Richard S. Hess - Joshua (TOTC)

The aim of this series of Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, as it was in the companion volumes on the New Testament, is to provide the student of the Bible with a handy, up-to-date commentary on each book, with the primary emphasis on exegesis. Major critical questions are discussed in the introductions and additional notes, while undue technicalities have been avoided.

In this series individual authors are, of course, free to make their own distinct contributions and express their own point of view on all debated issues. Within the necessary limits of space they frequently draw attention to interpretations which they themselves do not hold but which represent the stated conclusions of sincere fellow Christians.

Dr Richard Hess has brought his special knowledge of the languages, archaeology and culture of the Ancient Near East to the elucidation of the book of Joshua. In doing this he faces problems which have concerned many thoughtful readers. These include Israels entry into the Promised Land, the concept of holy war, the total ban on its Canaanite opponents, the fall of Jericho and the role of Rahab. At the same time he unhesitatingly makes the application of the book relevant to todays Christian church and reader.

In the Old Testament in particular no single English translation is adequate to reflect the original text. The version on which this commentary is based is the New International Version, but other translations are frequently referred to as well, and on occasion the author supplies his own. Where necessary, words are transliterated in order to help the reader who is unfamiliar with Hebrew to identify the precise word under discussion. It is assumed throughout that the reader will have ready access to one, or more, reliable renderings of the Bible in English.

Interest in the meaning and message of the Old Testament continues undiminished, and it is hoped that this series will thus further the systematic study of the revelation of God and his will and ways as seen in these records. It is the prayer of the editor and publisher, as of the authors, that these books will help many to understand, and to respond to, the Word of God today.

D. J. Wiseman

The stories of Joshua are among the most exciting in the Bible. Who has not thrilled to the drama of the march around Jericho and the collapse of the wall? Or who has not pictured in the mind the drama of the battle of the longest day, when the sun stood in its place and Joshua fought the kings of the south? Mixed in with these colourful accounts are the accounts of the founding of a nation in its land, the covenant ceremonies with all Israel meeting before Joshua and renewing their commitment to God, and the detailed allocations of land, that great visible symbol of the blessing of God to the chosen people. This is the book of Joshua and today more than ever its message bears hearing.

The exciting results of archaeology have provided the Bible reader with a sharper and more detailed view of the world of early Israel than was available even a few years ago. There are the great sites of generations of archaeological exploration: Jericho, Lachish and Hazor, and their insights and challenges to the interpretation of the period. There are analyses that probe into the structure and form of key textual sources from outside the Bible: the Merneptah stele and its first mention of Israel, the Amarna texts and their picture of the political world of Canaan, and the newly discovered cuneiform texts from Hazor, Hebron and elsewhere that add insights to the readers understanding of the biblical text. And then there is the important emergence of social archaeology and, with it, the site surveys of the past few decades. For the first time there is available a more complete understanding of how people lived, of where they lived and of how many of them actually settled in the hill country and elsewhere. With this new evidence to draw upon, the book of Joshua can be rooted in the early Israelite world in a more accurate and detailed manner than was ever possible before.

In addition, the impact of literary approaches to the Bible in general and to Joshua in particular has meant new understandings of old problems. Questions such as How many times does Israel actually cross the Jordan? and with it the inevitable How many sources make up this account? can be approached in more satisfying ways than by assuming incompetent writers in order to answer them.

More important than all these opportunities, however, is the message that this book contains for the Christian. Here is encouragement to faith in God in the midst of impossible odds, warning of the terrible consequences of sin upon family and community, and the encouragement to receive and accept Gods new covenant in Christ and to appropriate its blessings in the same way that the Israelites of Joshua dedicated themselves to the occupation and allocation of the Promised Land.

I am grateful to the principal and staff of Glasgow Bible College for their support during the preparation of this study, and especially to the students with whom I was able to discuss many of the ideas found here. Others have also contributed thoughts and ideas to this small commentary, and so it is a privilege to thank especially the following people: Revd David Kingdon for his suggestions and comments on the initial drafts of the manuscript; Dr K. Lawson Younger, Jr, for his careful reading of much of the work and his important insights; and Professor Donald Wiseman who continued to provide helpful suggestions throughout the various phases of this manuscript. I would also like to thank Dr Graeme Auld for bibliographic suggestions. Professor Alan Millard and Dr Nicolai Winther-Nielsen kindly shared with me portions of their unpublished manuscripts. The work is dedicated to Jean who has helped me to see beyond pages and screens of text to a life lived in faithfulness.

Richard S. Hess

Roehampton Institute London, 1995