the celebration of the passover at Sinai (compare Exodus 12:48, Numbers 9:5), as a mixed multitude accompanied the camp. "The second time" of general circumcising was at the entrance into Canaan.
3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the entire male population of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.[Gibeath-haaraloth means “hill of foreskins.”]
4 The reason Joshua had to circumcise the people was because all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died in the wilderness.
5 Those who left Egypt had all been circumcised, but none of those born after the Exodus, during the years in the wilderness, had been circumcised.
The Church of Israel is a symbol of Christ's Church since the time of the apostles. What I mean here is that for the time the Israelites wandered in the desert, they were not under Mosaic Law, but pre-Abrahamic Law. Sacrifice, the Ten Commandments and the dietary laws were in force, but circumcision and other temple laws were not. We can relate Acts 15 to this timeframe, as the council in Jerusalem basically adopted this same standard for the new testament church. We are always under the Ten Commandments, and the same laws that the Israelites were under during their wanderings from Sinai, but not under temple law. We will not again be until temple law until Christ's return and restores all things.(Revel 21 and Ezekiel 37:24). So today, one may be circumcised, as Timothy was circumcised by Paul (Acts 16:3); however, one cannot celebrate the passover, unless theyare circumcised!(Ex 12:48). So Passover meal is not mandatory as a Sabbath day, UNLESS ONE IS CIRCUMCISED! Should Christians be circumcised? The quick answer is yes. Moses, Joshua and those men of God in the desert were circumcised.
6 For the children of Israel walked for forty years in the wilderness until all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died out; because they had not heeded what the LORD(Jesus) said. The LORD(Jesus) had sworn that he would not allow them to see the land which the LORD(Jesus) swore to their ancestors that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 So he raised up their children to take their place, and it was these whom Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised (after leaving Sinai).
8 When all the nation had been circumcised, every one of them, they stayed where they were in camp until they had healed.
9 The LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua: Today I have rolled away the shame of Egypt. So that place has been called Gilgal[rolling] to this day.
10 The people of Israel camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, and they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.
The night of our April 2
11 The very next day after Passover, they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land.
12 And the manna stopped (on the third day of Passoover) or the day after they had eaten of the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna to eatany more; only the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Manna stoppedon the third day of this last Passover before the entry into the promised land. This is a symbol that the New Testament Church ends on Christ's return! The third day is when Christ rose from the dead and became the living bread we eat today!
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”
14 “Neither one,” He replied. “I am the commander of the LORD(Jesus)’s army.”
This is Jesus Christ, hence the words are in red. You can verify that from the answer below, as Angels do not let men worship them!
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
15 The commander of the LORD(Jesus)’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 6
The Fall of Jericho:
1 Now Jericho were tightly barricaded because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one went out or in.
2 But the LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua: I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors.
3 You are to encircle the city with all your soldiers and march around it once. Do this for six days.
4 Seven priests are to carry seven trumpets[shofars]in front of the ark. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, and the priests will blow the trumpets.
5 Then they are to blow a long blast on the ram's horn [shofar]. On hearing the sound of the horn, all the people are to shout as loudly as they can; and the wall of the city will fall down flat. Then the people are to go up into the city, each one straight from where he stands.
6 So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the LORD(Jesus)’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn[shofar].”
7 Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the LORD(Jesus).”
8 After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams’ horns started marching in the presence of the LORD(Jesus), blowing the horns as they marched. And the Ark of the LORD(Jesus)’s Covenant followed behind them.
9 Some of the armed men marched in front of the priests with the horns and some behind the Ark, with the priests continually blowing the horns.
10 “Do not shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded. “Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!”
11 So the Ark of the LORD(Jesus) was carried around the town once that day, and then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp.
12 The next morning Joshua got up early and the priests again carried the Ark of the LORD(Jesus).
13 The seven priests with the rams’ horns marched in front of the Ark of the LORD(Jesus), blowing their horns. Again the armed men marched both in front of the priests with the horns and behind the Ark of the LORD(Jesus). All this time the priests were blowing their horns.
14 The second day, they went around the city once and returned to camp. They did the same for six days.
15 On the seventh day, they got up early, at sunrise, and went around the city in the same way seven times. That was the only day they encircled the city seven times.
Sunrise is the start of the new day
16 The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD(Jesus) has given you the town!
17 Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the LORD(Jesus). Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.
destroyed-- The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the LORD(Jesus), either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in 6:18, 21.
18 “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel.
19 Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the LORD(Jesus) and must be brought into his treasury.”
20 So the people shouted, with the shofars(trumpets) blowing. When the people heard the sound of the shofars, the people let out a great shout; and the wall fell down flat; so that the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead of him; and they captured the city.
21 They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
22 Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”
23 The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. They moved her whole family to a safe place near the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the city to ashes with everything in it, except for the silver, the gold and the brass and iron utensils, which they put in the treasury of the house of the LORD(Jesus).
25 So Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the household ,and everything she had; and she has continued living with Israel from then until now; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua had sent to reconnoiter Jericho.
This is proof to this book being written before david became King because it is not mentioned here that she becomes an ancestor of David.
26 And Joshua then made the people say: "A curse before the LORD(Jesus) on anyone who rises up and rebuilds this city of Jericho: he will lay its foundation with the loss of his firstborn son and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son."
27 So the LORD(Jesus) was with Joshua, and his fame was known throughout the land.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 7
1 But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the LORD(Jesus).[a] A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the LORD(Jesus) was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah.
Set apart: The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the LORD(Jesus), either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in 7:11, 12, 13, 15.
2 Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven[house of vanities].
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai--After the sacking of Jericho, the next step was to penetrate into the hills above. Accordingly, spies went up the mountain pass to view the country. The precise site of Ai, or Hai, is indicated with sufficient clearness (Genesis 12:8, 13:3) and has been recently discovered in an isolated tell, called by the natives Tell-el-Hajar, "the mount of stones," at two miles', or thirty-five minutes' distance, east southeast from Beth-el [VAN DE VELDE].
3 And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.”
4 So approximately 3,000 men were sent, but they were defeated by the men of Ai.
5 And the men of Ai killed some thirty-six of them and chased them from before their gate all the way to Shebarim, attacking them on the descent. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.
6 And Joshua tore his clothes in dismay, and he and the leaders threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the LORD(Jesus) until evening.
7 Then Joshua said “Oh, Sovereign LORD(Jesus), why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side!
8 Oh, LORD(Jesus), what can I say now that Israel has fled from their enemies?
9 For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?”
10 The LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua: Stand up! Why are you lying on your face like this?
11 Israel has sinned. Yes, they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them. They have taken some of what was to have been set aside for destruction. They have stolen it, lied about it and put it with their own things.
12 This is why the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs on their enemies, because they have come under a curse. I won't be with you any more unless you destroy the things meant for destruction that you have with you.
13 So get up, consecrate the people, and say, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for here is what the LORD(Jesus) the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel says: "Israel, you have things under the curse of destruction among you; and you will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove the things that were to have been destroyed from among you.
14 Therefore, tomorrow morning you are to come forward, by tribes, and the LORD(Jesus) will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. That tribe must come forward with its clans, and the LORD(Jesus) will point out the guilty clan. That clan will then come forward, and the LORD(Jesus) will point out the guilty family. Finally, each member of the guilty family must come forward one by one.
