The Bare Facts --
Overviews and Outlines --
Bible Studies: Whole Book -- Part of Book --
Sermons -- Bibliographies
The mantle has been passed from Moses to Joshua. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the People of Israel have prepared themselves to enter and take the Promised Land. Joshua leads them across the Jordan River, against Jericho, and then throughout Canaan.
The book that bears Joshua's name demonstrates the victories that can come when we place our confidence firmly in God, as well as the defeats that come when we disregard his admonitions.
Left: Gustave Doré's engraving portraying Joshua making the sun stand still in the sky.
The Bare Facts
Who: According to the Talmud, Joshua wrote his own book.
Obviously the parts that could not have been written by Joshua must have been
written by someone else. Tradition holds that this material was penned by
the son and grandson of Aaron.
Some critics have suggested that the book was written by JEPD, the four horsemen
of the Torah posited by the Documentary Hypothesis.
This suggestion is
only as tenable as its surrounding theory.Where: If we accept the Talmudic tradition, then the book must
have been written in conquered Canaan.When: The date of the Exodus can be suggested as 1446 B.C.
With the conquest of Canaan beginning forty years later and lasting seven years,
we can reasonably assert that the book was penned between 1399 B.C. and Joshua's
death in the mid-fourteenth century.
What: Joshua demonstrates the power of the covenant of God in
action. God's promises are true, and good things happen to those who obey
his commands.
Memorable Passages
3:1-17
Crossing the Jordan on dry land.
6: 20-21
The walls came tumbling down.
24:15
"As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord."
Overviews and Outlines
- An Introduction to the
Book of Joshua
- An outlined overview by David Malick.
-
Introduction to Joshua
- Another outlined intro by Steven C. Cook.
- An Argument of the
Book of Joshua
- One of David Malick's rhetorical outlines.
- Bible Basics
- A very brief list of facts, but it includes a wav file pronouncing the
book's title.
- Bible Explained
- This is a commentary by an energetic fellow named Ted Wade. He
provides brief notes on each chapter and most verses for the entire Bible.
-
Luther Productions
- A very brief overview including key verses.
- Easton Bible Dictionary:
Joshua
- The article from M.G. Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.
- Catholic
Encyclopedia: Joshua
- The appropriate entry from the public domain edition of this venerable
reference work.
- Columbia Encyclopedia:
Joshua
- A brief article from the 2001 edition of this reference work.
-
Jewish Encyclopedia
- An article from the 1901-06 reference work. Generally liberal in its
critical presuppositions.
- The Blue
Letter Bible
- An excellent source for text, cross-references, concordance, language
helps, commentaries, and more.
- JPS Bible
- The JPS 1917 Bible text and another Jewish version. There are links
that supposedly go to two Hebrew and one Aramaic text but they don't seem to
work.
Bible Studies: Whole Book
- Studies in the Life of
Joshua
- A ten-lesson study by J. Hampton Keathley, III.
- Israel's Golden Years
- A lesson from Bob Deffinbaugh's "From Creation to the Cross" series.
- Love the Lord Bible
Studies: Micah
- A 24-lesson study with questions from an Arkansas-based ministry.
They seem orthodox enough, although the statement of faith makes me wonder if
they're not into prosperity gospel teachings.
- Talks for Growing
Christians
- A nifty study, which includes a brief sermon, question, and answers.
A project from Talks for Growing Christians.
- Joshua and the Promised Land
- An "Interactive Multimedia Bible Study" provided by the Women's ministries
division of the United Methodist Church. It takes the Bible not as
"objective history" but as "sacred history."
- John Calvin's Commentary
- The commentary of the 16th-century
French reformer.
- Geneva Notes
- In 1599, English Puritans, working in Geneva, published the first study
Bible. These are the notes from that edition.
- Coffman's
Commentary
- A verse-by-verse commentary by Dr. James Burton Coffman, a leading Church
of Christ scholar.
- Matthew Henry's
Commentary
- The chapter-by-chapter 1712 commentary by
the great English Puritan writer..
-
John Wesley Notes
- Over his career, the
founder of Methodism maintained notes on the entire
Bible.
-
JFB Commentary
- The comments of Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown from
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871).
- Clarke's
Commentary
- The first chapter for this book from
Adam Clarke's nineteenth-century
commentary.
-
Comments on Joshua
- A lengthy commentary by L.M. Grant.
-
The Book of Joshua
- A brief commentary by Arend Remmers.
-
The Book of Joshua (1-8)
- The first part of a commentary by H.L. Rossier.
-
The Book of Joshua (9-24)
- The remaining chapters of the commentary, compiled by William Kelly.
- John Gill's Exposition of the
Entire Bible
- The commentary of the
17th century Baptist theologian and preacher.
-
Class Notes on Sacred History
- An 1893 commentary by
J.W. McGarvey.
- Scofield
Reference Notes
- The notes from the 1917 edition of the great study Bible. From a
dispensationalist viewpoint.
-
Gleanings in Joshua
- An online book by A.W. Pink.
-
Old Testament Life and Literature
- Gerald Larue's 1968 overview of the Old Testament is, oddly enough, hosted
at an atheist website. Larue's outlook is decidedly modernist and
skeptical.
- Treasury
of Scripture Knowledge
- A combination brief commentary and thorough cross-reference.
Developed by
R.A. Torrey.
