Scripture Helps

Joshua 1–8; 23–24

After Moses was translated, the Lord directed Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land. The Lord assured Joshua that He would be with him and commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. Joshua sent two spies into Jericho. There Rahab saved the spies from capture, and in exchange they promised to preserve Rahab and her family from the forthcoming destruction. The Lord stopped the waters of the Jordan River so the Israelites could cross on dry ground and enter the promised land. The Israelites were successful in conquering the promised land only as they were obedient to the Lord. At the end of his life, Joshua called the Israelites together and warned them against worshipping other gods. The people made a covenant to serve and obey the Lord.

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Background and Context

What is the book of Joshua?

The book of Joshua recounts the Israelites’ entrance into the promised land under the leadership of the prophet Joshua. This book demonstrates the Lord’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant with Abraham to give the Israelites the promised land. It also describes Israel’s covenant responsibility to remember the Lord and keep His commandments. The book can be divided as follows:

Joshua 1–12: Israelites’ entrance into and conquest of the promised land.
Joshua 13–22: Settlement of the promised land.
Joshua 23–24: Joshua’s final exhortations and renewal of the covenant.

Joshua 1:1–2

What do we know about Moses’s death?

See “Deuteronomy 34:5–6. What happened to Moses at the end of his life?”

Joshua 1:8

What was the “book of the law”?

In the phrase “book of the law,” the word “law” is translated from the Hebrew word torah. Torah often refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, which include the law that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. In the context of Joshua 1:8, “book of the law” may refer only to Moses’s repetition of the law in Deuteronomy.

The Lord commanded Joshua to meditate on the book of the law “day and night.” The Hebrew word for meditate in this context suggests a quiet recital or contemplating of the scriptures.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson described how we can meditate on the scriptures: “I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more. Studying in this way, … you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you.”

Joshua 2

What was significant about Rahab’s actions?

Rahab became an unlikely hero for Israel, considering her reputation as a harlot in Jericho. She was identified by New Testament writers as an example of both faith and good works. After helping the Israelite spies escape, Rahab declared her belief that the Lord was God and that He had given Israel the land.

Rahab’s experience shares an interesting similarity with the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. Like the Israelites, who were spared from the destroying angel after placing the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, Rahab and her family were spared from Jericho’s destruction by placing a line of scarlet thread in their window.

Rahab and her family became part of the Israelite nation in the promised land. While there is no further mention of Rahab in the Old Testament, she is mentioned in Matthew as an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Rahab looking out a window — Waiting for the Promise, by Elspeth Young

Joshua 3–4

What was the significance of the parting of the Jordan River?

Shortly after Joshua became the leader of the children of Israel, the Lord promised him, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.” One way the Lord fulfilled this promise was by helping the Israelites cross the Jordan River on dry ground, as they had crossed the Red Sea. After the miracle, the text states that “on that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses.”

The miracle at the Jordan River also points to Jesus Christ. In Hebrew, Joshua means “Jehovah is salvation, and the name eventually evolved through Greek and Latin into English as Jesus. Joshua leading Israel into the promised land can remind us of Jesus Christ leading all the faithful into the ultimate land of promise, the celestial kingdom. Centuries after the Israelites’ miracle at the Jordan, Jesus Christ was baptized in the same river at the beginning of His mortal ministry.

Joshua 3:14–17

What can we learn from the priests stepping into the Jordan River?

Elder David A. Bednar taught: “Interestingly, the waters did not part as the children of Israel stood on the banks of the river waiting for something to happen; rather, the soles of their feet were wet before the water parted. The faith of the Israelites was manifested in the fact that they walked into the water before it parted.”

four men carrying the ark of the covenant across the Jordan River — First Steps of Faith into the Jordan, by Trent Gudmundsen

Joshua 5:13–15

Who was “the captain of the Lord’s host”?

As Joshua and the children of Israel approached the city of Jericho, they were met by one who identified himself as “the captain of the Lord’s host.” Joshua fell down in worship and asked the captain to reveal the Lord’s will. This response suggests that the captain may have been a heavenly being, possibly Jehovah Himself. This interaction with the captain of the Lord’s host likely reminded Joshua and the Israelites that the Lord would fight for Israel as they sought to conquer the promised land.

