Abstract
The concluding unit of the conquest narrative in the Book of Joshua (Jos. 11 : 16 - 12 : 24) consists of three separate summaries: (1) a geographical summary of Joshua's conquests, Jos. 11 : 16-20; (2) the extermination of the A'naqim and a general summary of the conquest, Jos. 11 : 21-23; (3) a list of the Kings east and west of the River Jordan who were conquered by Moses and Joshua, Jos. 12. Why are these three separate summaries - each of which could have been formed as an independent summary of the conquest - included together in the concluding unit of the conquest narrative? The differences between the summaries reveal that the conquest had three different purposes. According to the first summary the purpose of the conquest was to exterminate the Canaanites (Jos. 11 : 16-20). The aim of the conquest in the second summary is to settle Israel in the Land. In the third summary Joshua's success is presented as an analogy to Moses' success, and constitutes a song of praise for Joshua's victory.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-15 |
| Journal | Tarbiz: a quarterly for Jewish studies |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 2000 |