- David Guzik's Commentaries on the Bible
- David Guzik, a former senior pastor at Clavary Chapel Simi Valley in
California, provides a verse-by-verse commentary. Currently Guzik directs the
Calvary Chapel Bible College in Siegen, Germany.
-
Notes on Joshua 1-12
-
Notes on Joshua 13-24
- A set of notes, in two files, provided by Grant Thorpe of Cormandel
Baptist Church of Australia.
- The
Conquering Hero--Joshua
- An article by Chuck Missler, alternately titled "The Military Book of the
Old Testament."
- The Jerome Bible
Commentary
- A commentary by a Catholic doctor, Jerome Dominguez, M.D. Is English
isn't perfect, but you have to admire his energy. Although Catholic in
orientation, this source has some good material for study.
- Exploring the Word of God:
Joshua
- A 4-part study from the Worldwide Church of God, a denomination with a
checkered past but an exciting present.
Bible Studies: Part of Book
- Practicing on a
Paragraph (1:1-9)
- A lesson from Greg Herrick's course "How to Study the Bible."
-
Morning and Evening (1:7)
- One of
C.H. Spurgeon's devotions.
- A
Narrative-Critical Exegesis of Joshua 2
- A conference paper by Kathleen Nolan, subtitled "Rahab, A Paradigm of
Faith (Or: A Woman Shows the Way?)"
-
Morning and Evening (2:21)
- One of
C.H. Spurgeon's devotions.
- What Mean
These Stones? (4:21)
- A sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
-
Morning and Evening (5:12)
- One of
C.H. Spurgeon's devotions.
- The Captain of the
Lord's Army (5:13-15)
- A study by J. Hampton Keathley, III.
- Joshua and the
Battle of Jericho (5:13-15;6:1-27)
- A lesson plan with all manner of ancillary materials from MSSS Crafts.
-
Joshua and the Battle of Jericho (6:1-27)
- A "Bible Mysteries" page from the BBC.
- Joshua's Jericho?
- An article from Near East Tourist Agency. While forwarding
archaeological problems dating the invasion, this article doesn't treat
believers dismissively.
- The Gift
of Jericho (6:2,16)
- An article from Christian Courier, a Church of Christ publication.
- Joshua Fit de Battle of
Jericho (6:20)
- Lyrics, a midi file, and such on the traditional song.
-
Morning and Evening (6:26)
- One of
C.H. Spurgeon's devotions.
- The Agony of Defeat
(7:1-26)
- A study by J. Hampton Keathley, III.
- Joshua's
Covenant Building Complaint (7:6-10)
- Apparently a class paper written for an Advanced Old Testament Exegesis
class at Regent College.
-
Morning and Evening (20:3)
- One of
C.H. Spurgeon's devotions.
- The
Great Duty of Family Religion (24:15)
- A sermon by
George Whitefield
.
- On Family Religion (24:15)
- A
John Wesley
sermon.
- Conquest or Settlement?
History and Theology in Joshua and Judges
- A lengthy study by Dennis Bratcher. Wesleyan.
- Theology of Land: Land
as Inheritance
- A brief study by Roy H. May.
- The Book of Joshua
as Theological Propaganda
- Another of the rantings of "A Witness."
Sermons
- Joshua:
Guidebook to Victory
- The appropriate sermon from
Ray C. Stedman's Adventuring through the Bible series.
-
David Simpson's Sermons
- Text and audio links to this Calvary Chapel pastor's sermons.
-
Derek Thomas
- A 16-sermon series by this Presbyterian pastor.
- Joshua: A Story of
Faithfulness and Consequences
- A thirteen-sermon audio-only series by Jeff Miller.
- Faith Bible
Church
- A 13-sermon series. Not sure of the preacher.
- Wil Pounds
- Eleven sermons by the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church of Leakesville,
MS.
- John
Hanneman
- An 18-sermon series, titled Joshua: Images of Warfare and Worship, from
Peninsula Bible Church, Cupertino, CA.
-
Limavady Reformed Presbyterian Church
- Sixteen sermons, all transcribed and nicely formatted in pdf files.
- C.H. Spurgeon
- A listing of sermons, some of which are available online, by the
great British Baptist. Apparently none of the Joshua sermons are available
online, although that may change.
- Sermon
Outlines
- Links to sermon outlines from
SermonLinks.
-
Sermon Audio: Joshua
- Links to various audio sermons online.
Books and Bibliographies
- Evaluating
Commentaries on Joshua
- An article by David M. Howard from the Southern Baptist Journal of
Theology.
- The God
Who Gives Rest in the Land: Joshua
- An article by Paul House from the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.
-
Joshua, Calvin, and Genocide
- An article by Ronald Goetz from Theology Today.
- A Selected
Bibliography on Joshua
- A list of sources with some annotations, compiled by David Malick.
-
Two-Age Bibliography
- A list of recommended sources, mostly scholarly in nature, provided by a
website devoted to the "Redemptive Historical" school of theology.
-
Oxford Bibliography
- A brief list of sources from the Theology School at Oxford University.
Some critics have suggested that the book was written by JEPD, the four horsemen of the Torah posited by the Documentary Hypothesis. This suggestion is only as tenable as its surrounding theory.Where: If we accept the Talmudic tradition, then the book must have been written in conquered Canaan.When: The date of the Exodus can be suggested as 1446 B.C. With the conquest of Canaan beginning forty years later and lasting seven years, we can reasonably assert that the book was penned between 1399 B.C. and Joshua's death in the mid-fourteenth century.
Memorable Passages