Where is Joshua buried? Joshua the son of Joshua. The question of the admissibility of “holy wars”

Commentators attribute the reason for the name change to Moses' prayer so that Jesus would remain consistent with his opinion and not follow the rest of the spies.

Exit from Egypt

Already upon entering the desert, he led the Jewish army in repelling the attack (Ex. 17: 8-16).

Throughout his wanderings, he was one of the main assistants of Moses, until, after the death of the latter, all power over him passed to him.

Leader of the Jewish People

Immediately after the death of Moses, God appeared to Jesus and said to him:

“... arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, the children of Israel. Every place on which the soles of your feet will tread, I give to you, as I said to Moses: from the wilderness and this Lebanon to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites; and as far as the great sea toward the west of the sun shall be your borders. No one will stand before you all the days of your life; and as I was with Moses, so I will be with you: I will not depart from you, nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous; For you will give to this people a possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”

Siege of Jericho

The first thing the Jews do, led by Jesus, is to attack.

For seven days, their troops march around the city walls, led by priests carrying .

On the seventh day, the army marched around the city seven times, accompanied by the playing priests.

At a certain moment, Jesus ordered all the people to shout at the same time, and immediately the walls of the city fell of their own accord.

After this, Jesus ordered the entire population of Jericho to be exterminated, including women, old people, children and livestock.

Only the harlot Rahab and her relatives were spared, because Rahab had previously sheltered Jewish spies who had entered the city. Jericho itself was completely burned (Joshua, chapter 6).

Conquest of Canaan

Some even believe that Joshua's tomb is St. Yushi is located on the top of Yushi Hill, which is located on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus in the Anadolukavağı area (ilche Beykoz, Istanbul) and is a place of pilgrimage for Turkish Sufis.

True, the question of how the grave of Joshua ended up in Beykoz remains open.

Photo gallery

One of the greatest and most severe military leaders in history. He is famous for gathering all 12 tribes of Israel. Through Joshua the Lord performed great miracles. Joshua and all the people crossed the Jordan River on dry land and saw the Archangel Michael face to face. Under him, miraculously, without a fight, the walls of Jericho were destroyed. During one battle with the enemy, Joshua, at the command of God, continued the day, stopping the sun until he defeated the enemies. Having brought the Jewish people into the Promised Land after the end of the war, he divided it between the tribes of Israel. His activities are detailed in the Book of Joshua.

Origin

Joshua, originally named Hoshea, the son of Nav, came from the tribe of Ephraim and was its leader. He was renamed Jesus by Moses when he was sent as a spy with representatives of the other eleven tribes, as a sign that he would save the people from the disasters of wandering in the desert and lead them into the Promised Land. Bible commentators attribute the reason for the name change to Moses' prayer so that Jesus would remain consistent with his opinion and not follow the rest of the spies.

Jesus is a modern Church Slavonic transliteration of the Greek form Ιησούς of the Hebrew name ישוע (pronounced [Yeshua]), which is a truncation of the name יהושע [Yehoshua], consisting of the roots of the words “Yehovah” - the name of God in the Old Testament and “shua” - salvation. Before the church reform of Patriarch Nikon, the name of Jesus was written and pronounced with one letter “and”: “Isus”. Patriarch Nikon changed the spelling and pronunciation to “Iesus” in order to bring them closer to the Greek version.

Tribes of Israel- tribes of the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, who formed, according to the Holy Scriptures, the Israeli people.

Jesus is nicknamed Navin on behalf of his father, Nav or Non. An outdated suffix -in has been added to the name Nav, which, like -ov, indicates affiliation. Navin - possessive of the name Nav ( Navin or son of Nav).

Joshua was a faithful disciple and chief assistant to Moses during all the years of his 40-year wandering in the desert, until, after the death of the latter, all his power passed to him.

Joshua is appointed as successor to Moses

He accompanied Moses as he ascended Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:13 and Ex. 32:17), guarded the tabernacle in Moses' absence (Ex. 33:11), and also led the Israelites in the battle with the Amalekites at Rephidim (Ex. 17:9-13). He was one of the 12 spies sent by Moses to Canaan to gather intelligence and explore the country (Num. 13:8,16).

Leader of the Jewish People

After the death of Moses, Joshua stood at the head of his people, with whom he went through all the trials, all the hardships of desert life. He had unquestioned authority and was recognized by the majority of the tribes.

Joshua is a stern, unyielding man, he was a true son of his age with its cruelty, with its savagery. Unlike Moses, he was not a prophet, but he was a religious leader, realizing that by standing at the head of Israel, he was fulfilling the mission that the Lord had entrusted to him.

