1. Personcd History. — According to the Tsemach Da- vid, Joshua was born m Egypt, in the year of the Jewish ajra 2406 (B.C. 1037) ; but as he was probably about the age of Caleb, with whom he was associated, we may as- sign his birth to B.C. cir. 1698 (or, as below, 1693). 'The future captain of invading hosts grew up a slave in the brick-fields of Egypt. Born about the time when Mo- ses fled into Midian, he was a man of some forty years when he saw the ten plagues and shared in the hurried triumph of the Exodus. The keen eye of the aged Law- giver soon discerned in Hoshea those qualities which might be required in a colleague or successor to him- self. In the Bible he is first mentioned as being the victorious commander of the Israelites in their batt'j«; against the Amalekites at Rephidim (Exod. xvii, 8-1 G'l. B.C. 1658. When Moses ascended IMount Sinai to ic- ceive for the first time (compare Exod. xxiv, 13, aud xxxiii, 11) the two Tables, Joshua, who is called his min- ister or servant, accomjianiod him part of the way, and was the first to accost him in his descent (Exod. xxxii, 17). Soon aftcrivards he was one of the twelve chiefs who were sent (Numb, xiii, 17) to explore the land of Canaan, and one of the two (xiv, 6) who gave an en- couraging report of their journey. B.C. 1657. The forty years of wandering were almost passed, and Joshua was one of the few survivors, when Moses, shortly be- fore his death, was directed (Numb, xxvii, 18) to invest Joshua solemnly and publicly with definite authority, in connection with Eleazar the priest, over the ]ieople (Dent, iii, 28). After this, God himself gave Joshua a charge by the mouth of the dying Lawgiver (Deut. xxxi, 14, 23). B.C. 1618. Under the direction of God again renewed (Josh, i, 1), Joshua, now in his 85th year (Josephus, Ant. v, 1, 29), assumed the command of the people at Shittim, sent spies into Jericho, crossed the Jor- dan, fortified a camp at (iilgal, circumcised the people, kept the Passover, and was visited by the captain of the Lord's host. (See below.) A miracle made the fall of Jericho more terrible to the Canaanites. A miraculous repulse in tlie first assault on Ai impressed upon the in- vaders the warning that they were the instruments of a holy and jealous God. Ai fell ; and the law was inscribed on jMount Ebal, and read by rheir leader in the presence of all Israel. The treaty which the fear-stricken Gib- eonites obtained deceitfulh' was generously respected by Joshua. It stimidated and brought to a point the hos-
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tile movements of the five confederate chiefs of the Am- orites. Joshua, aided by an unprecedented hailstorm and a miraculous prolongation of the day (see below), obtained a decisive victory over them at Makkedah, and proceeded at once to subjugate the south country as far as Kadesh-barnea and Gaza. He returned to the camp at Gilgal master of half of Palestine.
In another campaign he marched to the waters of Jlerom, where he met and overthrew a confederacy of the Canaaiiilish chiefs in the north, under Jabin, king of Hazor; and in the course of a protracted war he led his victorious soldiers to the gates of Zidon and into the valley of Lebanon under Hermon. In six years, six na- tions^ with thirty-one kings, swell the roll of his con- quests ; amongst others the Anakim — the old terror of Israel — are specially recorded as destroyed everywhere c.vcept in Philistia. It must be borne in mind that the extensive conquests of Joshua were not intended to achieve, and did not achieve the complete extirpation of the Canaanites, many of whom continued to occupy isoLited strongholds throughout the land. (See below.)
Joshua, now stricken in years, proceeded, in conjunc- tion with Kleazar and the heads of the tribes, to com- plete the division of the conquered land ; and when all was allotted, Timnath-serah in Mount Ephraim was as- signed by the people as Joshua's peculiar inheritance. The tabernacle of the congregation was established at Shiloh, six cities of refuge were appointed, forty-eight cities assigned to the Levites, and the warriors of the trans-Jordanic tribes dismissed in peace to their homes.
After an interval of rest, Joshua convoked an assem- bly from all Israel. He delivered two solemn addresses reminding them of the marvelous fuliilment of God's promises to their fathers, and warned them of the condi- tions on which their prosperity depended ; and, lastly, he caused them to renew their covenant with God at Shechem, a place already famous in connection with Jacob (Gen. xxxv, 4) an 1 Joseph (Josh, xxiv, 32 ). He died at the age of 1 10 years, and was buried in his own citj', Timnath-serah (Josh. xxiv). B.C. 1593. Accord- ing to Schwarz (A/fe/. p. 147), his grave, ornamented with a handsome monument, is still pointed out at Ke- far Charas.
2, Jlis Character.— .]i)»\\\xa!s life has been noted as one of the very few which are recorded in history with some fidness of detail, yet without any stain upon them. In his character have been traced, under an Oriental garb, such features as chiefly kindled the imagination of Western chroniclers and poets in the Middle Ages : the character of a devout warrior, blameless and fear- less, who has been taught by serving as a youth how to command as a man ; who earns by manly vigor a quiet, honored okl age; who combines strength with gentle- ness, ever looking uj) for and obeying the divine im- pulse with the simplicity of a child, while he wields great power and directs it calmly, and without swerv- ing, to the accomplishment of a high, unselfish purpose.