Joshua Chapter 7-8 in detail
A few major themes are
• Corporate vs individual responsibility
• The Israelites as of end of Chap 8 seem to be quite faithful overall to covenant
• Herem – the wiping out of native peoples

CHAPTER 7

7:1—–Violation of proscription (2x cherem) – Achan is introduced. Narrator says YHVH is incensed – before we see YHVH take any action
7:2—–More spies to check out Ai
7:3 – 4-Spies say 2-3 thousand men is enough – but they are routed – presumably the routing is what makes them “turn their backs on their enemy” – see Jos 7:8 and 7:12 – the enemy forces them to turn.
7:7—-Joshua says “Why did you lead this people only to deliver…? If only we had been content.” This is different from Ex 16:3 If only we had died in Egypt when we sat by the fleshpots.

7:8—-“Turned tail” hafach (“turn”) Israel oreyph (“back of neck”) – (note, Ruth’s sister-in-law is named Orpah which is sometimes taken to indicate that she turns the back of her neck to Naomi – same consonants)
7:12—-oreyph (“back of neck”) yiphnu(“turn”) (BDB = “turn one’s back before a foe”)
7:9—–“What about your great name?”
7:10 -13-Israel has sinned – someone has partaken of proscribed – (Achan – see Fewell note on Achan vs Rahab). Cherem in each verse 11-13.
7:19—–Joshua asks Achan to confess How is this confession different from/same as confession on Yom Kippur?
7:21—–Achan says he took “spoil” – does not mention cherem – he is putting himself in a better light (see CRHB). Achan “covets” – see Ex 20.14: Thou shalt not covet – same verb
7:25—–All Israel pelts him with stones (Achan) and puts “them” to the fire and stones “them”. (per CRHB this text is difficult) To get rid of a corporate evil, Israel provides a corporate punishment

CHAPTER 8

8:2—–Why can the people take spoil and booty? Why was Ai not proscribed? God is the “general here”- God tells them how to set the ambush. (per CRHB – note that after Achan’s misfortune the severity of the ban is reduced. May be connected to larger biblical tendancy for God to ease rules after realizing that an unreachable standard has been set. cf God allowing humans to eat meat after the flood – pg 80.) Compare to Jos 6:17-19
8:3—–They send 30 thousand men; the first time only 3,000 (7:4). No wonder they won the second time.
8:5—–Joshua marches with his troops
8:10—-rose early in the morning: vayashchem yehoshua baboker
8:18-19–YHVH tells Joshua to hold out his javelin “for I will deliver it” and also the ambush rushes in. See EX 17:8-13 – Aaron and Hur hold up Moses’ arm in the battle against Amelek. Compare and contrast the working of Joshua’s javelin to Moses’ arm. What are the differences/similarities and what do they signify?
8:25—–12,000 killed – man and women – entire population (children too it appears. What about that?)
8:26—-Joshua does not draw back javelin until all exterminated (hacherim – cherem)
8:27—-As God permitted they take cattle and spoil as booty
8:30-35-Altar and inscribing the teaching of Moses. All Israel divides in two for blessings and curses. Joshua reads the book of the Teaching to all: men, women, children strangers.
       See Deut 27:1 – 28:68
      27:1 = instructions to set up stones when they cross and inscribe teaching
      27:11-12 = instructions about curse and bless

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BDB = Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
CRHB = Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible. Chapter 4 Joel S. Kaminsky.

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Notes on Joshua February 21, 2010– this is not a paper – just rough study notes – meant to both remind and to stimulate further thought. Sources are in bold and described at end.

Josh 1:1-18 is haftarah for V’zot habrachah (last Deut 33:1 – 34:12)
Josh 2:1-24 for Shelach Lecha (Numbers 13:1 – 15:39 – spies)

People’s perception of God: Creator vs Legislator
Rabbi Isaac asks why Torah begins with Creation instead of Ex 12, 1 = “This month shall be onto you the first of months”, which is the first commandment. Works before laws.
I read Torah as people’s perceptions about God/universe not as what is God? Creator/nurturer or law-giver/judge?

Leha Dodi
Shamor v’zachor b’dibur echad
Ex 20:8 – zachor – Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy – Creation and God’s rest
Deut 5:12 – shamor – Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy – 7th day you do not work – God freed you from Egypt and therefore commanded you to observe the sabbath

The idea that historical writing should capture events “as they were” is relatively recent. Biblical writers use narratives about the past to illustrate various issues of significance to their earliest audience – the ancient Israelite community. They use Bible to substantiate a particular picture of God. Torah and Prophets developed simultaneously from a chronological perspective – not all Prophets know the Torah.
Jewish community had accepted Torah as central to its identity by Persian period (6th to 4th centuries). Probably Torah canonized in Persian period, Nevi’im late Persian or early Greek and Ketuvim around 70 CE (JSB – Brettler)

Deuteronomists set out to show how downfall of Northern and Southern Kingdoms was result of people’s persistent breaking of covenant, even thought Israel was at first loyal. According to D historians, every conflict was a contest between Israel’s God and its opponents. (HCBC– Rast)

Josh 1:1-18 Joshua has been groomed for leadership
(Ex) – leads people against Amalek
(Ex) – accompanies Moses to Sinai
(Num) – gives good report as one of the 12 scouts
(Num) – is only one of 2 men of his generation to enter the promised land
Torah does not mention anyone in Joshua’s personal life. BT Megillah says Joshua married Rahab and had children. 8 prophet/priests descended from Rahab. Rabbis have Rahab convert so she can marry Joshua (WHC – R Myers)

