Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'',
Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,''
lit. '
Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ ''
Yūšaʿ ibn Nūn''; la, Iosue functioned as
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
' assistant in the books of
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
and
Numbers, and later succeeded Moses as leader of the
Israelite tribes in the
Hebrew Bible's
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua ( he, סֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ ', Tiberian: ''Sēp̄er Yŏhōšūaʿ'') is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Isra ...
. His name was Hoshea ( ''Hōšēaʿ'',
lit. 'Save') the son of
Nun, of the
tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him "Yehoshua" (translated as "Joshua" in English),
[''Bible'' ] the name by which he is commonly known in English. According to the Bible, he was born in
Egypt prior to
the Exodus
The Exodus (Hebrew language, Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, ''Yeẓi’at Miẓrayim'': ) is the founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four books of the Torah (or Pentateuch, corresponding to the first five books of the ...
.
The Hebrew Bible identifies Joshua as one of the
twelve spies
The Twelve Spies, as recorded in the Book of Numbers, were a group of Israelite chieftains, one from each of the Twelve Tribes, who were dispatched by Moses to scout out the Land of Canaan for 40 days as a future home for the Israelite people, du ...
of Israel sent by Moses to explore the land of
Canaan. In Numbers 13:1, and after the death of Moses, he led the Israelite tribes in the conquest of Canaan, and allocated lands to the tribes. According to
biblical chronology, Joshua lived some time in the
Bronze Age. According to Joshua 24:29, Joshua died at the age of 110.
Joshua holds a position of respect among
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s. Muslims also see Joshua as the leader of the faithful following the death of Moses. In Islam, it is also believed that Yusha bin Nun (Joshua) was the "attendant" of Moses mentioned in the
Quran before Moses meets
Khidr. Joshua plays
a role in Islamic literature, with significant narration in the
hadith.
Name
The English name "Joshua" is a rendering of the
Hebrew ''Yehoshua'', and is mostly interpreted as "
Yahweh is salvation"; although others have also alternatively interpreted it as "
Yahweh is lordly". The
theophoric name appears to be constructed from a combination of the
Tetragrammaton with the Hebrew noun יְשׁוּעָה (
Modern: ''yəšūʿa'',
Tiberian: ''yăšūʿā''), meaning "salvation"; derived from the
Hebrew root
The roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or " radicals" (hence the term consonantal root). Such abstract consonantal roots are used in the formation of actual words by adding the vowel ...
ישׁע (''y-š-ʿ''), meaning "to save/help/deliver". Other theophoric names sharing a similar meaning can also be found throughout the
Hebrew Bible, such as that of the son of
David אֱלִישׁוּעַ (''ʾĔlīšūaʿ''), whose name means "My
El (
God) is salvation".
"
Jesus" is the English derivative of the Greek transliteration of "Yehoshua" via Latin. In the
Septuagint, all instances of the word "Yehoshua" are rendered as "" (Iēsoūs), the closest Greek pronunciation of the arc, יֵשׁוּעַ . Thus, in modern Greek, Joshua is called "Jesus son of Naue" (, ''toũ Nauḗ'') to differentiate him from
Jesus. This is also true in some
Slavic languages following the
Eastern Orthodox tradition (e.g. "", ''Iisús Navín'', in Bulgarian, Serbian and Russian, but not Czech).
Biblical narrative
The Exodus
Joshua was a major figure in the events of the Exodus. He was charged by Moses with selecting and commanding a militia group for their first battle after exiting Egypt, against the
Amalekites in
Rephidim, in which they were victorious.
He later accompanied Moses when he ascended
biblical Mount Sinai to commune with God, visualize God's plan for the Israelite
tabernacle and receive the
Ten Commandments. Joshua was with Moses when he descended from the mountain, heard the Israelites' celebrations around the
Golden Calf
According to the Bible, the golden calf (עֵגֶל הַזָּהָב '' ‘ēgel hazzāhāv'') was an idol (a cult image) made by the Israelites when Moses went up to Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as ''ḥēṭə’ hā‘ēgel'' ...
, and broke the tablets bearing the words of the commandments. Similarly, in the narrative which refers to Moses being able to speak with God in his tent of meeting outside the camp, Joshua is seen as custodian of the tent ('tabernacle of meeting') when Moses returned to the Israelite encampment.
[Exodus 33:11] However, when Moses returned to the mountain to re-create the tablets recording the Ten Commandments, Joshua was not present, as the biblical text states "no man shall come up with you".
