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Introduction to Joshua
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA
The
Jews distinguish the prophets into former and latter; the first of the former
prophets is Joshua
or Sepher Joshua
the book of Joshua
as it is commonly
called in the Hebrew copies; the Syriac inscription is
"the
book of Joshua
the son of Nun
the disciple of Moses:'
in
the Arabic version it is reckoned a book of the judges
which adds
"the
first among the judges of the children of Israel was Joshua
the son of Nun
the twenty eighth from Adam
who reigned over Israel after the Prophet Moses.'
This
book bears the name of Joshua
either because it is concerning him
his actions
and exploits in the land of Canaan
or because it was written by him
or both;
though some ascribe it to Ezra
and others to Isaiah; but it must have been
written before the times of Ahab
as appears from 1 Kings 16:34; and
even before the times of David
as is clear from Joshua 15:63
compared with 2 Samuel 5:6; for
though mention is made in it of the mountains of Judah and of Israel
from
whence some have concluded
that the writer must have lived after the times of
Rehoboam
in whose days the kingdom was divided; yet we find the distinction of
Israel and Judah took place before
even in the times of David and Asaph
Psalm 76:1; It is
most likely that this book was written by Joshua himself
as the Jews in their
TalmudF1T. Bab. Bava Bathra
fol. 14. 2. assert; and
indeed
who
more fit for it than himself? and if written or put together by another
it is
most probable that it was taken out of his diary
annals
or memoirs; and
though there are some things recorded in it
which were done after his death
these might be inserted under a divine direction and influence by Eleazar
or
Phinehas
or Samuel
to each of whom some ascribe the writing of this book
just as Joshua is supposed to add some verses concerning Moses at the end of
the Pentateuch: however
be it wrote by whom it may
there is no doubt to be
made of the divine inspiration and authenticity of it by us Christians
since
some histories recorded in it are taken from it
or referred to
in Hebrews 11:30; and
the promise made to Joshua is quoted
and applied to every believer
Hebrews 13:5; and
the Apostle James refers to the case of Rahab
her character and conduct in it
James 2:25. The
subject matter of this book is Joshua's taking upon him the government of the
children of Israel
after the death of Moses
by a divine commission
exhortation
and encouragement given him to engage in war with the Canaanites;
his conquests of them
the division of the land of Canaan to the children of
Israel
and their settlement in it. It is of great use not only to give us the
geography of the land of Canaan
and the history of the church of God
from the
death of Moses to the times of the judges; but shows the exact fulfilment of
prophecy
and the faithfulness of God to his promises in giving the land of
Canaan to Israel
according to those made to their fathers
and the justice of
God in punishing the Canaanites for their abominable sins
as had been
foretold; and the wonderful care
of God
and his love to the people of Israel
in preserving and protecting them
and in settling them in such a good land
notwithstanding all their murmurings
ingratitude
and unbelief
in the
wilderness; and may serve to lead us to Christ
whose type Joshua was in the
whole affair here related: his name has the signification of the salvation of
the Lord in and he is by the Greek writers
and so in the New Testament
called
Jesus
a Saviour
Acts 7:45
Hebrews 4:8; and as
they agree in their name
so they do in their state
condition
and character;
Joshua was a servant of Moses
Christ was made under the law
and became
subject to it
both moral and ceremonial; and also in their office
Joshua was
the governor of Israel
and the commander of their forces
for which he was
well qualified with wisdom
courage
and integrity; Christ is King of saints
the Leader and Commander of the people
who has fought their battles for them
being abundantly qualified
having the spirit of wisdom
counsel
might
and of
the fear of the Lord
resting on him. Joshua was a type of Christ in various
actions of his; in leading the people through the river Jordan
an emblem
either of baptism
or of afflictions
or of death itself
in which Christ is
with his people
and carries them through; in saving Rahab and her family
so
Christ saves the worst and chief of sinners; in receiving the Gibeonites
who
submitted to him
as Christ does all that come to him; in his conquest of the
several kings of the Canaanites
so Christ has conquered all the spiritual
enemies of his people
sin
Satan
and the world; in bringing and settling the
people of Israel in the land of Canaan
their rest
and dividing it to them by
lot
which Moses might not do; so Christ only brings souls into the true rest
into spiritual rest here
and eternal rest hereafter; in whom they obtain the
inheritance of the heavenly glory by lot
and by whom only they enjoy salvation
and eternal life
and not by the works of the law. This book contains an history
of Joshua
of his government
his acts and deeds
from the death of Moses to
his own; how long that was is not certain; the Jewish chronologersF2Ganz.
Tzemach David
par. 1. fol. 7. 2. observe
that the time of his principality we
find not in the text; though theyF3Seder Olam Rabba
c. 12. p. 33.
Juchasin
fol. 10. 1. say he succeeded Moses when he was eighty two years of
age
and governed Israel twenty eight years; EupolemusF4Apud Euseb.
Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30.
an Heathen writer
says thirty years.
Christian writers commonly make his reign to be twenty seven yearsF5Tertullian
Lactantius
Eusebius
Augustin. apud Hottinger. Thesaur. Philolog. l. 2. c. 1.
sect. 2. p. 960. so Ben Gersom in Jud. 11. 26. &
Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. p. 25. ; but an Arabic writerF6Elmacinus
apud Hottinger. p. 524. stretches it further to thirty one years; he says
he
took the government of the people in the seventy ninth year of his age
and
reigned thirty one; but it seems more probable that he was ninety three years
of age when Moses died
who lived to be an hundred ten
so that only seventeen
years intervened between the death of the one and of the other; seven years
Joshua was in subduing the land
and ten years more were taken up in dividing
it to the people
and settling them in it
and in the government of them; after
which Eleazar might rule ten years more
whose death is mentioned in it; so
indeed the book may be reckoned an history of twenty seven years
though Joshua
lived only seventeen of them. The Chronicle
to which the Samaritans give the
name of the book of Joshua
is a spurious work; an epitome of which HottingerF7Ad
Calcem Exercitat. Antimorin. has compiled
and translated out of the Arabic
exemplar into Latin.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
Commentator
John Gill (November 23
1697-October 14
1771) was an English Baptist
a biblical scholar
and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering
Northamptonshire.
In his youth
he attended Kettering Grammar School
mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve
Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor
William Wallis
on the text
"And the Lord called
unto Adam
and said unto him
where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel
Horsleydown
Southwark in 1719. In 1757
his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane
St. Olave's Street
Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748
Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist
which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself
which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
New King James Version Bible
NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars
church leaders
and lay Christians
worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and grammar of
the King James Version
while preserving the classic style of the of the 1611
version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order
grammar
vocabulary
and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou"
"thee"
"ye
" "thy
" and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example
"speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young
who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House
Grand Rapids
Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.