Promised land

The land that the Lord promised to the people of Israel was a mountainous strip, which is also known as Palestine. This land extends along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea from the spurs of the Lebanon Mountains in the north to the Sinai Peninsula in the south. The total length of Palestine is about 250 kilometers in length. The width of Palestine at the sources of the Jordan does not exceed 70 kilometers, but in the south this width reaches 250 kilometers. The entire territory of Palestine is divided into two parts by the Jordan Valley.

Palestine includes a wide contrast of topography and natural features found nowhere else on the globe. The snow-capped peaks of Lebanon in the north overlook the valleys and deserts of the south, where the sun beats down. In close proximity grow the most diverse trees - palm trees, which love the heat, and oak, which prefers a temperate climate.

The Jordan River flows from north to south, almost in a straight direction. The total length of the river is about 150 km. On its way, the Jordan flows through two lakes - Lake Merom and Lake Gennesaret, and finally flows into the Dead Sea. Lake Gennesaret is distinguished by the extreme clarity of its waters and has a large number of fish. Date and banana palms, fig trees, grapes, pomegranates and other fruit trees grow along the shores of the lake. The extremely warm and humid air makes the fruits of these trees especially wonderful. The area surrounding the lake amazes with its picturesqueness and fertility.

At the time when the people of Israel entered the Promised Land, it was like an artificial garden, carefully planted among the deserts surrounding the country. This land was distinguished by amazing fertility: with the slightest cultivation of the land, this area produced an unprecedented grain harvest. Palm trees, olives and lemons grow beautifully here.

So, the Land that Israel entered was beautiful in every way. Looking at her, the man saw the finger of God.

This small country was located between two ancient states, Egypt in the south and Mesopotamia in the north, the two greatest centers of the Ancient East. Along with political dependence on Egypt, there was the cultural influence of Babylon.

Before Israel entered Palestine, the country was inhabited by Canaanites and fragmented into many small possessions or principalities. The kings of these principalities were at enmity with each other, but all were vassals of the Egyptian pharaoh.

From ancient times it was densely populated by various tribes descended from Canaan, the son of Ham. Hence the land itself was called Canaan.The Jews themselves believe that this land was originally created for them and was given to the Canaanites in the same way that a slave is given the property of his master.

The population density of this land was quite high, there were cities and villages, between which stretched magnificent fields and pastures. The cities were quite well fortified; they were built on mountain tops, which made them even more impregnable to enemies.

For the most part, the descendants of Canaan were immersed in the darkest idolatry. The peoples of this country deified the forces of nature, which were personified in the divine couple under the names of Baal and Astarte. Baal personified the sun, and Ashtoreth the moon. The service to these gods was characterized by an extreme degree of depravity. At the temples there were special temple harlots who, for a whole year, indulged in debauchery both in the temples themselves and on the streets.

In addition to all of the above, there was incest, adultery, bestiality, depraved relations between the sexes (homosexuality) and everything else present in the society that Israel invaded.

It is clear that such a religion made the entire life of these peoples unclean and disgusting, already incurring the terrible wrath of God - in the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

At the same time, the Canaanite peoples were already at a fairly high degree of civilization, conducted extensive maritime trade, knew how to extract metals from mines, forged gold and silver things for decoration, weapons and chariots for war, built temples and palaces, knew how to fortify cities with walls, and familiar were with bookkeeping and writing.

Entering the Promised Land

Immediately after the death of Moses, God appeared to Jesus and ordered him to lead the people and cross the Jordan with them - to the Promised Land. The Lord commands Joshua to be courageous, brave and zealous keeper of the Law of Moses. Only in this case will the Lord relentlessly help him, as He helped Moses (Joshua 1:2-6).

After a 40-year journey, the great land promised by God lay before the people of Israel. Luxurious fields and pastures awaited them ahead.
But at the same time, fortified cities awaited them, built on the heights of the mountains, making them completely impregnable to the conquerors. In short, the conquest of the earth required great courage and hope in the great help of the Living God.

Israel was truly ready to triumphantly enter the Holy Land.Israel always looked upon its wars as the holy wars of Yahweh, which were a cleansing storm that broke into the corrupting environment of superstition and perversion. These beliefs of Israel that she was waging a holy and just war were confirmed by the special victories that Israel won over her enemies.

Crossing the Jordan River. Siege of Jericho

First of all, in order to receive the land promised by God, the people of Israel had to cross the Jordan itself, and then take the city of Jericho, which stood ten kilometers from the Jordan, which seemed to hold the keys to the entire Promised Land within its formidable walls.