Later, Joshua was identified as one of the
twelve spies
The Twelve Spies, as recorded in the Book of Numbers, were a group of Israelite chieftains, one from each of the Twelve Tribes, who were dispatched by Moses to scout out the Land of Canaan for 40 days as a future home for the Israelite people, du ...
sent by Moses to explore and report on the land of
Canaan, and only he and
Caleb
Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites' ...
gave an encouraging report, a reward for which would be that only these two of their entire generation would enter the promised land.
According to Joshua 1:1, God appointed Joshua to succeed Moses as leader of the Israelites along with giving him a blessing of invincibility during his lifetime. The first part of the book of Joshua covers the period when he led the conquest of
Canaan.
Conquest of Canaan
At the
Jordan River
The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...
, the waters parted, as they had for Moses at the
Red Sea. The first battle after the crossing of the Jordan was the
Battle of Jericho. Joshua led the destruction of
Jericho
Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...
, then moved on to
Ai, a small neighboring city to the west. However, they were defeated with thirty-six Israelite deaths. The defeat was attributed to
Achan taking an "accursed thing" from Jericho; and was followed by Achan and his family and animals being stoned to death to restore God's favor. Joshua then went to defeat Ai.
The Israelites faced an alliance of five
Amorite kings from
Jerusalem,
Hebron,
Jarmuth,
Lachish, and
Eglon. At
Gibeon, Joshua asked the to cause the sun and moon to stand still, so that he could finish the battle in daylight. According to the text, the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. This event is most notable because "There has been no day like it before or since, when the heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel." The also fought for the Israelites in this battle, for he hurled huge hailstones from the sky which killed more Canaanites than those which the Israelites slaughtered. From there on, Joshua was able to lead the Israelites to several victories, securing much of the land of Canaan. He presided over the Israelite gatherings at
Gilgal and
Shiloh which
allocated land to the tribes of Israel (Joshua 14:1–5 and 18:1–10), and the Israelites rewarded him with the Ephraimite city of
Timnath-heres
Timnath-heres or Timnath-serah ( he, תמנת חרס), later Thamna, was the town given by the Israelites to Joshua according to the Hebrew Bible. He requested it and the people gave it to him "at the order of the Lord". He built up the town an ...
or Timnath-serah, where he settled (Joshua 19:50).
According to the
Talmud, Joshua in his book enumerated only those towns on the frontier.
Death
When he was "old and well advanced in years", Joshua convened the elders and chiefs of the Israelites and exhorted them to have no fellowship with the native population, because it could lead them to be unfaithful to God. At a general assembly of the clans at
Shechem, he took leave of the people, admonishing them to be loyal to their God, who had been so mightily manifested in the midst of them. As a witness of their promise to serve God, Joshua set up a great stone under an oak by the sanctuary of God. Soon afterward he died, at the age of 110, and was buried at
Timnath-heres
Timnath-heres or Timnath-serah ( he, תמנת חרס), later Thamna, was the town given by the Israelites to Joshua according to the Hebrew Bible. He requested it and the people gave it to him "at the order of the Lord". He built up the town an ...
, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
Historicity
The prevailing scholarly view is that Joshua is not a factual account of historical events. The apparent setting of Joshua is the 13th century BCE which was a time of widespread city-destruction, but with a few exceptions (
Hazor,
Lachish) the destroyed cities are not the ones the Bible associates with Joshua, and the ones it does associate with him show little or no sign of even being occupied at the time. Given its lack of historicity, Carolyn Pressler in her commentary for the ''Westminster Bible Companion'' series suggests that readers of Joshua should give priority to its theological message ("what passages teach about God") and be aware of what these would have meant to audiences in the 7th and 6th centuries BCE.
Richard Nelson explained that the needs of the
centralised monarchy favoured a single story of origins, combining old traditions of an
exodus from Egypt, belief in a
national god as "divine warrior," and explanations for ruined cities,
social stratification
Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, social status, or derived power (social and political). As ...
and ethnic groups, and contemporary tribes.
In the 1930s
Martin Noth made a sweeping criticism of the usefulness of the Book of Joshua for history. Noth was a student of
Albrecht Alt, who emphasized
form criticism and the importance of
etiology
Etiology (pronounced ; alternatively: aetiology or ætiology) is the study of causation or origination. The word is derived from the Greek (''aitiología'') "giving a reason for" (, ''aitía'', "cause"); and ('' -logía''). More completely, e ...
