Historical Books of the Old Testament: Joshua

Part of the Word Biblical Commentary series.
Contents: The text -- The formation of the book -- The meaning of the material -- Review of critical research -- Literary (source) criticism -- Form criticism -- "The amphictyony" -- Archaeology and Joshua -- Bibliography -- Summary -- Possessing the promise (Joshua 1-12) -- Lots for the land (Joshua 13:1-19:51) -- Life in the land (Joshua 20-24)

This commentary clearly presents the episodes in the book of Joshua as the people of Israel face the challenges of entering into the land of promise. Both the historical and theological meanings of the book are presented throughout this most helpful commentary.

This commentary attempts to understand and explain the book of Joshua on its own value and not as part of a larger literary creation as those theories are largely disputed. It includes the insights of modern scholarship, but also does not run a blind eye on earlier interpretations of the book. Joshua is arguably the most important biblical book when it comes to questions of historical geography of ancient Israel. Here this aspect is taken into account more than in some other modern commentaries; this can also be related to the fact that the author is a biblical scholar who lives in Israel having worked in the fields of archeology and historical geography.

This premier commentary series enjoys a worldwide readership of scholars, pastors, priests, rabbis, and serious Bible students. They eagerly consult in high-quality volumes to inform their preaching, teaching and academic research, and they warmly welcome each newly published volume as they would an encounter with a stimulating new friend. Through the rigorous yet reverent study contained in these commentary volumes, readers hear afresh the voice of the living God speaking his powerful word.

The book of Joshua details the conquests of land in Palestine by ancient Israel. For modern readers, the story can touch a nerve; its chronicle of brutality and genocide can be seen to parallel more recent history. The book of Joshua has many textual problems - primarily differences between the Hebrew and Greek texts. Much of the inconsistency stems from the varied forms of storytelling in the book, including war narratives, folktales, sermons, and city lists. In this commentary, Richard D. Nelson addresses the textual issues and offers historical, literary, and theological insights into Joshua.

Contents: A Guide to Using This Commentary -- Introduction to Joshua Through 2 Samuel -- Commentary on Joshua -- Commentary on Judges -- Commentary on Ruth -- Commentary on 1 Samuel -- Commentary on 2 Samuel -- Early Christian Writers and the Documents Cited -- Timeline of Writers of the Patristic Period

With this publication, English readers now have available to them the complete homilies of Origen of Alexandria on the book of Joshua. These homilies were among the last Origen gave before his torture and death during the Decian persecution, around 254.

Contents: Orientation -- 1. Joshua: The Hebrew and Greek texts -- 2. Textual and literary studies in the book of Joshua -- 3. The 'Levitical cities': Texts and history -- 4. Cities of refuge in Israelite tradition -- 5. The cities in Joshua 21: The contribution of textual criticism -- 6. A Judean sanctuary of 'Anat (Josh 15:59)? -- 7. Creation and land: sources and exegesis -- 8. Tribal terminology in Joshua and Judges -- 9. Judges 1 and history: A reconsideration -- 10. Reading Joshua after Kings -- 11. Joshua and 1 Chronicles -- 12. What makes judges deuteronomistic? -- 13. The history of interpretation of the book of Joshua -- Re-Orientation

Journal for the study of the Old Testament., Supplement series ;, 279.

Contents: Fragmentation of the Book of Joshua -- "Israel served the Lord": a hermeneutical key -- Stories of Rahab and Achan -- Gibeonites and the transjordanian altar -- Extent of Israel's occupation of the land -- Israel did serve the Lord in the Book of Joshua

Contents: Introduction : The nature and purpose of narrative ; Working hypotheses ; Procedure of investigation -- The motif: The stranger in your gates : The semantic field of those without full civic rights ; The semantic range of ; The legal status of ; The stranger in your gates motif in biblical historical narrative -- Submotifs related to the treatment of societal outside : Hospitality ; Two guests in a city ; Inimical townspeople -- Submotifs related to time and space : The spatial submotif: Protection outside the settlement ; The time submotif: Night spelling danger -- The submotif: Sexual harassment of strangers ; Legal strictures against rape and homosexuality ; Biblical examples of rape ; Rape and the threat of rape in Sodom and Gibeah narratives ; Legal strictures against incest ; Biblical narratives concerning incest -- The submotif destruction of a city by fire : Fire employed for practical and symbolic purposes. Fire employed as a means of punishment and destruction ; Fire employed as a motif in biblical narrative ; Survivors of the destruction by fire -- Motif and message: Political polemics associated with the stranger in your gates motif : Chronological setting and period of narration ; Polemical focus ; The polemic against Moab and Ammon in the narrative concerning Lot and his daughters ; The polemic against Gibeah and the tribe of Benjamin in the Gibeah narrative -- The reuse and amplification of the Sodom tradition in the Hebrew bible : Allusion and transformation ; An analysis of the reuse of the Sodom tradition -- Summary and conclusion.