Book of Joshua (Literature)

From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

—Joshua 1:4-6

The Book of Joshua is the sixth book of The Bible.

After the death of Moses, it was Joshua who became the leader of the Israelite people. Joshua now intends to lead a new generation into a new homeland whilst destroying the Canaanites in their way.

The Jewish structure holds Joshua to be the second book of the Nevi'im (Prophets), the second part of the Tanakh. With Judges, Samuel and Kings, they form the Nevi'im Reshonim (Former Prophets), in contrast with the Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.). In the Christian Bible, on the other hand, Joshua and the other aforementioned Former Prophets are considered part of the "Historical Books" (along with Ruth, Esther, and Chronicles).

Joshua is followed by the Book of Judges.

Structure of the Book of Joshua

God's call to Joshua (Joshua chapter 1)
The spies sent to Jericho (Joshua chapter 2)
Crossing the Jordan River (Joshua chapters 3 and 4)
Celebrating the Passover at Gilgal (Joshua chapter 5)
The fall of Jericho (Joshua chapter 6)
Achan's sin (Joshua chapter 7)
The fall of Ai (Joshua chapter 8)
The Gibeonite deception (Joshua chapter 9)
The sun stands still (Joshua chapter 10)
The Israelites defeat all the kingdoms (Joshua chapter 11)
The list of the kings the Israelites defeated (Joshua chapter 12)
The land yet to be conquered, and the territory east of the Jordan (Joshua chapter 13)
Caleb receives the inheritance that he asked for (Joshua chapter 14)
The allotment of the land for the tribes of Israel (Joshua chapters 15 to 19)
The cities of refuge (Joshua chapter 20)
The cities allotted for the Levites (Joshua chapter 21)
Reuben, Gad, and the eastern half of Manasseh build a monumental altar (Joshua chapter 22)
Joshua's final words and his death (Joshua chapters 23 and 24)

This book contains the following tropes:

The Armies of Heaven: Joshua runs into the "captain of the LORD’s host."
Bedsheet Ladder: In chapter 2, Rahab helps the two Israelite spies escape Jericho by letting them down the wall of the city with a scarlet cord tied to her window. The spies in return tell her to keep the cord tied to her window as a sign that everyone who is in her house at the time when the Israelites sack Jericho are to be spared.
Blow That Horn: The probable Trope Maker is the destruction of the walls of Jericho. By God's command, the Israelites marched around Jericho sounding their trumpets, and the power of the horns and the wrath of God sent the walls tumbling down.
Circumcision Angst: In chapter 5, God has His people Israel circumcise those who have been born in the wilderness after they have crossed the Jordan into Gilgal, which is where they camped until everyone that was circumcised was healed. Fortunately in that circumstance, the angst part of it was averted.
Civil War: The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the eastern half of Manasseh almost bring the rest of their nation into this when they built an altar beside the Jordan River, until they explain that the purpose of the altar is to remind the people on the west side of the Jordan that the people on the east side are also God's people and will worship at the same altar that is in the place God had chosen. The other tribes seemed satisfied with the explanation and ceased from going to war with their brothers over the altar, calling it Witness.
Curse:
- In Joshua chapter 6, after Jericho is sacked, Joshua pronounces a curse on whoever rebuilds the city, saying that he will lose his firstborn with the foundations and his youngest child at the setting up of its gates. This came true during during the time of King Ahab in 1st Kings.
- In Joshua chapter 9, Joshua cursed the Gibeonites to be servants to the people of Israel when the Gibeonites deceived the Israelites into believing that they came from a far-off country and were only discovered to be living in the land of Canaan as neighbors after the Israelites made a pact with them before the Lord.
Cursed Item: Joshua after the Israelite sacking of Jericho pronounces all items in the city cursed except for the gold and silver and other precious items. Achan, out of his own personal greed, pays no attention to the curse and takes a Babylonian garment from the ruins of the city, and thus plagues the camp of Israel with a curse that is only lifted when Achan, his whole family, and all that he owned were put to death and buried in the Valley of Achor.
Cue the Sun: Joshua commands "Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon, O moon, in the Valley of Aijalon!" so that his troops will have enough light to finish their battle.
Death from Above: In chapter 10, God helps the Israelites who were at war with the armies of the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon by casting down hailstones on the enemy armies so that more died by hailstones than by the Israelites' hands.
Defensive Feint Trap: The Israelites used this tactic to capture the city of Ai. Joshua divided his army into two groups, sending one of them under the cover of night to lay an ambush west of the city, while the main force approached from the east. When the army of Ai rushed out to attack them, the Israelites retreated, luring the enemy soldiers out of the city so that the troops lying in wait could rush in and set fire to the city — whereupon the retreating soldiers turned to the offense, trapping the enemy in a pincer movement. (This was made more convincing by the fact that the Israelites' previous attack on Ai had been a real retreat.)
Dressing Down: The Gibeonites disguise themselves in rags and worn sandals, carrying cracked wineskins and moldy bread to convince the Israelites that they came from far away before entering a treaty with them. The Israelites were not happy when they learned that they'd been tricked, but the Gibeonites pointed out that God had instructed them to empty the land of people, and they had already heard of their military victories, and so they'd pressed for peace.
Dungeon Bypass: Rather than try to get through the heavily defended and fortified walls of the city of Jericho, Joshua and the Israelites paraded around the city for days before blowing their trumpets. This caused the walls to crumble completely. With the divine help of God.
Eye Scream: Joshua warned that if the Israelites clung to the remnant of the nations God had driven out, and made marriages with them, then those nations would figuratively be (among other things) thorns in their eyes.
Fighting for a Homeland: God has Joshua lead the Israelites into the land to conquer it and exterminate all its people, though they ended up making a pact with the Gibeonites not to kill them due to their deception.
Final Speech: Joshua in chapter 24 gives one to the people of Israel, encouraging them to serve the Lord faithfully, before he dies.
God Was My Copilot: God (or a messenger thereof) shows up to help Joshua take down the city of Jericho.
Greed: This got the better of Achan in Joshua chapter 7 when he covets after a Babylonian garment along with some silver and gold from the ruins of Jericho. This plagued the whole camp of Israel, causing them to be defeated before their enemies until Achan along with his whole family and everything he owned was burned in the Valley of Achor.
Heroic BSoD: After Joshua's failed attack on Ai. Until God gives him a Quit Your Whining statement and tells him there's sin in the camp of Israel that needs to be dealt with.
Holy Ground: Prior to the attack on Jericho, Joshua is visited by the Captain of the Lord's Host, and is also told to remove his shoes because he is standing on holy ground.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Rahab. She sheltered the Israeli Spies in her home, helping them to take the city of Jericho.
Lottery of Doom: How the Israelites found out Achan had taken stuff from Jericho. Joshua called all the congregation of Israel together at the instruction of the Lord, and the Lord called out the tribe of Judah, then He called out of family of the Zarhites, then the household of Zabdi, then man by man called out Achan.
Loud of War: The walls of Jericho fall when the Israelites all shout (at God's direction).
Magic Music: The walls of Jericho fall after the Israelites spend seven days marching around the city, blasting trumpets and shouting in turn.
Musical Assassin: God told the Israelites to march around the walls of Jericho, and shout and sound trumpets on the seventh day. On the seventh day, the walls were breached.
Off with His Head!: Joshua decapitates a group of Canaanite kings he has defeated and captured.
The Power of Rock: Joshua and the Israelites defeated the people of Jericho with music.
Quit Your Whining: In chapter 7, Achan stole some cursed things devoted to destruction, and it ended up plaguing all the camp of Israel. When Joshua set his sights on conquering Ai and he sends a small contingent to deal with them, Ai responded by sending the contingent running, killing at least thirty-six of their men, causing the camp of Israel to mourn, and making Joshua whine to the Lord that they would be better off on the other side of the Jordan than trying to capture the land of Canaan if that's how they're going to be dealt with. The Lord ends up saying, "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?", telling them that Israel has sinned by stealing stuff that was devoted to destruction and that it must be dealt with or else the Lord will not continue to help them conquer the land.
Redemption Earns Life: Rahab was a prostitute living in the city of Jericho at the time that the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, were coming in to conquer it. Joshua sent spies ahead to scout it out; they found refuge in Rahab's house, even though she knew what they were up to. (Joshua 2) Because of this, Rahab (and her family) was spared during the eventual judgement.
Take a Third Option: Joshua meets a stranger after prayer. He demands to know whether the stranger is an enemy or an ally. The stranger replies: "Neither, I'm here to command you." Joshua realizes Who he's talking to.
Take Up My Sword: Opens with God telling Joshua that his mentor, Moses, has died, and he must take over as leader of the Israelites.
Talking Is a Free Action: Joshua needed the Israelites to shout when the trumpets were blown on the seventh lap around Jericho. So when the moment comes, he tells them to shout...and then proceeds to keep talking for three more verses. The next verse, however, says that the people shouted as soon as they heard the trumpets.
This Bed of Rose's: In the second chapter, the prostitute Rahab houses and protects two spies sent by Joshua.
Time Stands Still: In Joshua chapter 10, God caused time to stand still for a full day (though without freezing anything else besides the sun and the moon) so that the Israelites could have the victory over the Amorites.
Token Enemy Minority: Rahab and her family are the only people in Jericho spared from the Israelites' takeover, because she aided their spies.
Would Be Rude to Say "Genocide": The conquest of Canaan. The book more or less explicitly states that with a few exceptions, the Israelites systematically exterminated the population (including civilians, children, and livestock) of the country and did so righteously. Every tribe behaved back then like that.
You Will Be Spared: A heroic example - Rahab is told that she and her family will be spared after hiding the Hebrew spies from the soldiers of Jericho, but only if they were in Rahab's dwelling at the time of the attack.

Literature / Book of Joshua

Structure of the Book of Joshua

This book contains the following tropes:

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Structure of the Book of Joshua

This book contains the following tropes:

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