Is Joshua’s account of the conquest and settlement accurate?

 

The object of the conquest narrative in the Book of Joshua is to demonstrate the theological principle that God will give the chosen people victory over their opponents as long as they remain obedient and do not serve other gods. 

The result is an idealized account that glorifies Joshua’s leadership in a series of military campaigns that encompass the entirety of Canaan and leads to the utter defeat of a long list of kings. 

The injection of miraculous intervention by Yahweh, the Divine Warrior, in the capture of Jericho (Josh 6) and of the miraculous lengthening of the day in the campaign against the Amorites of the hill country (Josh 10:1–15) serves the Deuteronomistic Historian’s theological agenda, which is not particularly concerned with providing a realistic account of the battles. 

In addition, archaeologists have found no physical evidence for the conquest and destruction of most of the cities listed in the narrative during the time period associated with the stories.

Jericho was not a major walled city during the twelfth century BCE and the once-thriving city of Ai was an uninhabited ruin during that period. In fact, none of the sites mentioned as part of the conquest narrative have destruction levels that can be directly associated with Joshua and the Israelites. 

Certainly, there were periods of warfare and the attendant destruction it brings, but this destruction cannot be conclusively proven to be part of an Israelite conquest of the land. As far as the relationship between the settlement of the land and the account of the division of the Promised Land among the Israelite tribes are concerned, this also is an idealized portrayal of events. 

In fact, the archaeological record suggests that the Israelites were confined to the hill country until the establishment of the monarchy. 

Therefore, the most likely conclusion to be drawn is that the account in the Book of Joshua is designed to serve the political purposes of the later monarchy and to provide a theological underpinning for the Deuteronomistic Historian’s equation: obedience and faithful = God’s protection and blessing.

Author: Matthews, V. H.