15 The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the LORD(Jesus) and has done a horrible thing in Israel.”
Achan’s sin discovered
16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, brought the tribes of Israel before the LORD(Jesus), and the tribe of Judah was singled out.
17 Then the clans of Judah came forward, and the clan of Zerah was singled out. Then the families of Zerah came forward, and the family of Zimri was singled out.
18 Every member of Zimri’s family was brought forward person by person, and Achan was singled out.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don’t hide it from me.”
20 And Achan ranswered Joshua, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel.
21 Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon,[Shinar] 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent. It was all there, hidden in his tent, including the silver underneath.
23 They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the people of Israel, and put them down the in front of the LORD(Jesus).
24 And Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, tent, and everything he had, and they brought them to the valley of Achor.
25 Then Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The LORD(Jesus) will now bring trouble on you.” And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies.
26 They piled a great heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. That is why the place has been called the Valley of Trouble[Achor] ever since. So the LORD(Jesus) was no longer angry.
It is customary to raise cairns over the graves of criminals or infamous persons in the East still.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 8
1 Then the LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua: Don't be afraid or fall into despair! Take all the people who can fight with you, set out, and go up to Ai; because now I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.
2 You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.
3 So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of his best warriors and sent them out at night
4 with these orders: “Hide in ambush close behind the town and be ready for action.
5 I and all the troops with me will approach the city; and when they come out to attack us, as they did before, we will run away from them.
6 They will chase after us until we have drawn them away from the city; because they will say, 'They're running away from us, as they did before'; so we'll run away from them.
7 Then you will jump up from your ambush position and take possession of the city, for the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos) will hand it over to you.
8 Set the town on fire, as the LORD(Jesus) has commanded. You have your orders.”
9 Joshua sent them out; and they went to the place for the ambush, staying between BethEL and Ai, to the west of Ai; while Joshua camped that night with the people.
Bethel is bethEL. EL for God(Elohim/Theos)
10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, roused his men and started toward Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel.
11 All the troops marching with him went up, advanced, arrived in front of the city and camped on the north side of Ai, with a valley between him and Ai.
12 That night Joshua sent 5,000 men to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the town.
13 So they stationed the main army north of the town and the ambush west of the town. Joshua himself spent that night in the valley.
14 When the king of Ai saw the Israelites across the valley, he and all his army hurried out early in the morning and attacked the Israelites at a place overlooking the Jordan Valley. But he didn’t realize there was an ambush behind the town.
15 Joshua and all Israel made as if they had been defeated before them and ran off on the road to the desert.
16 All the people in Ai were summoned together to pursue them, so they chased Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not chase after the Israelites, and the town was left wide open.
18 Then the LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua, “Point the spear in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the town over to you.” Joshua did as he was commanded.
19 The men in ambush jumped up quickly from their place; the moment he stretched out his hand, they ran, entered the city and captured it; and they hurried to set the city on fire.
20 When the men of Ai looked behind them, smoke from the town was filling the sky, and they had nowhere to go. For the Israelites who had fled in the direction of the wilderness now turned on their pursuers.
21 When Joshua and all the other Israelites saw that the ambush had succeeded and that smoke was rising from the town, they turned and attacked the men of Ai.
22 Meanwhile, the others came out of the city against them too; so that they were surrounded by Israel with some on this side and some on that side. They attacked them, allowing none to remain or escape.
23 Only the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua.
24 When Israel had finished slaughtering all the inhabitants of Ai in the countryside, in the desert where they had pursued them, and they had all fallen, consumed by the sword, then all Israel returned to Ai and defeated it with the sword.
25 So the entire population of Ai, including men and women, was wiped out that day—12,000 in all.
26 For Joshua kept holding out his spear until everyone who had lived in Ai was completely destroyed.
Destroyed The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the LORD(Jesus), either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
27 Only the livestock and the treasures of the town were not destroyed, for the Israelites kept these as plunder for themselves, as the LORD(Jesus) had commanded Joshua.
28 So Joshua burned the town of Ai[ruin], and it became a permanent mound of ruins, desolate to this very day.
Ai means “ruin, so the name was probably given after by the Hebrews!
29 Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening. At sunset the Israelites took down the body, as Joshua commanded, and threw it in front of the town gate. They piled a great heap of stones over him that can still be seen today.
30 Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, on Mount Ebal.
31 As Moses the servant of the LORD(Jesus) commanded the children of Israel, and as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, that no one had touched with an iron tool. On it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD(Jesus), and sacrificed peace offerings.
32 He wrote there on the stones a copy of the Torah of Moses inscribing it in the presence of the people of Israel.
I think here, he wrote a copy of the Ten Commandments and not all 5 books of Moses.
33 Then all the Israelites—foreigners and native-born alike—along with the elders, officers, and judges, were divided into two groups. One group stood in front of Mount Gerizim, the other in front of Mount Ebal. Each group faced the other, and between them stood the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the LORD(Jesus)’s Covenant. This was all done according to the commands that Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), had previously given for blessing the people of Israel.
34 Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction.
35 Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 9
1 Now all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about what had happened. These were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who lived in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the coast of the great (Mediterranean) Sea as far north as the Lebanon mountains.
2 These kings combined their armies to fight as one against Joshua and the Israelites.
3 But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
4 they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins.
5 They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy.
6 When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us.”
7 The men of Israel replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.”
8 But they answered Joshua, "We are your servants."
Joshua asked, "Who are you, and where do you come from?"
9 They answered, “Your servants have come from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all he did in Egypt.
10 We have also heard what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth).
11 So our leaders and all the people living in our country said to us, "Take provisions with you for the journey, go to meet them, and say to them, 'We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us.'
12 Here is the bread which we took for our provisions. It was still warm when we took it out of our homes the day we left to come to you. Now look at it! It's dry and turned to crumbs!
13 And these wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, now they're torn. Likewise these clothes of ours and our shoes are worn out because of the very long journey."
14 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.
15 So Joshua made a peace with them and made a covenant with them to spare their lives, and the leading officials of the community swore to them.
16 But three days later, after they had made the covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors, that they lived there with them.
17 The people of Israel traveled and arrived at their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
18 The people of Israel did not attack them, because the leading officials of the community had sworn to them by ADONAI, the God of Israel; but all the community grumbled against the leaders.
19 However, the leaders replied to the whole community, "We have sworn to them by ADONAI, the God of Israel; so we can't touch them.
20 Here is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that God's anger will not be on us because of the oath we swore to them.
21 Let them live.” So they made them woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community, as the Israelite leaders directed.
22 Joshua called together the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you lie to us? Why did you say that you live in a distant land when you live right here among us?
23 May you be cursed! From now on you will always be servants who cut wood and carry water for the house of my God.”
24 They replied, “We did it because we—your servants—were clearly told that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you this entire land and to destroy all the people living in it. So we feared greatly for our lives because of you. That is why we have done this.
25 Now we are at your mercy—do to us whatever you think is right.”
26 So Joshua did not allow the people of Israel to kill them.
27 But that day he made the Gibeonites the woodcutters and water carriers for the community of Israel and for the altar of the Lord—wherever the Lord would choose to build it. And that is what they do to this day.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 10
1 When Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured and completely destroyed Ai and killed its king, just as he had destroyed the town of Jericho and killed its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel and were now their allies.
Adoni-zedek--"lord of righteousness"--nearly synonymous with Melchizedek, "king of righteousness." These names were common titles of the Jebusite kings. There is no evidence here that this king is truly Christ, and it would be doubtful that he could be. Just a man trying to be a god!