. Alt and Noth posited a peaceful movement of the Israelites into various areas of Canaan, ''
contra'' the Biblical account.
William Foxwell Albright questioned the "tenacity" of etiologies, which were key to Noth's analysis of the campaigns in Joshua. Archaeological evidence in the 1930s showed that the city of
Ai, an early target for conquest in the putative Joshua account, had existed and been destroyed, but in the 22nd century BCE. Some alternate sites for Ai have been proposed which would partially resolve the discrepancy in dates, but these sites have not been widely accepted. In 1951
Kathleen Kenyon showed that Jericho was from the
Middle Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
(c. 2100–1550 BCE), not the
Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1200 BCE). Kenyon argued that the early Israelite campaign could not be historically corroborated, but rather explained as an etiology of the location and a representation of the Israelite settlement.
In 1955,
G. Ernest Wright
George Ernest Wright (September 5, 1909 – August 29, 1974), was a leading Old Testament scholar and biblical archaeologist. An expert in Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, he was especially known for his work in the study and dating of pottery. H ...
discussed the correlation of archaeological data to the early Israelite campaigns, which he divided into three phases per the Book of Joshua. He pointed to two sets of archaeological findings that "seem to suggest that the biblical account is in general correct regarding the nature of the late thirteenth and twelfth-eleventh centuries in the country" (i.e., "a period of tremendous violence"). He gives particular weight to what were then recent digs at Hazor by
Yigael Yadin.
The Book of Joshua holds little historical value. The archaeological evidence shows that
Jericho
Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...
and
Ai were not occupied in the Near Eastern
Late Bronze Age. The story of the conquest perhaps represents the nationalist
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
of the 8th century BCE kings of
Judah and their claims to the territory of the
Kingdom of Israel, incorporated into an early form of Joshua written late in the reign of king
Josiah
Josiah ( or ) or Yoshiyahu; la, Iosias was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Josiah is credited by most biblical s ...
(reigned 640–609 BCE). The book was probably revised and completed after the
fall of Jerusalem to the
Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE, and possibly after the return from the
Babylonian exile
The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon, the capital city of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, following their defeat ...
in 538 BCE.
Views
In Judaism
In rabbinical literature
In
rabbinic literature Joshua is regarded as a faithful, humble, deserving, wise man. Biblical verses illustrative of these qualities and of their reward are applied to him. "He that waits on his master shall be honored" is construed as a reference to Joshua, as is also the first part of the same verse, "Whoso keeps the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof". That "honor shall uphold the humble in spirit" is proved by Joshua's victory over
Amalek
Amalek (; he, עֲמָלֵק, , ar, عماليق ) was a nation described in the Hebrew Bible as a staunch enemy of the Israelites. The name "Amalek" can refer to the nation's founder, a grandson of Esau; his descendants, the Amalekites; or the ...
. Not the sons of
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
—as Moses himself had expected—but Joshua was appointed as Moses' successor. Moses was shown how Joshua reproved that
Othniel
Othniel (; he, עָתְנִיאֵל בֶּן קְנַז, ''ʿOṯnīʾēl ben Qenaz'') was the first of the biblical judges. The etymology of his name is uncertain, but may mean "God/He is my strength" or "God has helped me".
Family
The Hebre ...
.
"God would speak to Moses face to face, like someone would speak to his friend. Then he would return to the camp. But his attendant, Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not leave the tent. Joshua never moved from the tent".
Didn't Joshua leave the tent to eat, sleep or attend to his needs? This praise shows that Joshua had complete faith in Moses, the
Tzaddik. One who has this faith is cognizant of the tzaddik in everything he does; he remains steadfastly with the tzaddik whatever he does.
According to
rabbinic tradition, Joshua, when dividing the
Land of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel, planted
sea squill
''Drimia maritima'' ( syn. ''Urginea maritima'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (formerly the family Hyacinthaceae). This species is known by several common names, including squill, sea squill, ...
( he, חצוב) to mark off the
butts and bounds of tribal properties.
Moreover, Joshua, on dividing the land of Canaan amongst the tribes of Israel, made the tribes agree to ten conditions, the most important of which being the common use of the forests as pasture for cattle, and the common right of fishing in the
Sea of Tiberias. Natural springs were to be used for drinking and laundry by all tribes, although the tribe to which the water course fell had the first rights. Prickly burnet (''
Sarcopoterium spinosum'') and the camelthorn (''
Alhagi maurorum
''Alhagi maurorum'' is a species of legume commonly known, variously, as camelthorn, camelthorn-bush, Caspian manna, and Persian mannaplant. This shrub is native to the region extending from the Mediterranean to Russia, but has been introduced ...
