Joshua, << JOSH uh wuh, >> a lieutenant of Moses, led Israel in the conquest of Canaan after Moses’s death. Canaan consisted roughly of an area that extended from east of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim. His story is told in the Old Testament book that bears his name. Joshua also appears in the Book of Exodus and the Book of Numbers.
The Book of Joshua describes Israel’s conquest of Canaan as swift, ruthless, and complete. First, Joshua’s army crossed the Jordan River and besieged Jericho. The walls of Jericho fell flat at the blast of the Israelites’ trumpets. Israel then took all Canaan with three lightning-fast campaigns, killed the area’s inhabitants, and divided the land among the 12 tribes of Israel. Joshua later united all Israel in a covenant with God.
The Book of Judges suggests that the Israelite conquest of Canaan was slower and less complete. Archaeological evidence places it in the 1200’s B.C. and shows that much of the destruction may actually have been caused by Philistines or the internal struggles of Canaanites (see Philistines ; Canaanites ).
