As recorded between the books of Joshua and Judges, numerous sites throughout Canaan were conquered. In total, within both books, 31 sites were destroyed, or a specific king was defeated1 to demonstrate Israel’s growing and settled dominance throughout the land of Canaan. From an approach to the West, then South, and then to the North,2 one city fell after another as a form of judgment from Yahweh, where He gave this land of conquest to the Israelites.
The conquest of Canaan was intended to deliver the land of Canaan to the Israelites. As specified by Numbers 33:51-56, the people of Israel were to dispossess the people of the land and dwell there within their promised inheritance. The direct destruction that was to occur was specifically toward objects of idolatry and false worship. Yet, as recorded in Judges 1:27-36, there were lapses in obedience where Israel did not drive out Canaanites among specific areas but instead enslaved them. As a precursor to spiritual failures ahead, this account typifies what was to happen to Israel (Num 33:56) in later years.3 Ultimately, the conquest would be placed on hold until Israel completed a period of testing (Judges 2:20-3:4).4
Scholars propose five models to “reconstruct reality” in apparent contradiction to the biblical text.5 Largely to account for variations in early and late date Exodus timelines and reconcile or contest the historical differences between Judges 1 and Joshua 21:43-45. The Merrill text, “Kingdom of Priests,” gives a close-up look at various additional models, too.
While carefully reading through Merrill’s accounts of Joshua’s campaigns, it becomes clear that there were times that Yahweh would fight for His people6 as some inhabitants of Canaan would become herem*, along with their forbidden possessions of false worship. As campaigns formed to traverse throughout the regions of Jericho, Judea, Samaria, and upper regional areas near Jezreel, territorial dominance continued in fulfillment of Yahweh’s instructions. Israel did not destroy all pre-existing infrastructure or wipe out all populations but instead displaced and destroyed relevant people where necessary. In general, and by overriding principle, Israel’s conquest was victorious, but the whole effort was mixed with disobedience and idolatry. Yahweh knew of the corrupting influence Canaanite culture would have upon Israel, which was why it was necessary to destroy everything that could have a negative bearing on God’s intent for His people.
Having today finished Hosea in my daily reading, these words prominently stood out, “we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.” (Hos 14:3).
The disobedience of Israel then was still the same matter long after Joshua’s conquest; it was then long after the same issue of idolatry. Then, before, and now it was and is a huge problem. The idolatry that brings apostasy is treachery before Yahweh and invites judgment. The God of Israel who loved His people and later as the people of “Ephraim” and Samaria fought for them and was as the dew of the land that they would take root, grow, and blossom.
As we read in Joshua, Yahweh inserted His people centrally into a region where large populations engaged in the worship of false gods. Moreover, the surrounding areas throughout Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Egypt encompassed Israel, where idolatry was widespread. Yet even while Israel invaded Canaan after making their way past Edom and Moab, they became an epicenter of judgment toward people and their gods over quite some time. Until the Kingdom of Yahweh was formed, from the time they stepped toward Canaan from the East, the distribution of continents circled about them as evil activity in many forms was present in abundance. The people of Israel were explicitly situated to serve as ground zero within a territory saturated in the worship of gods. They also were judged just as before as His people were delivered from Egypt.
It is helpful to recognize that individual tribes were responsible for eradicating people who were the inhabitants of Israel’s inherited land. For some reason, I earlier thought that the conquest was a single homogenous effort, and Israel swept through the various regions one after another as a whole. Sort of centralized waves of divide and conquer of peoples and false gods as a forthgoing campaign. Stages of successive advancement seem to indicate their concentration of focus, strength, and resources even as the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the partial tribe of Manasseh gave their oath to fight and contribute to the removal of the Canaanites. However, it makes sense that by necessity the effort was concurrent and decentralized given the population variations in place with their respective geographic proportionality.
Israel was inserted into the land of Canaan after their time in Egypt to continue the judgment against the gods vis-a-vis the nations that encompassed them. While Israel was displaced from Egypt and delivered from slavery, Yahweh placed them among populations, and “gods” worshipped throughout the continents that surrounded them. Their displacement was a strategic positioning by Yahweh, from the false gods judged in one area to the limited destruction of Canaan and its gods. Short term, a formation of a Kingdom of one covenant, and long term, to set the stage for an everlasting kingdom of another.
* 3051 I. חֵרֶם (ḥē·rěm): n.masc.; ≡ Str 2764; TWOT 744a, 745a—1. LN 53.16–53.27 consecrated possession, i.e., a thing devoted to the LORD (Lev 27:21, ); 2. LN 20.31–20.60 thing set apart to utter destruction, given to the ban, i.e., a thing or person that will be destroyed as a consecration to the LORD (1Sa 15:21; Isa 43:28), see also domain LN 53.16–53.27
DBL Hebrew
Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 354.
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1 Ralph K. Hawkins, “Joshua, Book of,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
2 Michael A. Grisanti, History of the Covenant People, Module 3 Lectures: “Israel’s Exodus from Egypt”, 2021
3 Eugene H. Merrill, Mark F. Rooker, Michael A. Grisanti, “The Word and the World: An Introduction to the Old Testament” (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), 294.
4 Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Interpreting the Historical Books: An Exegetical Handbook, ed. David M. Howard Jr., Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2006), 94.
5 David M. Howard Jr., Michael A. Grisanti, “Giving the Sense: Understanding and Using Old Testament Historical Texts” (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2003), 143-154.
6 Eugene H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel, Second Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 126