Jerusalem--The original name, "Salem" (Genesis 14:18, Psalms 76:2), was superseded by that here given, which signifies "a peaceful possession," or "a vision of peace," in allusion, as some think, to the strikingly symbolic scene (Genesis 22:14) represented on the mount whereon that city was afterwards built.
2 He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.
3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon.
4 “Come and help me destroy Gibeon,” he urged them, “for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.”
5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, got together, went up with all their armies, pitched camp against Gibeon and made war against it.
6 The people of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. “Don't ignore your servants! Come up to us quickly,” they said. “Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.”
7 Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting men with him, including all the bravest ones.
8 The LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua: Do not be afraid of them, for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.
9 Joshua then came to them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal that night.
10 The LORD(Jesus) threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah.
11 As they fled before Israel down the road to Beth-horon, the LORD(Jesus) destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword.
chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon--that is, "the House of Caves," of which there are still traces existing. There were two contiguous villages of that name, upper and nether. Upper Beth-horon was nearest Gibeon--about ten miles distant, and approached by a gradual ascent through a long and precipitous ravine. This was the first stage of the flight. The fugitives had crossed the high ridge of Upper Beth-horon, and were in full flight down the descent to Beth-horon the Nether. The road between the two places is so rocky and rugged that there is a path made by means of steps cut in the rock [ROBINSON].
Down this pass Joshua continued his victorious rout. Here it was that the Lord interposed, assisting His people by means of a storm, which, having been probably gathering all day, burst with such irresistible fury, that "they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword." The Oriental hailstorm is a terrific agent; the hailstones are masses of ice, large as walnuts, and sometimes as two fists; their prodigious size, and the violence with which they fall, make them always very injurious to property, and often fatal to life. The miraculous feature of this tempest, which fell on the Amorite army, was the entire preservation of the Israelites from its destructive ravages.
THE SUN AND MOON STAND STILL AT THE WORD OF JOSHUA.
12 Then one day the LORD(Jesus) gave over the Amorites to the people of Israel. Joshua prayed to the LORD(Jesus) in front of all the people of Israel. He said,
“Sun stand still over Gibeon! Moon, you also over the valley of Aijalon!”
13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day.
The inspired author here breaks off the thread of his history of this miraculous victory to introduce a quotation from an ancient poem, in which the mighty acts of that day were commemorated. The passage, which is parenthetical, contains a poetical description of the victory which was miraculously gained by the help of God, and forms an extract from "the book of Jasher," that is, "the upright"--an anthology, or collection of national songs, in honor of renowned and eminently pious heroes. The language of a poem is not to be literally interpreted; and therefore, when the sun and moon are personified, addressed as intelligent beings, and represented as standing still, the explanation is that the light of the sun and moon was supernaturally prolonged by the same laws of refraction and reflection that ordinarily cause the sun to appear above the horizon, when it is in reality below it [KEIL, BUSH].
Gibeon ("a hill") was now at the back of the Israelites, and the height would soon have intercepted the rays of the setting sun. The valley of Ajalon ("stags") was before them, and so near that it was sometimes called "the valley of Gibeon" (Isaiah 28:21). It would seem, from Joshua 10:14, that the command of Joshua was in reality a prayer to God for the performance of this miracle; and that, although the prayers of eminently good men like Moses often prevailed with God, never was there on any other occasion so astonishing a display of divine power made in behalf of His people, as in answer to the prayer of Joshua. Joshua 10:14 is the end of the quotation from Jasher; and it is necessary to notice this, as the fact described in it is recorded in due course, and the same words, by the sacred historian (Joshua 10:43).(Jamieson)
SEE NOTE BELOW**********
14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the LORD(Jesus) answered such a prayer. Surely the LORD(Jesus) fought for Israel that day!
15 Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to their camp at Gilgal.
16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
17 And it was told Joshua, tha the five kings were found hiding in a cave at Makkedah.
18 Joshua said, “Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks, and place guards at the entrance to keep the kings inside.
19 The rest of you continue chasing the enemy and cut them down from the rear. Don’t give them a chance to get back to their towns, for the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) has given you victory over them.”
20 So Joshua and the Israelite army continued the slaughter and completely crushed the enemy. They totally wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that managed to reach their fortified towns.
21 Then all the people returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. After that, no one dared to speak even a word against Israel.
22 Then Joshua said, "Open up the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me.”
23 They did it; they brought the five kings out to him—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.
24 Then in time, they brought them out, Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told.
25 “Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD(Jesus) is going to do this to all of your enemies.”
26 Then Joshua struck them and put them to death, hanging them on five trees, where they remained hanging until evening.
27 At sunset Joshua gave an order, and they lowered them from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, then laid big stones at the mouth of the cave; and there they remain to this day.
28 That same day Joshua captured and destroyed the town of Makkedah. He killed everyone in it, including the king, leaving no survivors. He destroyed them all, and he killed the king of Makkedah as he had killed the king of Jericho.
29 Then Joshua and all Israel went with him to Libnah and attacked it.
30 There, too, the LORD(Jesus) gave them the town and its king. He killed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. Then Joshua killed the king of Libnah as he had killed the king of Jericho.
31 And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and laid ssiege, and fought against it:
32 Here again, the LORD(Jesus) gave them Lachish. Joshua took it on the second day and killed everyone in it, just as he had done at Libnah.
33 During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer arrived with his army to help defend the town. But Joshua’s men killed him and his army, leaving no survivors.
34 Then Joshua and the army of Israel went on to Eglon and attacked it.
35 They captured it that very day. He defeated it with the sword, completely destroying everyone there, exactly as he had done to Lachish.
36 Joshua went up from Eglon, with all the men of Israel with him, to Hebron; where they fought against it:
37 They captured it, defeating it with the sword, including its king, its villages and everyone there; he left no one, exactly as he had done to Eglon; but he completely destroyed it and everyone there.
38 Then Joshua with the men of Israel turned back and attacked Debir.
39 They captured it, its king and all its villages, defeating them with the sword and utterly destroying everyone there; he left no one. He did to Debir and its king just what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king.
40 So Joshua conquered the whole region—the kings and people of the hill country, the Negev, the mountain slopes. He completely destroyed everyone in the land, leaving no survivors, just as the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, had commanded.
41 Joshua attacked them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza and from the region around the town of Goshen up to Gibeon.
42 Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, was fighting for his people.
43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
The Book of Jasher:
Most likely the real book of Jasper has never been found. There are several (as many as five) separate works by this title, all composed much later than Biblical times. The text covers much of the same ground as the traditional Mosaic books of the Bible, from the creation of the world to the death of Moses, albeit with several minor variations. The Book of Jasher is an ancient Hebrew manuscript. It is mentioned twice in the Bible. In the book of Joshua we find mention of The Book of Jasher at Joshua 10: 12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
Jasher is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) The Book of Jasher provides insight into the historical period from creation through the time of Joshua. This book has never actually been "lost"; it has been kept from public view for centuries and has been published very rarely until now. The Book of Jasher was said to have been found in Jerusalem during its capture by Titus. In 1840, many experts such as Professors Nordheimer, Turner and Bush of New York City proclaimed the English translation of The Book of Jasher, in general, a correct translation from the Hebrew. Although most people believe that a man named Jasher wrote the book, the Hebrew word Jasher means straight or upright. Therefore, the translated name of this book would be The Book of the Straight or Upright. .