'') could be freely collected as firewood by any member of any tribe, in any tribal territory.
In prayer
According to Jewish religious tradition, upon making
Aliyah
Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
by crossing the Jordan River to enter the
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...
, Joshua composed the
Aleinu prayer thanking God. This idea was first cited in the
Kol Bo of the late 14th Century. Several medieval commentators noticed that Joshua's shorter birth name, Hosea, appears in the first few verses of Aleinu in reverse acrostic: ע – עלינו, ש – שלא שם, ו – ואנחנו כורעים, ה – הוא אלוקינו. The Teshuvot HaGeonim, a
Geonic responsum, discussed that Joshua composed the Aleinu because although the Israelites had made Aliyah to the
Promised Land, they were surrounded by other peoples, and he wanted the Jews to draw a clear distinction between themselves, who knew and accepted the sovereignty of God, and those nations of the world which did not. In the modern era, religious Jews still pray the Aliyah inspired Aleinu three times daily, including on the
High Holidays
The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe")
#strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...
. The Aleinu prayer begins:
Traditional "tomb of Joshua"
According to a Samaritan tradition, noted in 1877, the tombs of Joshua and Caleb were in Kifl Haris.
According to , the
tomb of Joshua is in Timnath-heres, and Jewish tradition also places the tombs of Caleb and Nun at that site, which is identified by Orthodox Jews with Kifl Haris. Thousands make the pilgrimage to the tombs on the
annual commemoration of Joshua's death, 26th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar.
In Christianity
Most modern Bibles translate to identify Jesus as a better Joshua, as Joshua led Israel into the rest of
Canaan, but Jesus leads the people of God into "God's rest". Among the early
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...
, Joshua is considered a
type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Ty ...
of Jesus Christ.
The story of Joshua and the Canaanite kings is also alluded to in the
2 Meqabyan, a book considered
canonical in the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
.
In Islam
Possible Quranic reference
Joshua ( ar, يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ, ''Yūšaʿ ibn Nūn'',
/juːʃaʕ ibn nuːn/) is not mentioned by name in the
Quran, but his name appears in other
Islamic literature. In the Quranic account of the conquest of Canaan, Joshua and Caleb are referenced, but not named, as two "Allah-fearing men", on whom
Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
"had bestowed His grace".
Hadith, exegesis, traditions
Joshua was regarded by some classical scholars as the prophetic successor to
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
().
Al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
relates in his ''
History of the Prophets and Kings
The ''History of the Prophets and Kings'' ( ar, تاريخ الرسل والملوك ''Tārīkh al-Rusul wa al-Mulūk''), more commonly known as ''Tarikh al-Tabari'' () or ''Tarikh-i Tabari'' or ''The History of al-Tabari '' ( fa, تاریخ طب ...
'' that Joshua was one of the twelve spies and Muslim scholars believe that the two believing spies referred to in the Quran are Joshua and Caleb. Joshua was exceptional among the
Israelites for being one of the few faithful followers of Allah.
Significant events from Joshua's Muslim narratives include the crossing of the
Jordan river
The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...
and the conquest of ''
Bait al-Maqdis
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
''.
The traditional Muslim commentary ''
al-Jalalayn'' says, "
Ahmad ">. Hanbalreported in his Musnad, the
ollowinghadīth, 'The sun was never detained for any human, except for Joshua during those days in which he marched towards the Holy House
f Jerusalem
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hist ...
."
Muslim literature includes traditions of Joshua not found in the
Hebrew Bible. Joshua is credited with being present at Moses's death and literature records that Moses's garments were with Joshua at the time of his departure. In
Sahih Bukhari and
Sahih Muslim, Joshua is mentioned as Yusha' bin Nun and is the attendant to Moses during his
meeting with Khidr.
Traditional tombs
Joshua is believed by some Muslims to be buried on
Joshua's Hill in the
Beykoz district of
Istanbul. Alternative traditional sites for his tomb are situated in
Israel (the Shia shrine at
Al-Nabi Yusha'
Al-Nabi Yusha' ( ar, النبي يوشع was a small Palestinian village in the Galilee situated 17 kilometers to the northeast of Safad, with an elevation of 375 meters above sea level. It became part of the Palestine Mandate under British con ...
