The joshua--book-of tag has no wiki summary.
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Why did it take so long to conquer and divide the land?
We learn that Yehoshua took 7 years to conquer the land and another 7 to divide it. Why did both of these take so long?
Conquest (at least from the details of the description in the text) took at ...
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1answer
43 views
Difference between the spoils in Yericho and Ai
Why by the plunder of Yericho (Yehoshua chapter 6) the Jews were forbidden to take anything, but by Ai they were commanded to take the spoils (Yehoshua 8:6)?
Any insight would be appreciated.
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1answer
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Why were the Israelites not circumcised in the desert?
Genesis 21:4 (JPS) And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Starting with Abraham, the Israelite men were circumcised and a boy at the eighth ...
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1answer
45 views
Was Pinchas born in Egypt?
I'm a little confused about the chronology of the Biblical giants Caleb and Pinchas. Caleb appears to have been part of the Exodus generation, and with Joshua, their defense of the Land of Israel ...
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2answers
104 views
“But Rahab the harlot … dwelt in the midst of Israel, unto this day”
This is from Yehoshua' 6:25.
Assuming she was a harlot and not, as some suggest, an innkeeper, what exactly does this mean? Did she convert? Did her conversion remove the stain of being a harlot from ...
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1answer
59 views
Did the Jews at Jericho stay silent for seven full days?
Joshua 6:1-27 says Joshua commanded the Jewish people to circle Jericho for seven days and to "not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I ...
3
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1answer
55 views
How did the 2 spies which Yehoshua sent have authority to save Rachav and family
Devarim 20:16 reads:
טז. רַק מֵעָרֵי הָעַמִּים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ
נַחֲלָה לֹא תְחַיֶּה כָּל נְשָׁמָה׃
However, of these peoples' cities, which the Lord, your God, ...
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3answers
336 views
What is the “book of the law” mentioned in Joshua 1?
Specifically, Joshua 1:8:
Joshua 1:8 (JPS)
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do ...
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2answers
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Why did Moses send spies who were leaders?
In Shelach Lecha, Moses, at the behest of the people, sends out twelve high ranking people to spy on Canaan. As we know, this wasn't such a success.
Thirty-nine years later, Yehoshua (Joshua ch. 2) ...
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1answer
136 views
Song of the 5 Kings?
In Joshua 12:9-24 there is Joshua's famous song of triumph over the 31 Kings of the Land of Canaan which he conquered. The song (and it is a song per the Talmud Megillah 16b) is structured in two ...
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5answers
254 views
Does Joshua 8:34-35 disprove oral law's existence?
I was reading about Karaite Judaism and it lists a number of reasons, some which I thought were compelling, for rejecting the Oral Law.
For example,
Joshua 8, 34–8, 35 states:
After that, he ...
4
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2answers
80 views
Was Rachav really just a shopkeeper?
Yehoshua 2:1:
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן מִן הַשִּׁטִּים שְׁנַיִם אֲנָשִׁים מְרַגְּלִים חֶרֶשׁ לֵאמֹר לְכוּ רְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת יְרִיחוֹ וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ בֵּית אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה ...
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1answer
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New date at sunset: question on Sifse Chachamim
Avoda Zara 25 cites a difference of opinion as to how long the sun stood still for Y'hoshua: twelve hours, twenty-four, or thirty-six. According to those who say twelve or thirty-six, the sun finally ...
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cities that start with ה־
There are a good number of cities referred to in Y'hoshua, of course, and a sizable percentage (I'm guesstimating about 5%) of them start with ה־ (most famously הָעַי, I think).What ...
3
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1answer
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The list of Binyamin's cities
When Y'hoshua 15:21–62 lists the cities of Y'huda, it does so by area/topography. M'tzudas David to 15:37 says that "everywhere it counts some separately and others separately", it does so by area or ...