The Book of Judges: Joshua 11
1 When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent messages to the following kings: King Jobab of Madon; the king of Shimron; the king of Acshaph;
1 When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent messages to the following kings: King Jobab of Madon; the king of Shimron; the king of Acshaph;
2 all the kings of the northern hill country; the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Galilee; the kings in the Galilean foothills; the kings of Naphoth-dor on the west;
3 the kings of Canaan, both east and west; the kings of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites in the towns on the slopes of Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4 So they set out, they and all their armies, many people, in number like the sand at the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
5 All these kings met together, then came and pitched camp together at the Merom Spring, to fight Israel.
6 Then the LORD(Jesus) said to Joshua, “Don't be afraid on their account; because at this time tomorrow I will hand them over, all of them dead, before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.”
7 So Joshua came against them suddenly with all his fighting men and fell on them at the Merom Spring.
8 And the LORD(Jesus) handed them over to Israel - they attacked and chased them to Greater Zidon, Misrefot-Mayim and eastward to the Mitzpeh Valley; they attacked them until none of them was left.
9 Joshua did to them what the LORD(Jesus) had ordered - he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
10 Then, Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor and killed its king, for in the past, Hazor had at one time been the capital of all these kingdoms.
11 The Israelites completely destroyed every living thing in the city, leaving no survivors. Not a single person was spared. And then Joshua burned the city.
12 Joshua slaughtered all the other kings and their people, completely destroying them, just as Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), had commanded.
13 But as for the cities built on hills, Israel did not burn one of them except Hatzor. Joshua did burn that one.
14 And the people of Israel took all the plunder and livestock of the ravaged towns for themselves. But they killed all the people, leaving no survivors.
15 As the LORD(Jesus) had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. And Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the LORD(Jesus) had given to Moses.
16 So Joshua conquered the entire region—the hill country, the entire Negev, the whole area around the town of Goshen, the western foothills, the Jordan Valley, the mountains of Israel, and the Galilean foothills.
17 The Israelite territory now extended all the way from Mount Halak, which leads up to Seir in the south, as far north as Baal-gad at the foot of Mount Hermon in the valley of Lebanon. Joshua killed all the kings of those territories,
18 waging war for a long time to accomplish this.
19 No one in this region made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites of Gibeon. All the others were defeated.
20 For the LORD(Jesus) hardened their hearts and caused them to fight the Israelites. So they were completely destroyed without mercy, as the LORD(Jesus) had commanded Moses.
21 During this period Joshua destroyed all the descendants of Anak, who lived in the hill country of Hebron, Debir, Anab, and the entire hill country of Judah and Israel. He killed them all and completely destroyed their towns.
22 None of the descendants of Anak were left in all the land of Israel, though some still remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
23 So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD(Jesus) had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 12
1 These are the kings east of the Jordan River who had been killed by the Israelites and whose land was taken. Their territory extended from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon and included all the land east of the Jordan Valley.
2 King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, was defeated. His kingdom included Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Gorge, and extended from the middle of the Arnon Gorge to the Jabbok River, which serves as a border for the Ammonites. This territory included the southern half of the territory of Gilead.
3 Sihon also controlled the Jordan Valley and regions to the east—from as far north as the Sea of Galilee to as far south as the Dead Sea,[ including the road to Beth-jeshimoth and southward to the slopes of Pisgah.
4 King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaites, lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei.
5 He ruled a territory stretching from Mount Hermon to Salecah in the north and to all of Bashan in the east, and westward to the borders of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. This territory included the northern half of Gilead, as far as the boundary of King Sihon of Heshbon.
6 Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), with the people of Israel destroyed the people of King Sihon and King Og. And Moses gave their land as a possession to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
7 The following is a list of the kings that Joshua and the Israelite armies defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which leads up to Seir. (Joshua gave this land to the tribes of Israel as their possession,
8 including the hill country, the western foothills, the Jordan Valley, the mountain slopes, the Judean wilderness, and the Negev. The people who lived in this region were the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.) These are the kings Israel defeated:
9 The king of Jericho, the king of Ai, near Bethel.
10 The king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron.
11 The king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish.
12 The king of Eglon, the king of Gezer.
13 The king of Debir. The king of Geder.
14 The king of Hormah, The king of Arad.
15 The king of Libnah. The king of Adullam.
16 The king of Makkedah, the king of Bethel.
17 The king of Tappuah. The king of Hepher.
18 The king of Aphek. The king of Lasharon.
19 The king of Madon. The king of Hazor.
20 The king of Shimron-meron. The king of Acshaph.
21 The king of Taanach. The king of Megiddo.
22 The king of Kedesh. The king of Jokneam in Carmel.
23 the king of Dor in the region of Dor, the king of Goyim in the Gilgal, and
24 The king of Tirzah.
In all, thirty-one kings were defeated.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 13
1 When Joshua was an old, the LORD(Jesus) said to him: You are old, and the years have taken their toll; but there is yet a great deal of land to be possessed.
He was probably above a hundred years old; for the conquest and survey of the land occupied about seven years, the partition one; and he died at the age of one hundred ten years (Joshua 24:29). The distribution, as well as the conquest of the land, was included in the mission of Joshua; and his advanced age supplied a special reason for entering on the immediate discharge of that duty; namely, of allocating Canaan among the tribes of Israel--not only the parts already won, but those also which were still to be conquered.(Jamieson)
2 This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and the Geshurites,
3 from the Shihor which borders Egypt, to the border of Ekron (northward from there the land is considered as belonging to the Canaanite's)-that is, the territory of the rulers of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; and also the Avites:
4 to the south all the land of the Canaanites, including Mearah (which belongs to the Sidonians), stretching northward to Aphek on the border of the Amorites;
5 the land of the Gebalites and all of the Lebanon mountain area to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath;
6 and all the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephothmaim, including all the land of the Sidonians, I myself will drive these people out of the land ahead of the people of Israel. So be sure to give this land to Israel as a special possession, just as I have commanded you.
7 So now, divide this land as an inheritance for the nine tribes and the half-tribe Manasseh.
The Land Divided East of the Jordan among tribes
8 Half the tribe of Manasseh and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received their grants of land on the east side of the Jordan, for Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), had previously assigned this land to them.
9 Their territory extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Gorge (including the town in the middle of the gorge) to the plain beyond Medeba, as far as Dibon.
10 It also included all the towns of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had reigned in Heshbon, and extended as far as the borders of Ammon,
11 and Gilead, the territory of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon, all of Bashan as far as Salecah,
12 and all the territory of King Og of Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. King Og was the last of the Rephaites, for Moses had attacked them and driven them out.
13 However, the people of Israel expelled neither the Geshur or the Maacah, so they continue to live among the people of Israel to this day.
14 Only the tribe of Levi received no inheritance; because the sacrifices to the LORD(Jesus) God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel that they made by fire became their inheritance, as He had told them
15 Moses gave the land to the tribe of the offspring of Reuben.
16 Their territory extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Gorge (including the town in the middle of the gorge) to the plain beyond Medeba.
17 It included Heshbon and the other towns on the plain—Dibon, Bamoth-Baal, Beth-Baal-meon,
18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill above the valley,
20 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth.
21 The land of Reuben also included all the towns of the plain and the entire kingdom of Sihon. Sihon was the Amorite king who had reigned in Heshbon and was killed by Moses along with the leaders of Midian—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—princes living in the region who were allied with Sihon.