Joshua 6:1–5

What might Israel have learned from the Lord’s unique instructions for conquering Jericho?

The Lord’s instructions for conquering Jericho focused more on symbolic rituals and the faith of the Israelites than on military strategy. Carrying the ark of the covenant around the city was an indication that the Lord’s power would be with Israel. The number seven, mentioned numerous times in the Lord’s instructions, is often used in the scriptures as a symbol of wholeness, completion, or perfection. The use of this number in the Lord’s instructions may have helped the Israelites understand that their conquest of Jericho was part of a larger spiritual exercise and the beginning of a new era.

The Israelite’s received God’s power only as they obeyed His instructions. President Howard W. Hunter taught, “[Joshua’s] commitment was to complete obedience. His concern was to do precisely as he was instructed, that the promise of the Lord would be fulfilled. The instructions no doubt seemed strange, but his faith in the outcome urged him on.”

Joshua 6:17–21

What does it mean to be “accursed”?

The word accursed in the King James Version is translated from a Hebrew word that can also mean to be banned or set apart for destruction. All the objects, animals, and people in Jericho—except for Rahab and her family—were considered accursed. The Israelites were not to keep anything in the city for themselves but were to turn the wealth of the city over to Joshua to be consecrated to the Lord.

Joshua 7

Why was Achan’s sin so serious?

Achan disregarded the Lord’s commandment to not take any spoils from Jericho. The Lord had warned that the Israelites would be accursed themselves if they took “the accursed thing.” Since any items retained from Jericho were to be consecrated to the Lord, Achan’s actions amounted to stealing from the Lord. Even though Achan acted alone, the Lord attributed the sin to all of Israel. As a result, they lost the Lord’s protection and were defeated by the small army of Ai. The Lord told Joshua that His strength and protection would not be restored until “the accursed thing” was removed from among them. Because Achan was now accursed, he, his household, and his belongings were destroyed, just as the city and people of Jericho were. The scriptures do not clearly explain why Achan’s family shared his punishment.

Achan carrying a bag of items he stole from Jericho — Achan Stealing Spoils of War, by Paul Mann

Joshua 8:30–35; 24

What occurred on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal?

After the Israelites defeated the people of Ai, Joshua gathered them to Shechem, which was in a valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Here Joshua carried out the instructions Moses had given at the end of his mortal life: Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal, offered sacrifices, and wrote a copy of the law of Moses on stones. Then half the tribes of Israel stood on Mount Gerizim and the other half on Mount Ebal. The Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant, stood in the valley between the two mountains. Joshua then recited actions that would result in blessings and those that would result in curses as designated by God, and the Israelites responded by saying, “Amen.”

This was a ceremony of covenant renewal for the Israelites in the promised land. It shares similarities with the establishment of the covenant at Mount Sinai and the Lord’s covenant made with Abraham. The Israelites again participated in a similar ceremony at Shechem toward the end of Joshua’s life. Of this latter ceremony, Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: “It was in the context of this great visual … of teaching that Joshua spoke the line for which he is best remembered: ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve’ (Joshua 24:15). But first the alternatives were made clear, graphically and audiovisually.”

Joshua 24:2–3, 14–15

What flood was Joshua referring to?

The word translated as flood in the King James Version actually means “river.” Specifically, it refers to the Euphrates River. In these verses, Joshua was reminding the Israelites of the idolatry practiced by their ancestors who lived on the other side of the Euphrates before God gave the promised land of Canaan to Abraham.

Joshua 24:19–20

What was the purpose of Joshua’s warnings?

Joshua used stern language to warn the Israelites that the Lord would hold them accountable for violating their covenant with Him. His words underscored the serious nature of Israel’s covenant with the Lord. While breaking covenants always leads to the loss of blessings, Joshua’s specific warnings to the Israelites do not apply to other contexts.

In our day, President Russell M. Nelson has taught:

“All those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy. In the Hebrew language, that covenantal love is called hesed (חֶסֶד). …

“Hesed is a special kind of love and mercy that God feels for and extends to those who have made a covenant with Him. And we reciprocate with hesed for Him.

“Because God has hesed for those who have covenanted with Him, He will love them. He will continue to work with them and offer them opportunities to change. He will forgive them when they repent. And should they stray, He will help them find their way back to Him.”