),
Jordan (An-Nabi Yusha' bin Noon, a Sunni
shrine near the city of
Al-Salt[Mazar Hazrat Yusha’ bin Noon, on the website of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canad]
),
Iran (Historical cemetery of Takht e Foolad in Esfahan) and
Iraq (the Nabi Yusha' shrine of
Baghdad). A local tradition combining three versions of three different Yushas, including biblical Joshua, places the tomb inside a cave in the Tripoli Mountains, overlooking the coastal town of
el-Minyieh near
Tripoli, Lebanon.
In art and literature
In the literary tradition of medieval Europe, Joshua is known as one of the
Nine Worthies. In ''
The Divine Comedy'' Joshua's spirit appears to Dante in the Heaven of Mars, where he is grouped with the other "warriors of the faith."
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
composer
Georg Frideric Handel composed the
oratorio ''
Joshua'' in 1747. Composer
Franz Waxman composed an oratorio ''Joshua'' in 1959.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed ''Josue'' (H.404 and H.404 a), an oratorio for soloists, double chorus, double orchestra and continuo, in 1680.
In science
Legend has it that
Mormon pioneers in the United States first referred to the ''
yucca brevifolia'' agave plant as the Joshua tree because its branches reminded them of Joshua stretching his arms upward in supplication, guiding the travelers westward.
Joshua is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of snake,
Joshua's blind snake
Joshua's blind snake (''Trilepida joshuai'') is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is endemic to Colombia. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T (1999). ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Referenc ...
(''Trilepida joshuai''), the
holotype of which was collected at
Jericó, Antioquia,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
.
Jewish holidays
The annual commemoration of Joshua's
yahrtzeit
Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of ''minhag'' and ''mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community.
Mourners
In Judaism, the p ...
(the anniversary of his death) is marked on the 26th of
Nisan
Nisan (or Nissan; he, נִיסָן, Standard ''Nīsan'', Tiberian ''Nīsān''; from akk, 𒊬𒊒𒄀 ''Nisanu'') in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars is the month of the barley ripening and first month of spring. The name of the month is ...
on the
Hebrew calendar. Thousands make the pilgrimage to the
Tomb of Joshua at Kifl Haris near
Nablus
Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...
,
West Bank, on the preceding night.
Yom HaAliyah (
Aliyah
Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
Day; he, יום העלייה) is an Israeli national holiday celebrated annually on the tenth of the
Hebrew month of
Nisan
Nisan (or Nissan; he, נִיסָן, Standard ''Nīsan'', Tiberian ''Nīsān''; from akk, 𒊬𒊒𒄀 ''Nisanu'') in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars is the month of the barley ripening and first month of spring. The name of the month is ...
, as per the opening clause of the Yom HaAliyah Law, as a
Zionist celebration of "Jewish immigration to the
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...
as the basis for the existence of the
State of Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
", and secondarily "to mark the date of entry into the Land of Israel", i.e. to commemorate Joshua having led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Land of Israel while carrying the
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant,; Ge'ez: also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, is an alleged artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an e ...
.
See also
*
Joshua Roll
References
Explanatory notes
Citations
General and cited sources
*
academia.edu*
*
*
*
*
* Brettler, Marc Zvi,
How to read the Bible'' (Jewish Publication Society, 2005).
*
* Coogan, Michael D. (ed),
The Oxford History of the Biblical World'' (Oxford University Press, 1998)
*
*
*
* Day, John
''Yahweh and the gods and goddesses of Canaan'' (Sheffield Academic Press, 2002)
**
* Dever, William,
What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?'' (Eerdmans, 2001)
* Dever, William,
Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?'' (Eerdmans, 2003, 2006)
*
*
* Finkelstein, Israel; Mazar, Amihay; Schmidt, Brian B.,
The Quest for the Historical Israel'' (Society of Biblical Literature, 2007)
* Garbini, G.,
Myth and history in the Bible'' (Sheffield Academic Press, 2003)
*
* Graham, M.P, and McKenzie, Steven L.,
The Hebrew Bible today: an introduction to critical issues'' (Westminster John Knox Press, 1998)
*
*
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* .
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External links
*
ttp://www.christnotes.org/dictionary.php?dict=sbd&id=2493 ''Smith’s Bible Dictionary''''Easton's Bible Dictionary & Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia''
{{Authority control
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Jews
15th-century BC biblical rulers
Biblical figures in rabbinic literature
Book of Exodus people
Book of Numbers people
Christian saints from the Old Testament
Judges of ancient Israel
Moses