22 The Israelites had also killed Balaam son of Beor, who used magic to tell the future.
23 The Jordan River marked the western boundary for the tribe of Reuben. The towns and their surrounding villages in this area were given as a homeland to the clans of the tribe of Reuben.
24 Moses had assigned the following area to the clans of the tribe of Gad.
25 Their territory included Jazer, all the towns of Gilead, and half of the land of Ammon, as far as the town of Aroer just west of Rabbah.
26 From Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to Debir.
27 In the valley were Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, Zaphon, and the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. The western boundary ran along the Jordan River, extended as far north as the tip of the Sea of Galilee[Sea of Kinnereth], and then turned eastward.
28 The towns and their surrounding villages in this area were given as a homeland to the clans of the tribe of Gad.
29 Moses had assigned the following area to the clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
30 Their territory extended from Mahanaim, including all of Bashan, all the former kingdom of King Og, and the sixty towns of Jair in Bashan.
31 It also included half of Gilead and King Og’s royal cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei. All this was given to the clans of the descendants of Makir, who was Manasseh's son.
32 These are the allotments Moses had made while he was on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, east of Jericho.
33 But Moses gave no allotment of land to the tribe of Levi, for the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, had promised that he himself would be their allotment.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 14
The Land Divided West of the Jordan:
1 And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the elders of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.
This chapter forms the introduction to an account of the allocation of the land west of Jordan, or Canaan proper, to the nine tribes and a half. It was also made by lot in presence of a select number of superintendents, appointed according to divine directions given to Moses civil government, and even the division of the land, Joshua was the acknowledged chief. But in a matter to be determined by lot, a solemn appeal was made to God, and hence Eleazar, as high priest, is named before Joshua.
2 By lot was the landed distributed, as the LORD(Jesus) commanded Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.
3 For Moses had already given a grant of land to the two and a half tribes on the east side of the Jordan River, but he had given the Levites no such allotment.
4 The descendants of Joseph had become two separate tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. And the Levites were given no land at all, only towns to live in with surrounding pasturelands for their livestock and all their possessions.
Here again is the Biblical proof of the one nation of Joseph being made into two separate nations, or the so-called thirteenth tribe, which was to become The United States of America. This is why the number thirteen is our unique national number!
5 So as the LORD(Jesus) strictly commanded Moses, the land was distributed.
6 The children of the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, “Remember what the LORD(Jesus) said to Moses, the man of God(Elohim/Theos), about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea.
7 I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report.
8 My brothers who went up with me discouraged the people, but I followed the LORD(Jesus) my God(Elohim/Theos) completely.
9 On that day Moses swore, 'Surely the land where your foot has been will be the inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have followed the LORD(Jesus) my God(Elohim/Theos) completely.'
10 “Now, look, the LORD(Jesus) has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years, from the time the LORD(Jesus) said this to Moses, when Israel was going through the desert. Today I am eighty-five years old,
11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.
12 So give me the hill country that the LORD(Jesus) promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD(Jesus) is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD(Jesus) said.”
13 So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land.
14 Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel.
15 (Previously Hebron had been called Kiriath-arba. It had been named after Arba, a great hero of the descendants of Anak.) And the land had rest from war.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 15
The Land Given to the Tribe of Judah:
1 This then was chosen by lot for the tribe of the children of Judah and for their families; From the border of Edom in the desert of Zin, toward the Negev in the far south.
2 The southern boundary began at the south bay of the Dead Sea[Salt Sea; also in 15:5],
3 ran south of Scorpion Pass toward the wilderness of Zin, and then went south of Kadesh-barnea to Hezron. Then it went up to Addar, where it turned toward Karka.
4 From there it passed to Azmon until it finally reached the Brook of Egypt, which it followed to the (Mediterranean) Sea[Salt Sea]. This was the southern most boundary.
5 The eastern boundary extended along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern boundary began at the bay where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea,
6 went up from there to Beth-hoglah, then proceeded north of Beth-arabah to the Stone of Bohan. (Bohan was Reuben’s son.)
7 And the border went through the valley of Achor to Debir, turning north toward Gilgal, which is across from the slopes of Adummim on the south side of the valley. From there the boundary extended to the springs at En-shemesh and on to En-rogel.
8 The boundary then passed through the valley of Ben-Hinnom, along the southern slopes of the Jebusites, where the city of Jerusalem is located. Then it went west to the top of the mountain above the valley of Hinnom, and on up to the northern end of the valley of the giants{Rephaim].
9 From this hilltop the border was drawn to the source of the Nephtoah Spring and continued out to the cities of Mount Ephron; next the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:
10 Then the border turned west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passed along to the town of Kesalon on the northern slope of Mount Jearim, and went down to Beth-shemesh and on to Timnah.
11 Next the border went out toward the side of Ekron, where it turned toward Shikkeron and Mount Baalah. It passed Jabneel and ended at the (Mediterranean) Sea.
12 As for the west border, the Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea) was its border. These were the borders of the territory of the descendants of Judah (the Jews), by their different families.
13 The LORD(Jesus) commanded Joshua to assign some of Judah’s territory to Caleb son of Jephunneh. So Caleb was given the town of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), which had been named after Anak’s ancestor.
14 Caleb expelled from there three groups of Anakites, the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the sons of Anak.
15 From there he went to fight against the people living in the town of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).
16 Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the one who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.”
17 Othniel, the son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz, was the one who conquered it, so Acsah became Othniel’s wife.
18 After becoming his wife, she persuaded him to ask her father to give them a field; when she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"
19 She said, “Give me another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
20 This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Judah.
21 The towns of Judah situated along the borders of Edom in the extreme south were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor),
26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,
28 Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah,
31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—twenty-nine towns with their surrounding villages.
33 The following towns situated in the western foothills[h] were also given to Judah: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim—fourteen towns with their surrounding villages.
37 Also included were Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,
38 Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,
39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
40 Cabbon, Lahmam, Kitlish,
41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah—sixteen towns with their surrounding villages.
42 Besides these, there were Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,
44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah—nine towns with their surrounding villages.
45 Ekron, with her towns and her villages:
46 From Ekron the boundary extended west and included the towns near Ashdod with their surrounding villages.
47 Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea(Mediterranean), and the its border:
48 Judah also received the following towns in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),
50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven towns with their surrounding villages.
52 Also included were the towns of Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,
54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine towns with their surrounding villages.
55 Besides these, there were Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57 Kain,
58 Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,
59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six towns with their surrounding villages.
60 Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah—two towns with their surrounding villages.
61 In the desert there were the towns of Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,
62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi—six towns with their surrounding villages.
63 As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah was not able to drive them out: so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem until this very day.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 17
The Land Given to West Manasseh:
1 This was the territory chosen by lot for the tribe of (West) Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph. Machir was the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a warrior, he got Gilead and Bashan.
2 There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by each family; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.
3 However, Zelophehad, a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons. He had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4 These women came to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us a grant of land along with the men of our tribe.”
So Joshua gave them a grant of land along with their uncles, as the Lord had commanded.
5 As a result, ten parts fell to Manasseh, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond the Jordan,
6 because the daughters of Manasseh received a grant of land along with the male descendants. (The land of Gilead was given to the rest of the male descendants of Manasseh.)
7 The border of Manasseh extended from the border of Asher to Micmethath, near Shechem. Then the boundary went south from Micmethath to the settlement near the spring of Tappuah.
8 The land surrounding Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh’s territory, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.