Strengthened by God's help, Joshua began to take decisive action. He ordered the Israelites to camp near the banks of the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

First of all, in order to obtain information about the strength of the garrison and defensive structures, Joshua sent two soldiers to reconnaissance, dressing them in Canaanite clothes. Having arrived there, the spies, i.e. The spies, so as not to incur suspicion, stopped to spend the night in the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab. Rahab was a very smart woman - she immediately recognized the strangers and even guessed who they were. But despite this, she showed them hospitality. Rahab believed that the God of the Israelites was the True God, who would miraculously help them conquer Jericho and all of Canaan, just as he had helped them escape from the land of slavery. Despite all the precautions of the scouts, the people of Jericho, who were watching all the suspicious individuals, learned of their presence and reported to the king. The king of Jericho immediately sent guards to Rahab's house with orders to detain the spies from the Israeli camp.But Rahab, with faith in God, hid the spies who came, and told the king’s servants that they had left her in the evening (Joshua 2:4-5). Then the servants chased them along the road leading from Jericho to the Jordan. Meanwhile, Rahab promised to help the spies if they would swear that when the Israelites captured the city, they would spare her life, as well as her father, mother, and brothers and sisters. The scouts were sincerely grateful to Rahab for her rescue and advised her to hang a bright red rope in the window: then her house would be spared during the battle. When night fell, Rahab helped the spies climb down through the window using a rope from the city wall.

Rahab saves the spies

Three days later, the spies arrived safely at their camp and told Joshua everything they had learned. Joshua gave orders to stock up on food for three days and prepare for the crossing. He also commanded the people to perform purification rites before entering the Promised Land. And so, when three days of purification had passed, at the appointed hour the silver trumpets began to play - and the people moved to the Jordan.

The priests walked ahead with the Ark of the Covenant. As soon as the feet of the priests were wet in the waters of the Jordan, the Lord performed a great miracle in front of all the Israelites, which was reminiscent of the miracle of crossing the Red Sea. Several miles up the river, near the city of Adam, the Jordan suddenly stopped, so that its waters stood like a high wall. The waters, which were still in the riverbed, quickly flowed into the Dead Sea, and the people of Israel crossed the riverbed without even getting their feet wet.

So, after 40 years of wandering in the deserts, around 1212 BC. e., the people of Israel, with God's help, finally set foot on the shores of the Promised Land. Joshua selected 12 men, one from each tribe, and ordered them to build a monument of 12 stones at the bottom of the Jordan. Then he ordered them to take another stone from the bottom of the river and make the same monument from them in the camp at the first stop, as a reminder of the people’s miraculous crossing of the Jordan. When the crossing was over and the priests carried the Ark out of the river, the Jordan again entered its channel.

The first stop was at Gilgal. The first thing the Israelites did when they came into contact with the Promised Land was to build an altar from 12 stones from the bottom of the river. The Lord commanded so.

In Gilgal, at the command of God, Joshua restored the rite of circumcision, which the Israelites had neglected when they were in the wilderness. All the male people who came out of Egypt were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness were not circumcised. After the people left Egypt, this custom was not performed. There were many reasons: firstly, camping conditions, the inability to maintain hygiene, the constant danger of raids by nomadic tribes, and various dangers of desert life. Joshua commanded all adult men and boys to undergo the operation of circumcision, which signified the renewal of the Sinai union with God. After this event, the next day, the Israelis celebrated the Passover holiday for the fortieth time. A few days later, Joshua finally launched a siege of Jericho.

Fall of Jericho

Before starting hostilities, Joshua himself decided to inspect the walls of the city of Jericho. When he approached the city for this purpose, suddenly not far from him he saw a man with a drawn sword. “Are you one of ours, or one of our enemies?”- the brave leader asked him. "No, I am the leader of the army of the Lord"- answered the stranger (Joshua 5:13-14). According to Orthodox teaching, this is the Archangel of God, Michael.

Joshua bowed to him to the ground and, as a sign of respect for the holiness of the place, at his command, took off his shoes. Then the Archangel of the Heavenly Host revealed to Joshua the will of God, how to take the impregnable fortress of Jericho. The entire Jewish people must walk around Jericho with the Ark of the Covenant for six days, once at a time, and on the seventh day walk around it seven times. Then, at a sign from his leader, he must shout loudly - and at this time, with God’s help, the walls of Jericho will collapse. Joshua did just that.

For 6 days in a row, the Israelites left the camp and once a day marched in a solemn procession around the fortress walls, led by priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant.