Joshua leads people of Israel across Jordan River into land promised to ancestors, takes possession of land, divides it among tribes, and leads them in swearing allegiance to covenant. Focus on covenant is central to Joshua. Joshua probably written not too far from Babylonian exile – 587 BCE. Some may be much older – town lists, battle stories.
Circumcision and Passover mark entry into land – two traditions that became defining practices of Judaism. Prominence of Ark of Covenant along with priests, altars and sacrifices – foreshadows centrality of synagogue Ark.
Joshua mirrors aspects of Moses
crossing Jordan         parting of Red Sea
spies                         spies
apportion land           apportion land
Exodus is thus replicated to a certain extent.
The unity of Israel in obeying Covenant is an ideal emphasized in Joshua as in Torah – it is an ideal which dissipates later – when tensions develop between ideal and reality
The moral horror of the story may be diminished by the historical fact that it did not seem to happen. So why all the violence? Why is this part of the story? Settlement of earliest Israel consisted of scores of new villages – settlements of previously unoccupied territory in central highlands – rather than rebuilt towns on destroyed Canaanite strongholds. In this understanding the herem is not historical but rather an ideological expression of divine ownership of land being transmitted to Israelites as the rightful heirs to their inheritance from God. This emphasized that the Canaanites were a religious threat. Non-Israelites did indeed survive in the land for generations to come.
(JSB – Meyers)

Josh 2:1-24
Israelite spies keep promise to save Rahab and family, despite earlier Mosaic law in Deut 7:2 and 20:12-18 not to make agreements with any of the peoples of the land.
Nevertheless, spies make it clear that they are doing it for Rahab: Jos 2:17: We are guiltless.
Shittim, from where Joshua sends the spies was the place where Israelites became involved with forbidden Moabite women (Num 25:1)
Look at Rahab and Gibeonites together – seems like an attempt to show that boundaries between Israelite and non-Israelite are more permeable than one might think.
Rahab, like Shifra and Puah and Yocheved makes an exodus possible. Rahab lies to King just like midwives did. Note that Rahab sites the Exodus from Egypt. (WHC – R Wax)

Goaded by divinely ordained intolerance, Israelites are pitted against Canaanites in a struggle for differentiation. Joshua could be construed as a book about holy war (fought by men). It is the recognition of holiness, not one’s nationality, that identifies one with God’s people. Rahab and Gibeonites are outsiders, whereas Achan and his family do not recognize holiness. Whereas Rahab, a Canaanite woman, saves her whole family, Achan, an Israelite man, is instrumental in destroying his. Rahab saves the feeble spies (they go to a brothel for information rather than looking and overhearing for themselves – cavort with foreigners and with a woman whom they would have otherwise killed. Rehab’s faith and kindness raise serious questions about the obsession with holy war. How many Rahabs are killed in the attempt to conquer the land. How many people with vision and loyalty surpassing that of the Israelites are destroyed in the attempt to establish a pure and unadulterated nation?
Stories of Achsah and daughters of Z undermine Israel’s vision of itself as a monolithic, male centered institution.
Daughters of Z = men are not the only alternative
Achsah – male vision of what is necessary for survival and prosperity is limited – the women knows that land is dry and must have water. (WBC – Fewell)

JSB = Jewish Study Bible. Carol Meyers: “Joshua.” Marc Zvi Brettler: “Nevi’im” and “Canonization”
HCBC = Harper Collins Bible Commentary. Walter E. Rast: “Joshua.”
WHC = Women’s Haftarah Commentary. Rabbi Nancy Rita Myers: “Jos 1:1-18.” Rabbi Pamela Wax: “Jos 2:1-24”
WBC = Women’s Bible Commentary: Dana Nolan Fewell: “Joshua.”

In our first study session we studied Joshua chapters 1 and 2.   Many thanks to Judy D, Steve A, Catherine, Dennis, Beth, Aimee, Lenny and Stanley who attended and asked such great questions and offered thoughtful comments.   
I was personally much buoyed up by the friendship in the study session.
Please stay tuned.   I may at any time need to skip a session, but an email will go out if so.   Please keep reading Joshua and we’ll look at a few more chapters next time.
Comments on the blog are welcome.  If anyone would like to post class notes, let me know and I can set that up.

As we study Joshua, we will focus on some specific chapters and verses.   Expand this post to see a list of the first few.  We will not necessarily cover all of these in one class – this is just to give you an idea of what to look for, and more will follow.  Please bring Tanakhs so we can compare with texts from other Books.  If you can be reading Joshua beforehand, the study session will be richer, but come even if you haven’t had time for preparatory reading.

To start, we will be looking at how similar/dissimilar are Joshua and Moses and at how Joshua fulfills expectations set out in the Penateuch.   We will meet twice a month on the first and third Sundays and cover the books of Joshua through Kings at whatever pace will be comfortable.  There will be opportunities for those who wish to lead a study session(s).  Please contact me with any questions.

I am starting an new study series at Eitz Chayim, to be called Tanakh studies.   We will study Joshua, Judges,  I and II Samuel and I and II Kings over a course of many months.   We will meet on the first and third Sundays from 6:45 pm to 8:15 pm.   Prior to each session I will post here the verses to be studied.   It is recommended that everyone start out by reading the book of Joshua.  The first study session will be Sunday, February 21, 2010.