15: Joshua and Judges: The Conquest of Canaan; Who Were the Israelites? – Flashcards
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Dtr
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The Deuteronomist. The narrator of Joshua-Judges-Samuel-Kings, the books known as "Former Prophets"
Many thematic rhetorical connections between D and Dtr. What is not obvious is the nature of the literary connection between them.
The main emphasis of Dtr is reward and punishment by God, especially punishment for the sin of worshipping other gods
Purpose of the Dtr narrative is to show divine justice
The Dtr is an ideologically motivated narrative.
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ideologically motivated narrative
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A narrative in which more can be read under the surface, implying certain ideas, opinions, or beliefs. The Dtr narrative is one such example, and its purpose is to show divine justice, rather than just the historical narrative on the surface.
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former prophets
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Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings are the books that are known as the former prophets. They are narrated by the Dtr and are considered an ideological narrative.
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latter prophets
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The latter prophets consist of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve. From a chronological perspective, the works of the latter prophets spans from the divided monarchy in Israel to the postexilic period.
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Transjordan
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The land to the east of the Jordan River. Tribes that lived in the Transjordan built an altar, angering the Western tribes, but the Transjordians assured the others that the tribe is not for sacrifices.
This is an example of D making his point that non-centralized sacrifice is evil.
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Deborah
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Deborah was called a prophet in the book of Judges and is the only female judge in the Bible.
Deborah is a military member who led a counterattack against the Canaanites.
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Samson
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Samson is one of the last judges in the book of Judges. He was granted supernatural strengths by God and had the capacity to perform heroic acts. However, he had two fatal flaws: his hair and his attraction to disloyal women.
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Jericho
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A city supposedly conquered and sacked by the Israelites, led by Joshua.
According to MBS, there is no evidence at the actual site of Jericho of such a conquest.
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Joshua
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The successor of Moses who led the orderly conquest of the land of Canaan and distributed the land among the different tribes of the Israelites.
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Judges
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Judges is the name of a book of the Bible that describes the time between Joshua's death and Saul's kingship.
The judges were leaders sent by God to help the people when they cried out to Him, and some were prophets.
The book highlights the cycle of Israelite disobedience, repentance, and God's rescue.
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Autochthonous
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(of an inhabitant of a place) indigenous rather than descended from migrants or colonists
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The Conquest
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The Book of Joshua and the first chapter of the book of Judges describe the conquest of Canaan, which resulted in Israel's settlement in the land of promise.
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"There is yet no king in Israel"
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A phrase that appears four times in the Book of Judges, indicating the lack of centralized government in Israel. Significant in that it expresses disappointment in the judges and hope in the Davidic monarchy.
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charismatic monarchy
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The charismatic monarchy followed the period of the judges and involved the reign of Saul and the prophet Samuel. The name charismatic monarchy came about because Saul was a charismatic king who was tall, strong, and a military leader.
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Samuel
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Samuel is a figure in the Bible that fulfills multiple functions: as a pre-literary prophet, he marks the emergence of prophecy. He also serves as someone who has a priestly function, and is a judge that rebukes Israel for not following their covenant with God. Eventually, after his sons fail to live up to his role, the people of Israel beg Samuel to appoint a king; he anoints first Saul and later David.
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Saul
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The first king of the Israelites as chosen by Samuel. He ends up disobeying God and is eventually replaced by David as king as told in 1 Samuel.
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dynastic monarchy
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A monarchy is a form f government in which sovereignty is embodied in a single individual, and a dynastic monarchy is one in which sovereignty is passed down hereditarily. The Davidic monarchy is a biblical example of a dynastic monarchy.
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Jeroboam
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Jeroboam led a revolt against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and went on and found the Northern Kingdom. He is known for establishing decentralized shrines at bethel and Dan and creating golden calves for the worship of God. These two actions are the two sins for which the Northern Kingdom is later punished with the conquering by Assyria.
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Rehoboam
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After Solomon's death, the kingdom is split in two with Jeroboam leading the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Rehoboam continuing the Davidic dynasty in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The split was partially a result of Rehoboam's reform which led to the northern tribes rebelling.