On the seventh day, the army walked around the city 7 times, accompanied by priests playing trumpets.

At a certain moment, Jesus ordered all the people to shout at the same time, and immediately the walls of the city fell of their own accord.

After this, Jesus ordered the entire population of Jericho to be exterminated, including women, old people, children and livestock.

Only the harlot Rahab and her relatives were spared, because Rahab had previously sheltered Jewish spies who had entered the city. Jericho itself was completely burned (Joshua, chapter 6).

Jericho

Jericho- one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, founded at the dawn of mankind, mentioned many times in the Bible. Biblical Jericho is located approximately 1.5 km northwest of the center of modern Jericho.

Archaeologists and historians estimate that the city of Jericho has existed for about 7,000 years. Moreover, the first settlement on the site of the biblical Jericho appeared about 10 thousand years ago (Mesolithic), and thus Jericho is the oldest among the centers of civilization that have been discovered so far. Is there anyone like him? Only Jerusalem, which existed for no one knows how long before the reign of Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God. In any case, Jerusalem is much more than 4000 years old. Babylon existed for 3000 years.

Jericho was destroyed and rebuilt several times.

Many biblical events took place in this city. From one of the mountains near Jericho, the prophet Moses saw the Promised Land from afar. Here, near Jericho, Joshua saw the Archangel Michael, who ordered him to enclose the Ark of the Covenant. Joshua miraculously took Jericho, walking around it for seven days with the Ark of the Covenant. Here the Archangel Michael appeared to Gideon.

Not far from this place, the miraculous taking of the prophet Elijah to heaven took place. Here the prophet Elisha miraculously purified the water of a bitter spring.

In New Testament history we also encounter this city. It was in this city that Herod the Great died, since during Roman times it was the royal residence. Here, near Jericho, in the Trans-Jordanian desert, lived the greatest man born of women, John the Baptist.

Not far from here, in the Jordan River, our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized and here there was a great event - the Epiphany. Here, on Mount Forty Days, the devil tempted the Savior of the world.

Zacchaeus was a resident of Jericho, then Jesus Christ saw him on a fig tree. Leaving the city of Jericho and following to Jerusalem, the Lord heals Bartimaeus from blindness.

Christ the Savior loved these holy places and often visited here. Truly this was the chosen, great, historical place of God’s economy.

Conquest of Canaan

The fall of Jericho inspired the Israelites to further conquests.

The next target was the city of Ai, near Bethel, located in the highlands of Canaan in a strategic location - on one of the main roads leading from the Jordan Valley to the highlands. Jesus captured the city of Ai only the second time. The reason for the defeat of the first attack was an Israeli who, during the capture of Jericho, appropriated part of the spoils intended for the temple. Only the death of the culprit could save the Israelis then from further failures. The city was taken the second time. The inhabitants of the city were destroyed and completely killed, and the city itself was turned into a heap of ash.

After the victory, Joshua wrote down all the Mosaic laws on stone and on Mount Ebal read them to the people of Israel, demanding that they remain faithful to the Lord and never depart from him.

Five kings - Jerusalem, Hebron, Jerusalem, Lachish and Eglon - united against the Israelites. However, Jesus managed to defeat them. God took part in the battle on his side, throwing stones from the sky at the enemy army(Joshua 10:11).

In the battle, when Joshua raises his sword against the people of Gibeon and when these enemies are defeated, a miraculous phenomenon occurs, which we call solstice . During this battle, Joshua, according to the Bible, stopped the Sun and Moon in the sky so that the enemy could not retreat, taking advantage of the evening and night darkness: “Stand, O sun, over Gibeon, and the moon, over the valley of Aijalon!”(Joshua 10:12).

The phenomenon on Mercury, when the Sun stops in the sky and moves in the opposite direction, is called Joshua effect .

Five kings, having suffered defeat, hid in one of the caves. But they were discovered and Naveen ordered them to be killed and hanged on trees.

As a result of this battle, Joshua annexed five more Canaanite cities to the already conquered lands. All the inhabitants of these cities were massacred.“And Joshua struck down all the land of the hills, and the desert, and the low places, and the land that lay by the mountains, and all their kings: he left none untouched, and he consigned every thing that breathed to destruction, as the Lord God of Israel commanded; Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen even to Gibeon."(Joshua 10:40-41)

We, modern people who have information about international law, get the impression that the ancient Jews waged their wars in a completely barbaric manner. It seems to us that such barbarism is not permitted by Divine law. How can God allow such barbarity? But the Jews were not under modern international law. They had to use the same means as their opponents, otherwise they faced complete destruction. The rule known as the “Law of the Jungle” clearly speaks about exactly how the eastern peoples acted: if you don’t kill, they will kill you. The treatment of the vanquished was extremely cruel. In some cases there was a complete and systematic extermination of the vanquished without distinction of classes, not excluding infants.

