The Book of Joshua: Author and Date

I. Author

Although the title of this book and chapter 24:26 makes it clear that Joshua had written these words in the Book of the Law of God, there is still some doubt throughout the whole of the book of who the author may be. There are three sections in the book of Joshua that must have been written after his death; Jos. 15:13-19 and Judg. 1:9-15, Othniel capturing of Kirjath Sepher, Jos. 19:47, Judg. 18:27-29, Dan’s migration to the north, and lastly Joshua’s death being recorded in Jos. 24:29-33. Many who think that Joshua is the author of the book of Joshua, believe that these texts would have been inserted in a later time by Eleaser the priest and his son Phinehas in Jos. 24:33. Nonetheless there is a unity flow to the book that would allude to one author of it, being Joshua.

II. Date

The beginning of the book of Joshua would have around 1405 B.C. The events in this would have been in March of 1405 B.C., with the death of Moses (Deut. 34:5-9) to the crossing of the Jordan in April of 1405 B.C. (Jos. 4:19). From Jos. 6:1-13:7 would have been seven years. Then lastly, Jos. 13:8 would have been about 1398 B.C. to Jos. 24:29 when Joshua dies at 1390 B.C. would have lasted 8 years. It is believed that the book of Joshua was somewhere written over the span of 15 years, during 1405 B.C. to 1390 B.C.[1]

The Book of Joshua: Introduction

The next two weeks will be an Overview of the book of Joshua. 1.Name

This book is the first of the twelve historical books written in the Old Testament. The title of this book is named after its main character. Joshua’s original name was Hoshea which meant “salvation found in Numbers 13:8; but Moses later changed it to Yeshoshua in Numbers 13:16, meaning, “Yahweh Is Salvation.” This name in Hebrew is the Greek equivalent to the name Jesus. His name and the title of this book are symbolic in the fact that he was the leader of the Israelite nation during the conquest, which shadows that of Jesus being our Conqueror.[1]

2. Theme

The theme of Joshua is that victory and blessing come through obedience and trust in God.[2]

3. Purpose

The purpose of the book of Joshua is that God in covenant with his people is faithful in providing the land that Israel had been promised. Unlike other books later written about Israel, Joshua is the only one that does not record (besides chapter seven, which was fixed) a massive failure by the nation of Israel or its leadership.[3]

4. Key verse(s)

Joshua 1:8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Joshua 11:23: “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.”[4]

5. Key truths

The promising keeping God. God giving what he had promise years before to Isaac, Jacob, and then renewed with Moses, gave to the Israelites in the wilderness, and then again to Joshua to lead the Lord’s people across the Jordon.

The Covenantal relationship between God and His people. The covenant that had been promised to the nation of Israel previously had now been fulfilled.

The Rest. The rest given to the Lord’s people who had been promised from the time they were in slavery. Although later we would see that they failed at keeping to this rest in breaking covenant with Him.