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OUTLINE OF JOSHUA

Part One: The Conquest of Canaan (1:1-13:7)

I. Israel Is Prepared for the Conquest. . . 1:1-5:15

A.  Joshua Replaces Moses     1:1-18

1.     Joshua Is Commissioned by God.... 1:1-9

Jos 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

Jos 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

2.     Joshua Commands Israel    1:10-15

a.  Joshua Commands the Tribes West of the Jordan............ 1:10, 11

Jos 1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

Jos 1:11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.

b.  Joshua Commands the Tribes East of the Jordan............ 1:12-15

Jos 1:12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,

Jos 1:13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.

3.  Joshua Is Accepted by Israel    1:16-18

Jos 1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.

B.  Joshua Prepares Israel Militarily .... 2:1-5:1

1.  Joshua Spies Canaan    2:1-24

a.  The Faith of Rahab    2:1-21

Jos 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

Jos 2:9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

b.  The Faith of the Spies    2:22-24

Jos 2:24 And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

2.  Joshua Leads Israel into Canaan................ 3:1-5:1

a.   The Miraculous Crossing of the Jordan............ 3:1-17

Jos 3:3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

Jos 3:17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

b.   The Memorial of the Crossing . . 4:1-24

Jos 4:8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

Jos 4:9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

c.   The Canaanites Fear Israel     5:1

Jos 5:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

C.  Joshua Prepares Israel Spiritually     5:2-12

1.     Circumcision Is Practiced    5:2-9

Jos 5:2 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

2.     Passover Is Celebrated    5:10, 11

Jos 5:10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

3.     From Manna to Corn    5:12

Jos 5:12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

D. The Captain of the Lord Appears . . . 5:13-15

Jos 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

Jos 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

Jos 5:15 And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

II. The Conquest of Canaan by Israel----- 6:1-13:7

A.  Conquest of Central Canaan     6:1-8:35

1.      Victory at Jericho    6:1-27

Jos 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 

Jos 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

2.      Defeat at Ai 7:1-26

Jos 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

Jos 7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

3.      Victory at Ai 8:1-29

Jos 8:1 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:

Jos 8:2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

4.      Result of the Victories    8:30-35

a.  Israel Worships the Lord    8:30, 31

Jos 8:30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

Jos 8:31 As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

b.  Israel Renews the Covenant . .. 8:32-35

Jos 8:32 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.

Jos 8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

B.  Conquest of Southern Canaan .... 9:1-10:43

1.      Failure with the Gibeonites    9:1-27

Jos 9:3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

Jos 9:6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.

Jos 9:15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

2.      Victory over the Amorites    10:1-43

Jos 10:6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

Jos 10:8 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

Jos 10:40 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.

C.  Conquest of Northern Canaan     11:1-15

Jos 11:1 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,

Jos 11:2 And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,

Jos 11:3 And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.

Jos 11:4 And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.

Jos 11:5 And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

Jos 11:6 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.

D.  Conquest of Canaan Is Summarized................... 11:16-12:24

1.  The Summary of Conquered Territory............... 11:16-23

Jos 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

2.  The Summary of Conquered Kings............... 12:1-24

a.  Kings Are Conquered by Moses 12:1-6

Jos 12:1 Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

b.  Kings Are Conquered by Joshua........... 12:7-24

Jos 12:7 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

E.  Unconquered Parts of Canaan     13:1-7

Jos 13:1 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

Part Two: The Settlement in Canaan (13:8 - 24:33)

I. The Settlement East of the Jordan......13:8-33

A.  Geographical Boundaries     13:8-13

Jos 13:13 Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.

B.   Tribal Boundaries     13:14-23

1.      Boundaries of Levi    13:14

Jos 13:14 Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them.

2.      Boundaries of Reuben    13:15-23

Jos 13:15 And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families.

3.      Boundaries of Gad    13:24-28

Jos 13:24 And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.

4.      Boundaries of the Half Tribe of Manasseh................ 13:29-33

Jos 13:29 And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families.

II. The Settlement West of the Jordan......................... 14:1-19:51

A.  The First Settlement Done at Gilgal.................... 14:1-17:18

1.  Method of Setting Tribal Boundaries............... 14:1-5

Jos 14:2 By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.

2.    Boundaries of Judah    14:6-15:63

a.    Boundaries of Caleb    14:6-15

Jos 14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.

Jos 14:13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

b.    Boundaries of the Remainder of Judah........... 15:1-63

Jos 15:1 This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast.

3.    Boundaries of the Tribes of Joseph............... 16:1-17:18

a.    Boundaries of Joseph    16:1-4

Jos 16:1 And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,

b.    Boundaries of Ephraim    16:5-10

Jos 16:5 And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper;

c.    Boundaries of the Half Tribe of Manasseh. ..17:1-18

Jos 17:1 There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.

B. The Second Settlement Done at Shiloh.................... 18:1-19:51

1.  The Remaining Tribes Move to Shiloh.............. 18:1

Jos 18:1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

2.  New Method of Setting Tribal Boundaries.............. 18:2-10

Jos 18:10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

3.      Boundaries of Benjamin    18:11-28

Jos 18:11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

4.      Boundaries of Simeon    19:1-9

Jos 19:1 And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.

5.      Boundaries of Zebulun    19:10-16

Jos 19:10 And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid:

6.      Boundaries of Issachar    19:17-23

Jos 19:17 And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families.

7.      Boundaries of Asher    19:24-31

Jos 19:24 And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

8.      Boundaries of Naphtali    19:32-39

Jos 19:32 The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.

9.      Boundaries of Dan    19:40-48

Jos 19:40 And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

10.    Boundaries of Joshua.................... 19:49-51

Jos 19:49 When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them:

III. The Settlement of the Religious Community............ 20:1-21:45

A.  Six Cities of Refuge     20:1-9

Jos 20:1 The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,

Jos 20:2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:

Jos 20:3 That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

B.  Selection of the Levitical Cities     21:1-42

1.      The Families to Be Assigned Cities 21:1-7

Jos 21:3 And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.

2.      Cities for the Kohathites    21:8-26

Jos 21:8 And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

Jos 21:9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name,

Jos 21:10 Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot.

3.      Cities for the Gershonites    21:27-33

Jos 21:27 And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities.

4.      Cities for the Merarites    21:34-42

Jos 21:34 And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,

C. The Settlement of Israel Is Completed................... 21:43-45

Jos 21:43 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

IV. The Conditions for Continued Settlement........ 22:1-24:33

A.  The Altar of Witness     22:1-34

1.   Joshua Challenges the Eastern Tribes............... 22:1-9

Jos 22:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

Jos 22:2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:

2.   Construction of the Altar    22:10

Jos 22:10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

3.    Misunderstanding of the Altar . . . 22:11-20

Jos 22:11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

4.    Explanation of the Altar    22:21-29

Jos 22:21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

Jos 22:29 God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.

5.    Celebration by the Western Tribes............... 22:30-34

Jos 22:30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.

B.  Blessings of God Come Only Through Obedience................... 23:1-24:28

1.      A Reminder from History    23:1-16

Jos 23:2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:

Jos 23:3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.

Jos 23:6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

2.      Renewal of the Covenant    24:1-28

Jos 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

Jos 24:24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

Jos 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

C.  Joshua and Eleazar Die     24:29-33

Jos 24:29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

Jos 24:33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.