9 From the spring of Tappuah, the boundary of Manasseh followed the Kanah Ravine to the (Mediterranean) Sea. Several towns south of the ravine were inside Manasseh’s territory, but they actually belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.
10 Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.
11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and those of Megiddo and its villages - three districts in all.
12 But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns. They could not drive out the Canaanites who continued to live there.
13 After the people of Israel had become strong, they made the Canaanites do heavy labor and completely drove them out.
14 The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?”
15 Joshua replied, “If there are so many of you, and if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites and Rephaites live.”
16 The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us.”
17 Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion.
18 The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots.”
The Book of Judges: Joshua 18
The Remaining Land:
1 The entire church of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle there, after the land had been subdued before them.
2 There still remained among the people of Israel seven tribes that had not yet received their inheritance.
3 Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long will you delay going in to take possession of the land which the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of your ancestors has given you?
4 Select three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to explore the land and map it out. They will then return to me with a written report of their proposed divisions of their new homeland.
5 Let them divide the land into seven sections, excluding Judah’s territory in the south and Joseph’s territory in the north.
6 And when you record the seven divisions of the land and bring them to me, I will cast sacred lots in the presence of the LORD(Jesus) our God(Elohim/Theos) to assign land to each tribe.
7 The Levites, however, will have no share with you. Their role as priests of the LORD(Jesus) is their allotment. And the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh won’t receive any more land, for they have already received their grant of land, which Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), gave them on the east side of the Jordan River.”
8 And the men got up, and went away. Joshua told them as they went to take the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD(Jesus) in Shiloh.”
9 The men did as they were told and mapped the entire territory into seven sections, listing the towns in each section. They made a written record and then returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.
10 At Shiloh, Joshua cast sacred lots in the presence of the LORD(Jesus) to determine which tribe should have each section.
The Land of Benjamin:
11 The first allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. It lay between the territory assigned to the tribes of Judah and Joseph.
12 The northern boundary of Benjamin’s land began at the Jordan River, went north of the slope of Jericho, then west through the hill country and the wilderness of Beth-aven.
13 From there the boundary went south to Luz (that is, Bethel) and proceeded down to Ataroth-addar on the hill that lies south of Lower Beth-horon.
14 And the border then made a turn and swung south along the western edge of the hill facing Beth-horon, ending at the village of Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a town belonging to the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.
15 On the south the border extended westward from the most distant part of Kiryat-Yearim, going out to the source of the Neftoach Spring.
16 Then the border went down to the farthest part of the hill located in front of the place known as 'son of Hinnom Valley', north of the land of the giants [Refraim Valley], south of the Jebusi ; and continued down to 'Enrogel,
Hebrew “Refa'im” means giants. Same word in Genesis 5 flood story
17 from Enrogel the boundary proceeded in a northerly direction and came to Enshemesh and on to Geliloth (which is across from the slopes of Adummim). Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan. (Bohan was Reuben’s son.)
18 From there it passed along the north side of the slope overlooking the Jordan Valley. The border then went down into the valley,
19 ran past the north slope of Beth-hoglah, and ended at the north bay of the Dead Sea, which is the southern end of the Jordan River. This was the southern boundary.
20 The eastern boundary was the Jordan River.
These were the boundaries of the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
21 These were the towns given to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 Kephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their surrounding villages.
25 Also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,
27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28 And Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim and fourteen cities with their surrounding villages. This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 19
The Land of Simeon:
1 The second allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Simeon. Their homeland was surrounded by Judah’s territory.
2 Simeon’s homeland included Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah,
3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,
4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,
6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen cities with their surrounding villages.
7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities with their villages,
8 and all the villages surrounding these cities, as far south as Baalath-beer (also known as Ramah of the Negev). This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Simeon.
9 Their allocation of land came from part of what had been given to Judah because Judah’s territory was too large for them. So the tribe of Simeon received an allocation within the territory of Judah.
The Land of Zebulun:
10 The third allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Zebulun. The boundary of Zebulun’s homeland started at Sarid.
11 From there it went west, going past Maralah, touching Dabbesheth, and proceeding to the brook east of Jokneam.
12 In the other direction, the boundary went east from Sarid to the border of Kisloth-tabor, and from there to Daberath and up to Japhia.
13 Then it continued east to Gath-hepher, Eth-kazin, and Rimmon and turned toward Neah.
14 The northern boundary of Zebulun passed Hannathon and ended at the valley of Iphtah-el.
15 The cities in these areas included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem—twelve cities with their surrounding villages.
16 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Zebulun included these cities and their surrounding villages.
The Land of Issachar:
17 The fourth allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Issachar.
18 Its boundaries included the following cities: Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem,
19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,
21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez.
22 The boundary also touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, ending at the Jordan River—sixteen cities with their surrounding villages.
23 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Issachar included these cities and their surrounding villages.
The Land of Asher:
24 The fifth 'lot' of land went to the clans of the tribe of Asher.
25 Its boundaries included these cities: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph,
26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. The boundary on the west touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath,
27 then it turned east toward Beth-dagon, and ran as far as Zebulun in the valley of Iphtah-el, going north to Beth-emek and Neiel. It then continued north to Cabul,
28 Abdon, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, and as far as Greater Sidon.
29 Then the boundary turned toward Ramah and the fortress of Tyre, where it turned toward Hosah and came to the (Mediterranean) Sea. The territory also included Mehebel, Aczib,
30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—twenty-two cities with their surrounding villages.
31 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Asher included these cities and their surrounding villages.
The Land of Naphtali:
32 The sixth allotment [lot] of land went to the clans of the tribe of Naphtali.
33 Its boundary ran from Heleph, from the oak at Zaanannim, and extended across to Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, and as far as Lakkum, ending at the Jordan River.
34 The western boundary ran past Aznoth-tabor, then to Hukkok, and touched the border of Zebulun in the south, the border of Asher on the west, and the Jordan River toward the east.
35 The fortified cities included in this territory were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,
36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,
38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh—nineteen cities with their surrounding villages.
39 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Naphtali included these cities and their surrounding villages.
The Land ofDan
40 The seventh allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Dan.
41 The land allocated as their homeland included the following cities: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,
42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,
46 Me-jarkon, Rakkon, and the territory across from Joppa.
47 The land alloted to the descendants of Dan was too small for them, so the descendants of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, defeated it by the sword, took possession of it and lived there, calling Leshem "Dan" after Dan their ancestor.
Dan named towns and places that they traveled to after their “father” Dan. Hence the Danube River, Danmark (Denmark) and Dnieper are all the locations that the tribe of Dan wandered through in their “lost journey” to their modern location.
48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.
The Land Given to Joshua:
49 When they had finished distributing the land among the tribes, the Israelites gave a piece of land to Joshua as his allocation.
50 For the LORD(Jesus) had said he could have any town he wanted. He chose Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the town and lived there.
51 These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the tribal leaders allocated as grants of land to the tribes of Israel by casting sacred lots in the presence of the LORD(Jesus) at the entrance of the Tabernacle at Shiloh. So the division of the land was completed.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 20
The Cities of Refuge:
1 The Lord said to Joshua:
2 Tell the people of Israel, 'Select the cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses;
3 so that anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed.
4 He is to flee to one of those cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate and state his cause to the city leaders. Then they will bring him into the city with them and give him a place, so that he may live among them.
5 If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility.
6 But the slayer must stay in that city and be tried by the local assembly, which will render a judgment. And he must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, he is free to return to his own home in the town from which he fled.
