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 t...