In addition, it is believed that the Canaanites deserved such punishment and extermination by their crimes, and the Jews were an instrument of Divine punishment.

Further conquest and division of the Promised Land

The conquest of all of Canaan lasted 7 years. 31 Canaanite kings died in the bloody wars. With the exception of Jerusalem and a few other fortified cities by the sea and in the mountains, the entire country was conquered by the Israelites.

After this, Joshua began to divide the Promised Land among the Israelite tribes.

The Promised Land was divided into ten districts. The descendants of Simeon, Judah and Benjamin settled in the south. The remaining territory of the conquered land was occupied, moving from south to north, by the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, Nephalim, and Asher. A small tribe of Dan settled west of the tribe of Benjamin on the border with the Philistines. On the territory that Ephraim received was the city of Shiloh. Joshua decided to move the people's shrine to this city - the Tabernacle of Meeting and the Ark of the Covenant. Thus, Shiloh became the first capital of Israel , which was supposed to weld the scattered tribes into one nation. The Levites were given ownership of 48 cities, where, according to the covenant of Moses, they performed religious duties.

Death and burial place

Joshua himself led the tribes of Israel for another 25 years. His authority was the source of the nation's cohesion. The tribes scattered throughout Canaan unconditionally recognized his authority.

The temple at Shiloh played a major role in uniting the Israeli tribes. He was the spiritual heart of all Israel.

But Joshua was worried about the thought: what will happen after his death? He had no worthy successor, and he feared that the tribes, left without strong leadership and having lost faith in the True God, could quickly lose unity and cohesion and become captives of the local inhabitants.

Joshua saw the unity and power of the state in the preservation of the true religion, in the selfless service to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Shortly before his death, wanting to strengthen faith in God and thereby prevent the collapse of the state, he gathered all the sons of Israel in Shechem, read them the laws of Moses again and ordered them to swear that they would not serve foreign gods: “Fear the Lord and serve Him with purity and sincerity; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”(Joshua 24:14).The people unanimously swore: “No, we will not leave the Lord and begin to serve other gods!”(Joshua 24:16). As a sign of remembrance of the renewed union with the Lord, Joshua placed a large stone under the oak tree and said: “Behold, this stone will be a witness for us: for it has heard all the words of the Lord that He spoke to us... let it be a witness against you... so that you will not lie before the [Lord] your God.”(Joshua 24:27).

Joshua died at the age of 110 and was buried in Timnath-sarai, on Mount Ephraim (Joshua 19:49-50, Josh. 24:29-30).

In the Orthodox tradition, Joshua is revered as righteous, commemorated September 1/14 .

Book of Joshua

Book of Joshua - is the first of twelve historical books (the last is the book of Esther). This corresponds to the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament), where the books are grouped as follows: Pentateuch (from Genesis to Deuteronomy), historical (from the book of Joshua to the book of Esther), poetic (from the book of Job to the Song of Solomon) and prophetic (from the book of Isaiah to the book of Malachi). Thus, the Book of Joshua is a continuation of Deuteronomy. Together with the five books of Moses, it forms a whole that even the first six books were called Hexatea, i.e. a book in six parts.

In the Hebrew canon the same books are grouped differently, namely: the Law, the Prophets and the Scriptures. Theologians define in different ways the reason for classifying the book of Joshua as prophetic (in the Hebrew canon). Some see it in the fact that Navin was not a prophet, but was placed in the “position of a prophet.” Others are that the historical books, including the "major prophets", reflect the principles that the prophets preached.

The Book of Joshua describes the history of the Jewish people for a period of approximately 25-30 years, from the death of Moses to the death of Joshua (1272 BC - 1244 BC).

The authenticity of the events described in the book is confirmed by historical finds , found cuneiform writings that describe the intercourse of the Canaanite peoples during the time of Joshua.

Main theme of the book of Joshua - conquest of the Promised Land. Israel owes this conquest only to the union with God and the faithfulness of the Lord. Only the Lord put the covenant into practice and gave a homeland to the Israeli people. Therefore, the author of the book especially emphasizes the exceptional intervention of God in the history of Israel.

The purpose of the book of Joshua is an official account of how the Lord’s promise to the patriarchs to transfer the land of Canaan to the Jews was fulfilled in the history of Israel. This can be seen both from the command given to Joshua at the beginning of the book (Joshua 1:2-6) and from the summary of events at its end (Joshua 21:43).