God's answer to prisons! These cities focused on restitution and not punishment for crimes done without malice. Murders were to be killed, so in God's world, prisons were a waste of time! Either one should die for their crime, or forced to repay the victims of their crimes! What a wonderful legal system!
7 The following cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.
8 On the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho, the following cities were designated: Bezer, in the wilderness plain of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the cities selected for all the people of Israel and for the foreigner living among them, so that anyone who kills any person by mistake could flee there and not die at the hand of the next-of-kin avenger prior to standing trial before the community.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 21
The Levite cities:
1 Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to consult with Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel.
2 It was at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and they said, “The LORD(Jesus) commanded Moses to give us cities to live in and pasturelands for our livestock.”
3 So out of their inheritance the people of Israel gave the Levites the following cities with the surrounding open land:
4 The descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, were allotted thirteen cities that were originally assigned to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5 The other families of the Kohathite clan were allotted ten cities from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 The clan of Gershon was allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The clan of Merari was allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 So the Israelites obeyed the LORD(Jesus)’s command to Moses and assigned these cities and pasturelands to the Levites by casting sacred lots.
9 The Israelites gave the following cities from the tribes of Judah and Simeon
10 to the descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, since the sacred lot fell to them first:
11 Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasturelands. (Arba was an ancestor of Anak.)
12 But the open fields beyond the town and the surrounding villages were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 The following cities with their pasturelands were given to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Hebron (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Libnah,
14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15 Holon, Debir,
16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine cities from these two tribes.
17 From the tribe of Benjamin the priests were given the following cities with their pasturelands: Gibeon, Geba,
18 Anathoth, and Almon—four cities.
19 So in all, thirteen cities with their pasturelands were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
20 And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, also was given the cities of their alotment out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21 For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the killer; and Gezer with her suburbs too,
22 Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four cities.
23 The following cities and pasturelands were allotted to the priests from the tribe of Dan: Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four cities.
25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two cities.
26 All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.
27 To the descendants of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the killer; and Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities.
28 From the tribe of Issachar they received the following cities with their pasturelands: Kishion, Daberath,
29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four cities.
30 From the tribe of Asher they received the following cities with their pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon,
31 Helkath, and Rehob—four cities.
32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.
33 So in all, thirteen cities with their pasturelands were allotted to the clan of Gershon.
34 The rest of the Levites—the Merari clan—were given the following cities with their pasturelands from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah,
35 Dimnah, and Nahalal—four cities.
36 From the tribe of Reuben they received the following cities with their pasturelands: Bezer, Jahaz,
37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four cities.
38 From the tribe of Gad they received the following cities with their pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Mahanaim,
39 Heshbon, and Jazer—four cities.
40 So in all, twelve cities were allotted to the clan of Merari.
41 The total number of cities and pasturelands within Israelite territory given to the Levites came to forty-eight.
42 Every one of these cities had pasturelands surrounding it.
43 So the LORD(Jesus) gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.
44 And the LORD(Jesus) gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD(Jesus) helped them conquer all their enemies.
45 Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD(Jesus) had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
The Book of Judges: Joshua 22
1 Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
2 He told them, “You have done as Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), commanded you, and you have obeyed every order I have given you.
3 During all this time you have not deserted the other tribes. You have been careful to obey the commands of the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) right up to the present day.
4 And now the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) has given the other tribes rest, as he promised them. So go back home to the land that Moses, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), gave you as your possession on the east side of the Jordan River.
5 But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos), walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”
6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home.
7 (To the one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan; but to the other half, Joshua gave one among their kinsmen on the west side of the Jordan.) When Joshua sent them away to their tents he blessed them,
8 he said to them, “Go back to your homes with the great wealth you have taken from your enemies—the vast herds of livestock, the silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and the large supply of clothing. Share the plunder with your relatives.”
9 So the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. They started the journey back to their own land of Gilead, the territory that belonged to them according to the LORD(Jesus)’s command through Moses.
10 But while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called Geliloth[a] near the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.
11 The people of Israel heard of it and said, "Look! The descendants of Rebuen, the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar by the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the area by the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel."
12 So the whole church of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.
13 First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to talk with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
14 In this delegation were ten leaders of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each the head of his family within the clans of Israel.
15 When they arrived in the land of Gilead, they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
16 “The whole community of the LORD(Jesus) demands to know why you are betraying the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel. How could you turn away from the LORD(Jesus) and build an altar for yourselves in rebellion against him?
17 Was our sin at Peor not enough? To this day we are not fully cleansed of it, even after the plague that struck the entire community of the LORD(Jesus).
18 And yet today you are turning away from following the LORD(Jesus). If you rebel against the LORD(Jesus) today, he will be angry with all of us tomorrow.
19 If you need the altar because the land you possess is defiled, then join us in the LORD(Jesus)’s land, where the Tabernacle of the LORD(Jesus) is situated, and share our land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD(Jesus) or against us by building an altar other than the one true altar of the LORD(Jesus) our God(Elohim/Theos).
20 Didn’t divine anger fall on the entire community of Israel when Achan, a member of the clan of Zerah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for the LORD(Jesus)? He was not the only one who died because of his sin.”
21 Then the people of Rebuen, the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the thousands of Israel:
22 “The LORD(Jesus) God(El/Theo) of gods(elohim/theos), the LORD(Jesus) God(El/Theo) of gods(elohim/theos), He He knows, and Israel He shall know; if we act in rebellion or treachery against the LORD(Jesus), don't vindicate us today!
23 That if we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the LORD(Jesus) or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings, may the LORD(Jesus) himself punish us.
24 The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel?
25 The LORD(Jesus) has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no claim to the LORD(Jesus).’ So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping the LORD(Jesus).
26 So we said, 'Let us now make preparations and build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,
27 but as a witness between us and you, and between our generations who will come after us, so that we may perform the service for the LORD(Jesus) in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and peace offerings - so that your descendants will not say to our descendants at some future time, "You have no share in ADONAI."' the LORD(Jesus).’
28 For this reason we said, 'When they accuse us or future generations in this way, we will say, "Look! Here is a replica of the altar of the LORD(Jesus) which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'
29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD(Jesus) or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the LORD(Jesus) our God(Elohim/Theos) that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”
30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.
31 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the LORD(Jesus) is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD(Jesus) as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the LORD(Jesus).”
32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened.
33 And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God(Elohim/Theos) and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.
34 The descendants of Reuben and Gad called the altar "'Ed [a witness]" between us that the LORD(Jesus) is our God(Elohim/Theos), too.”
The Book of Judges: Joshua 23
Joshua’s Final Words to Israel and Death:
1 A long time afterwards, when the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) had given Israel rest from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old, with age taking its toll,
2 Joshua called all Israel - their leaders, heads, judges and officials - and said to them, "I am old; age is taking its toll.
3 You have seen everything the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) has done for you during my lifetime. The LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) has fought for you against your enemies.
4 Here, I have allotted to you land for inheritance according to your tribes between the Jordan and the Great Sea(Mediterranean) to the west; it includes the land of the nations I have destroyed and the nations which remain.
5 the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos) will thrust them out ahead of you and drive them out of your sight, so that you will possess their land, as the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos) told you.
6 Therefore be very firm about keeping and doing everything written in the book of the Torah of Moses and not turning aside from it either to the right or to the left.
7 Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods(elohim.theos), much less swear by them or serve them or worship them.
