But when the insight of Smend into the two-stage composition of Joshua is extended to include an examination of the immediate narrative context of Joshua with Deuteronomy and Judges, the contrast in themes calls into question the original literary relationship among Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges that is central to Noth’s Deuteronomistic History hypothesis. The unconditional divine promise of success and the total conquest of the land in the original DtrH version of Joshua does not allow for a unified