Thus, the book of Joshua records how the promise made to the patriarchs was fulfilled as Israel took possession of the land that God had promised them centuries before.

The fact that the people were later deprived of this land reflects the fickleness of the people, who, having accepted God's blessings as something given to them once and for all, fell into paganism, began to worship the gods of neighboring peoples, for which they were subjected to the punishment about which God warned them ( Wed Deut. 28:15-68). And yet, according to the promise he received, Israel should forever possess the land given to him, but this is already connected with the return of the Messiah and the repentance of Israel.

According to the prophecy of Isaiah, the Messiah will appear as a “second Joshua,” who will “restore the earth to return to the heirs” their inheritances (Is. 49:8).

The Apostle Paul taught that the events of the Exodus and the Conquest are filled with special significance for Christians, since these events are nothing more than prototypes of the future (1 Cor. 10: 1-11). As Joshua led Israel to victories over their enemies and to the possession of the Promised Land, and as he prayed and interceded for the people after they had sinned and failed, so does Jesus Christ. He leads God's people to their promised rest (Heb. 4:8-9); He continually intercedes for His own (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25) and gives them power to defeat their enemies (Rom. 8:37; Heb. 2:14-15).

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

) servant of Moses, due to the fact that he helped him in the work of ministry. His original name was Hosea (). We first find Joshua at a time when the Israelites were preparing to engage in battle with the Amalekites at Rephedim. Moses then entrusted him with command over the army of Israel (). At that time, Navin was forty-four years old, although he is called a youth (). The penetrating gaze of the legislator of the Jewish people soon discovered in Navin the qualities necessary for the future head of the entire people. Soon after the successful battle with the Amalekites, he is among the 12 spies sent by Moses to survey the land of Canaan (), and one of the two who gave a review about it favorable to the Israelites (). At the end of the forty-year wandering of the Jews in the desert, Navin, who remained among the few Israelis who survived the designated time, was, by the command of God, appointed by Moses as the leader of the people () and solemnly inducted into this title (). Eighty-four years old, Joshua miraculously passed over to the leadership of Israel. Jordan, having previously performed the rite of circumcision and the celebration of Easter, entered the Promised Land. Then a series of wars began with the Canaanites, during which Joshua and the people of Israel won almost constant victories. The first city after the Jews crossed the Jordan, Jericho, was taken by them without a fight - the walls of Jericho miraculously fell, and everything in it was consigned to fire and sword; then the city of Ai was taken, and the law was written and read on Mount Ebal, in the presence of all Israel. Then, after a peaceful alliance with the Gibeonites (), the Jews won a famous victory over the allied army of the five kings of Canaan who attacked the Gibeonites, and at the same time conquered the entire southern side of the land of Canaan, as far as Cadiz-Barnea (). This bloody battle near Gibeon, in the Valley of Aiadon, is extremely remarkable. Running headlong along the slope of Mount Betheron, completely defeated by the Israelis and beaten by miraculous hail from the sky, like large stones, the numerous enemy was still not completely destroyed, and the day was already approaching evening. Stand, O sun, over Gibeon, and the moon, over the valley of Aijalon, Joshua exclaimed. And the sun stood still and the moon stood while the people took revenge on their enemies. Isn’t this written in the book of the Righteous One, the writer of the book of Joshua notes on this occasion: the sun stood in the sky and did not hurry to the west for almost the whole day(). A similar miraculous lengthening of the day is also mentioned in the story of King Hezekiah (). After this, will anyone dare to deny that the Almighty Creator and King of all creation can do whatever pleases His holy will, command all of nature, change the laws of nature, for the sake of the wise goals of His Divine economy? Having conquered half of Canaan, Joshua returned to Gilgal. Then he went to Lake Merom, defeated the allied princes of the north of Canaan, under the leadership of Jabin, king of Hazor, and reached the gates of Sidon and Mount Hermon. Within six years, six Canaanite tribes with thirty-one kings, including the Anakim, the monster of the former Israelites, were defeated by Joshua and destroyed almost everywhere with the exception of Philistia; and thus the whole earth was cleared for Jews from the Arabian Desert to Lebanon(, ). After this, Navin, who had already reached an advanced age, with the assistance of the high priest Eleazar and the leaders of the tribes of Israel, began to divide the Promised Land, and all the tribes received their plots exactly as the patriarch had predicted long before. Jacob, blessing his children (). Navin himself received from the people Timnath-Sarai on Mount Ephraim as an inheritance. The Tabernacle was erected at Shiloh, six cities of refuge were assigned, forty-eight cities were assigned to the Levites, and the soldiers who had participated in the campaigns were sent back to their former residences. Some time after this, Joshua summoned all the people, exhorting them to strictly fulfill the law of God, to be faithful to God, not to communicate with the pagans who remained among them, not to enter into any relationship with them, for fear of great disasters. Finally, having forced the people to renew the covenant with God in Shechem, Joshua died peacefully in the 110th year of his life and was buried in the border of his inheritance, Famnaf-Sarai. His name is mentioned in the book. Acts of the Apostles () and in the Epistle to the Hebrews ().