8 Rather, cling tightly to the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) as you have done until now.
9 This is why the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) has driven out great, strong nations ahead of you; and it explains why no one has prevailed against you to this day,
10 why one man of you has chased a thousand - it is because the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos) has fought on your behalf, as he said to you.
11 So take great care to love the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos).
12 Otherwise, if you retreat and cling to the remnant of these other nations remaining among you, if you make marriages with them and have children with them and they with you,
13 know for certain that the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos) will stop driving out these nations from your sight. Instead, they will become a snare and a trap for you, whipping your sides and pricking your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos) has given you.
14 Today I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) has come true. Not a single one has failed!
15 But as surely as the LORD(Jesus) your God(Elohim/Theos) has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you.
16 When you violate the covenant of the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) your God(Elohim/Theos), which he ordered you to obey, and go and serve other gods(elohim/theos) and worship them, then the anger of the LORD(Jesus)(Yahweh) will blaze up against you; and you will perish quickly from the good land which he has given you!"
JESUS and JOSHUA!
Hebrews 4:8 "For if JESUS had given them rest..."
Bible correctors frequently pull out this dead fish and try to raise a stink about how the King James Bible is in error when it refers to "JESUS" bringing the children of Israel into the promised land.
These noted scholars try to place you in the position that you can never read your Bible and know for certain, "Thus says the Lord", unless you first consult with them to find out if you have the correct text they approve of, and that the text that you have is translated properly according to what they declare to be the correct rendering. Nevertheless, none of them believe any single Bible out there is totally infallible and without error.
In Hebrews 4:8 we read: "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day."
Likewise, in Acts 7:45 we have: "Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David."
The Greek texts all literally have the name JESUS in these two places, though the contexts refer to the man Joshua. Joshua himself is a pictorial "type" Jesus Christ. Joshua, along with Caleb, did believe God had given them the promised land, but the rest of the people entered not in because of unbelief. Later this same Joshua ('Jesus' in Greek) led the people into the land. The promised land typifies the spiritual rest from our own works which was accomplished by the greater Jesus, the Son of God Himself.
Other Bible versions that read JESUS in Acts 7 and Hebrews 4 like the King James Bible are Wycliffe 1395, the Great Bible, Taverner's Bible, Matthew's Bible, the Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, Webster's 1833 translation, Darby's translation 1890, and the 1950 Douay version.
Joshua himself was called by four different names including Jeshuah Nehemiah 8:17; Joshua in Joshua 1:1; Jehoshuah in Numbers 13:16, and Oshea in Numbers 13:11. He is mentioned only twice in the New Testament, once in Acts 7:45 and again in Hebrews 4:8. In Greek his name translates as Insous, or Jesus in English. This is exactly the same way "Jesus" is spelled in every case.
There are also other people in the Bible whose name was Jesus. In Acts 13:6 we come across a false prophet and a sorcerer. He was "a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus." Bar-Jesus means "son of Jesus". We also meet a fellow Christian worker in the book of Colossians 4:11 - "And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision."
In the genealogy of Christ, the Traditional texts, the Majority of all manuscripts including A, and the Syriac all read like the King James Bible, by mentioning "the son of Er, which was the son of JOSE..." (or Joseph). However, the corrupt manuscripts of Sinaiticus and Vaticanus read: "the son of Er, the son OF JESUS", and so do the RV, ASV, RSV, Goodspeed, and the J.W. versions. The NASB, NIV has changed this to read: "the son of JOSHUA".
It is obvious that many people in the Bible were called by several names, as Peter, Cephas, Simeon, and Simon Barjona (all one man), and that there were many people with the same name. It is not too hard to figure out who is who just by reading the context.
Both Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45 the literal Greek "Jesus" refers to the man Joshua, who himself believed God and is the "type" of the true Jesus, who indeed does lead us into the promised land and gives us rest from our own labors. The type and the antitype both have the same name. God Himself inspired the Bible in this way to teach a spiritual lesson.
John Gill remarks in his commentary that Joshua " was an eminent type of Jesus Christ. There is an agreement in their names, both signify a Saviour, Joshua was a temporal Saviour, Christ a spiritual one; and in their office they were both servants; and in their qualifications for their office, such as wisdom, courage, faithfulness, and integrity. Joshua was a type of Christ in many actions of his life; in the miracles he wrought, or were wrought for him; in the battles he fought, and the victories he obtained."
The Book of Judges: Joshua 24
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers; and they presented themselves before God(Elohim/Theos).
2 Joshua said to the people, “This is what the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods(elohim/theos).
3 And I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac.
4 And I gave to Isaac and I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought terrible plagues on Egypt; and afterward I brought you out as a free people.
6 Yes, I brought your fathers out of Egypt: you arrived at the sea, and the Egyptians were pursuing your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea [Sea of Suf].
7 And when your ancestors cried out to the LORD(Jesus), I put darkness between you and the Egyptians. I brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them. With your very own eyes you saw what I did. Then you lived in the wilderness for many years.
8 Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land.
9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10 but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak.
11 And when you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them.
12 And I sent terror[hornet] ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory.
13 Then I gave you a land where you had not worked and cities you had not built, and you live there. You eat fruit from vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.
14 Therefore fear the LORD(Jesus) and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the gods (elohim/theos) your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD(Jesus) alone.
15 If it seems bad to you to serve the LORD(Jesus), then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods(elohim/theos) your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods(elohim/theos) of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD(Jesus).
16 The people replied, “We would never abandon the LORD(Jesus) and serve other gods(elohim/theos).
17 For the LORD(Jesus) our God(Elohim/Theos) is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us.
18 It was the LORD(Jesus) who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the LORD(Jesus), for he alone is our God(Elohim/Theos).”
19 Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD(Jesus), for he is a holy and jealous God(Elohim/Theos). He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.
20 If you abandon the LORD(Jesus) and serve other gods(elohim/theos), he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”
21 But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve the LORD(Jesus)!”
22 “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve the LORD(Jesus).”
“Yes,” they replied, “we are witnesses to what we have said.”
23 “All right then,” Joshua said, "put away the foreign gods you have among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD(Jesus), the God(Elohim/Theos) of Israel.”
24 The people answered Joshua, “We will serve the LORD(Jesus) our God(Elohim/Theos). We will obey him alone.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the LORD(Jesus).
26 Joshua recorded these things in the Book of God(Elohim/Theos)’s Torah. As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the Tabernacle of the LORD(Jesus).
27 Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the LORD(Jesus) said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God(Elohim/Theos).”
28 Then Joshua sent all the people away to their own nations(homelands of each tribe).
29 After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD(Jesus), died at the age of 110.
30 They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 The people of Israel served the LORD(Jesus) throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the LORD(Jesus) had done for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for
100 pieces of silver. This land was located in the territory allotted to the descendants of Joseph.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died. He was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, in the town of Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas.
This chapter was most likely edited by Samuel and/or Ezra.
The total years of Joshua -Judges are 410 years, and during this time, Israel becomes the first democracy on earth, led by God, and as we will see in the next part of Joshua-Judges, everyone did what they saw fit in their own eyes. Often, this "freedom" led to the rejection of God's Laws and punishment. It is a time that directly symbolizes the 400 or so years of the American nation. We will see in the next part, called Judges, people who are made leaders or judges, which resembles Christians today that although under grace, continues to disobey the laws of God. We, like they, are forgiven, but suffer physical consequences of our actions. This is for our day!