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Judges 2
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Judges 2 is particularly notable because the narrator makes a programmatic statement about the Book of Judges. At first, the Israelites become comfortable with God and start worshiping other gods. So, God sends a king to attack and repress them until the Israelites repent and God decides they have redeemed themselves.
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synchronic and diachronic punishment
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Synchronic punishment is punishment from God that punishes everyone despite the fact that only a few sinned, typically a king or leader.
Diachronic punishment, in contrast, punishes children for the sins of their parents.
Although these contrast with human views on justice, the authors believe his sort of punishment is acceptable if coming from God.
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Jericho
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Joshua conquers Jericho by having his men blow trumpets, which causes the city walls to fall. They then proceed to massacre everyone in the city except the prostitute Rehab. Archaeology does not back up this story, leading MBS to believe this tale is a myth.
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central highlands
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The central highlands are where the Israelites settled after conquering Canaanite cities. The central highlands are located around Shechem and were the site of skirmishes at the fringes by Canaanite raids. The central highlands were occupied by remaining Israelites who did not participate in the earlier migration.
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"no pig bones""
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The restriction on pork in Deuteronomy 14 serves as an important distinction between the population of Israelite settlements and the surrounding Canaanite culture. It is argued by some that a small group of Canaanite slaves may have escaped from Egypt in an Exodus and developed a distinct ethnic identity over time. However the lack of pig bones in archaeological finds opposes this theory.
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seven Canaanite nations
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In Deuteronomy, the Israelites are commandedby Bod to slaughter seven Canaanite nations, which they proceed to do in Judges.
According to MBS, this action represents genocide neither on the part of God nor on the part of the Israelites.
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This book of the law [Torah] shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.
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Joshua 1:8
An example of the thematic rhetorical connection between D and Dtr.
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When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are about to enter and occupy, and he clears away many nations before you—the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations mightier and more numerous than you— 2and when the Lord your God gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you must utterly destroy them. Make no covenant with them and show them no mercy. 3Do not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4for that would turn away your children from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. 5But this is how you must deal with them: break down their altars, smash their pillars, hew down their sacred poles, and burn their idols with fire. 6For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession
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Deuteronomy 7:1-6:
In D Israelites are commanded to kill all the Canaanites, esp. the Amalekites.
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Joshua 1
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The announcement of Moses' death connects the book of Joshua to the end of the Torah. The continuity of leadership, originating int he authority of Moses and now manifest in Joshua, is emphasized.
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Joshua 2
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Two spies are sent to investigate the area west of the Jordan. In commissioning the reconnaissance, Joshua reflects the actions of his predecessor Moses, who had earlier sent out spies. This evidence for the continuity of leadership was important in Jewish tradition.
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Joshua 5
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Preparations for entering the land of Canaan are completed by two rituals: circumcision and Passover.
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Joshua 6
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God gives specific instructions to Joshua in language combining ritual with warfare. Joshua then carries out the commands, defeating Jericho and instituting the "herem", the complete annihilation of the enemy, but keeping the promise to spare Rehab and her family.
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Joshua 7
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The men of Ai first overpower the Israelites because Achan had disobeyed he order to destroy Jericho utterly. Achan stole some items and was stoned to death.
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Joshua 8
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The Israelites are now purified of Achan's sin and God provides instructions that will ensure victory for the destruction of Ai. The annihilation of Ai, however, unlike that of Jericho, will allow for booty.
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Judges 1
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The tribe of Judah and the tribe of Simeon that joined them destroyed the Canaanites, with the exception of the inhabitants of the valley, who had iron chariots and therefore could not be destroyed. This shows the preference of Judah.
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Judges 4
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Deborah the prophetess, Barak the army commander, and Jael wife of Heber the Kenite, all contributed to achieving the delivery from the Canaanite enemy.
None of them is called the deliverer because each of these human figures made only a partial contribution to the victory; in practice, the true deliverer was God.
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*Judges 5
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THE SONG OF DEBORAH
This is a hymn of praise thanking and extolling God for overcoming the enemies that threatened His people. It incorporates calls and addresses expressing the joy of victory and the need to offer thanksgiving.