The existence of Joshua, as well as the reliability of his life story in the Bible, is a matter of debate among biblical scholars and historians.

In the Latin (and then in the Catholic and Protestant) tradition, the name of Joshua is rendered differently than the name of Jesus Christ - Iosue instead of Jesus, as well as in the Islamic tradition Yusha instead of Isa, while in the Greek Orthodox tradition both are called Jesus(therefore, to the name of the first one is usually added Navin or son Navin, while for the Western tradition this is unnecessary).

Biography

Already at the very entry into the desert, upon leaving Egypt, he led the Jewish army when “ Moses said to Joshua: Choose husbands for us, and go and fight the Amalekites."(Ex.), and then throughout his wanderings he was one of the main assistants of Moses, until, after the death of the latter, all power over the Jews passed to him.

Immediately after the death of Moses, God appeared to Jesus and said to him:

During this battle, Joshua, according to the Bible, stopped the Sun and Moon in the sky so that the enemy could not retreat, taking advantage of the evening and night darkness: “Stand, O sun, over Gibeon, and the moon, over the valley of Aijalon!”(Nav.).

The five kings, having suffered defeat, hid in one of the caves. But they were discovered, and Naveen ordered them to be killed and hanged on trees. Then the Jewish army captured the cities of Maqed, Livna and Lachish. All the inhabitants of these cities were completely exterminated. The king of Gazer came to the aid of the king of Lachish, but the Israelites gained the upper hand and completely destroyed his people. The same fate befell all the inhabitants of the cities of Eglon and Hebron:

“And Joshua struck down all the land of the hills, and the desert, and the low places, and the land that lay by the mountains, and all their kings: he left none untouched, and he consigned every thing that breathed to destruction, as the Lord God of Israel commanded; Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen even to Gibeon;"(Nav.)

After the conquest and division of the land, he died peacefully and was buried on Mount Ephraim (Nav., Nav.). Shortly before his death he called on his people: “Fear the Lord and serve Him with purity and sincerity; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”(Nav.).

In the New Testament, Joshua is mentioned in the Epistle to the Hebrews ().

Joshua

Joshua (Heb. Yehoshua Bin-Nun):

