ABSTRACT
The progressive conquest of the promised land of Canaan is narrated in a series of episodes as a single extended campaign. The principal incidents of special interest are the siege of Jericho in Jos 2 and 6; crossing Jordan (Jos 3); the sun made to stand still (10:1–14). After the conquest seemed established, Chapters 13–19 list the distribution of the land, while Chapters 20–1 concern ‘cities of refuge’ or sanctuary. The campaign may be dated in the thirteenth century bc; the text, however, took its present form much later, in the seventh to sixth century bc. (Ussher dates these events in 1441 bc, perhaps only two centuries out.) The book ends with a renewal of the Covenant, to underline the purpose of the whole.
