Together in the Land

A Reading of the Book of Joshua

Gordon Mitchell

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Supplement Series 134

Copyright © 1993 Sheffield Academic Press

Published by JSOT Press

JSOT Press is an imprint of

Sheffield Academic Press Ltd

343 Fulwood Road

Sheffield S10 3BP

England

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Mitchell, Gordon

Together in the Land: A Reading of the

Book of Joshua.—(JSOT Supplement Series,

ISSN 0309-0787; No. 134)

I. Title II. Series

ISBN 1-85075-409-8

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

Part I

The Narrative of Conquest

Chapter 1

‘Take Possession of the Land Which the Lord Gives You to Possess’ (1:1–5:15)

1. Method in Studying Warfare Texts

2. The Development of the Theme of Warfare in the Narrative of Joshua 1–5

3. Conclusion

Chapter 2

‘The City and All That is Within it Shall be Devoted to Destruction’ (6:1–8:29)

1. A Cultic Miracle at Jericho (6:1–27)

2. A Tale of Slaughter and Destruction

3. The Achan Story (7:1–26)

4. The Second Attack on Ai (8:1–29)

5. The Issue of Booty

6. Conclusion

Chapter 3

‘You Shall do to the City and its King as You Did to Jericho and its King’ (8:30–12:24)

1. Introduction

2. Compositional Structures Connecting the Battle Reports

3. An Interlude on Mount Ebal (8:30–35)

4. A Covenant with the Gibeonites (9:1–27)

5. Destruction of the Southern Kings (10:1–43)

6. Destruction of the Northern Kings (11:1–23)

7. Conclusion to the Northern Annihilation (11:15–23)

8. The List of Defeated Kings (12:1–24)

9. Concluding Remarks on Chapters 8–12

Chapter 4

‘There still Remains Much Land to be Occupied’ (13:1–22:9)

1. The Period of Warfare is Over

2. The Failure to Conquer and Settle

3. Conclusion

Chapter 5

‘And You Shall Perish Quickly from Off the Good Land’ (22:1–24:33)

1. A Drama of Apostasy (22:1–34)

2. These Nations as a Temptation (23:1–16)

3. The Choice of Whom to Serve (24:1–33)

4. Conclusion

Part II

The Image of the Nations

Chapter 6

‘All the Occupants of the Land’

1. Comprehensive Titles for the Nations

2. The Transition from All the Nations to Single Nations

3. Individual Nations listed in Chapters 13–19

4. A Return to Comprehensive Titles

5. Conclusion

Chapter 7

‘When All the Kings Heard …’

1. Hearing as a Compositional Structure

2. The Relationship Between ירא and ירע

3. Conclusion

Chapter 8

‘And They Dwelt in the Midst of Israel unto This Day’

1. Notes Recording the Continued Presence of the Nations

2. Rahab

3. The Gibeonites

4. The Geshurites and Maacathites (13:13)

5. The Jebusites (15:63)

6. The Canaanites of Gezer (16:10)

7. The Canaanites of Bethshean, Ibleam, Dor, Endor, Taanach, Megiddo, and All Their Villages (17:12–13)

8. The Notes in Relation to the Settlement Narrative

9. The Remnant of These Nations (23:1–16)

10. Conclusion

Conclusion

Appendix

The Lists of Pre-Israelite Nations

Bibliography

Index of References

Index of Authors