1) son of Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim; Instead of his previous name - Hosea, Moses gave him the name Jesus (Numbers 13:9,17). During his wanderings in the desert, Moses entrusted I.N., who was still a young man, with (Exodus 33:11), command of the army during the battle with the Amalekites. Jesus defeated the enemies, and during the battle Moses, supported by Aaron and Hur, prayed to God for victory with the rod of God in his hand (Exodus 17:8-16). In Art. 14 tells that I.N. will have to do in the future. IN Exodus 24:13 it is said that I.N. from a young age he was a servant of Moses (Numbers 11:28). He was at some distance from Moses when he, having spent 40 days and nights on the mountain, descended to the people (Exodus 32:17). Later I.N. became a minister at the tabernacle (Exodus 33:11). IN Numbers 11:28 he with excessive zeal asked Moses to prohibit Eldad and Modad from prophesying in the camp. I.N. was among the spies sent to Canaan (Numbers 13:9). When most of them, having returned, spoke of the impossibility of conquering this land, Caleb, and then I.N. refuted this opinion, for which the people, to whom they wanted to give courage, almost stoned them (Numbers 14:1,6-10). Therefore, of all the Israelis, who at that time were more than 20 years old, the Lord allowed only Caleb and I.N. into the Promised Land. By the time of the second number of people, only from among those who were included in the first number (Numbers 26:65), Moses, Caleb and I.N. were alive. Now the Lord calls I.N. successor of Moses, who certifies this by laying on of hands (see Laying on of hands) on I.N. (Num 27:16-23; cf. Deut 3:28; 31:7,8,23) . Already in Numbers 34:17 it is said that the Lord placed I.N. together with the high priest Eleazar at the head of those who were entrusted with dividing the land of Canaan. After the death of Moses, the Israelites obeyed I.N. as his successor (Deuteronomy 34:9);
2) see The Book of Joshua tells about the acts of I.N. while he was the leader of Israel. After the death of Moses, the Lord commands I.N. prepare to cross the Jordan and gives him the appropriate. instructions (Nav 1). Crossing the river became possible thanks to a miracle. The moment the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the water, the river (upstream) stopped (Nav 3). According to the instructions of the Lord I.N. ordered to take twelve stones from the Jordan as a memory of the miracle that had happened, from which a monument was then built in Gilgal. Another twelve stones were placed in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the priests stood carrying the Ark of the Covenant (Nav 4);
3) during the conquest of Canaan I.N. proved himself to be a talented commander, obedient to God and fulfilling His will. So, Jericho fell thanks to a miracle performed by God (Joshua 5:13 - 6:26; Heb 11:30) . But there were also failures. As punishment for the fact that Achan stole part of the sworn booty, Israel suffered a cruel defeat from the small number. residents of Gai. The Israelis managed to capture Ai only after the Lord pointed out the culprit, and he was stoned (Joshua 7; 8). I.N. himself bears responsibility for having entered into an alliance with the Gibeonites without asking first. about this gentlemen (Joshua 9). Victory at the Battle of Gibeon (Joshua 10), during the swarm (again thanks to a miracle) the sun and moon stopped (vv. 12-14), the Israelites conquered the south. part of Canaan. North part of the country went to them after the victory at the waters of Merom and the capture of Hazor (Hazor) (Joshua 11). But this did not mean that Israel became the master of the entire country - many areas were still in the hands of the Canaanites. Therefore, during the division of Canaan carried out by I.N., many ter. allocated only for future possession (Joshua 13:1-7). And in this situation I.N. proved himself to be a man invested with the trust of the people and deserving of universal veneration. After completing the division of the land, the Israelis gave him an inheritance. possession, as he requested, the city of Timnath-sarai on Mount Ephraim (Joshua 19:49,50);
4) at the end of I.N.’s life gathered the tribes of Israel at Shechem. In his speech, he reminded the Israelites of all the good deeds of the Lord and called on them to serve God with faith and truth. On this day he made a covenant with the people and gave them “decrees and laws.” He wrote about this in the book of the Law of God and as a testimony in conclusion. covenant, he placed a large stone under the oak tree, which grew near the sanctuary of the Lord. I.N. died at the age of 110 and was buried in Famnaf-Sarai (Joshua 24).

Brockhaus Biblical Encyclopedia. F. Rinecker, G. Mayer. 1994 .

See what “Joshua” is in other dictionaries:

- (Heb. jehošua, “god [Yahweh] help”, the name Jesus is assumed to be identical with the name Jašuia, known from diplomatic correspondence from the Egyptian archives of El Amarna of the 14th century BC; Nun is a patronymic form of the name of the father of Jesus), in Old Testament... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology

In the Old Testament, the assistant and successor of Moses, who led the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes, and also led the Israelites in the battle with the Amalekites at Rephidim. He combined the qualities of a commander and a prophet. It was Joshua... ... Historical Dictionary

In the Bible, the servant and companion of Moses... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

This article is about a person. For the book, see Book of Joshua. Joshua יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶן נוּן ... Wikipedia

In the Bible, Moses' helper and successor. He supervised the passage of Jews across the river. Jordan, the conquest of Canaan and the division of its lands among the Jewish tribes. * * * JOSHUS JOSHUA, in the Bible, the companion of Moses (see MOSES (prophet)), his successor, ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Joshua- Capture of Jericho. Fresco in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. 432 440 Capture of Jericho. Fresco in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. 432 440 Joshua in the Old Testament is the assistant and successor of Moses, who led the conquest of Canaan... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"

Joshua- the successor of Moses in the leadership of the Jewish peoples during the conquest of the land of Canaan. I. Navin came from the tribe of Ephraim and was the son of Nun, or Navin. Already during the life of Moses, he was a prominent figure among the Jewish people;... ... Complete Orthodox Theological Encyclopedic Dictionary

Joshua- JESUS ​​NAVIN (Heb. Yehoshua God [Yahweh] help, Hellenized Jesus savior), according to biblical tradition, the helper and successor of Moses. He supervised the passage of Jews across the river. Jordan, the conquest of Canaan and its division... ... Biographical Dictionary

According to biblical tradition, the servant and associate of Moses (See Moses). The book of I.N. is the sixth in the canon of the Old Testament and by many researchers, based on stylistic features, it is combined with the previous five books in... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia