Joshua 13-24, Volume 7B: Second Edition

by Trent C. Butler, Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford (Editor), Peter H. Davids (Editor)

Overview

Trent C. Butler's excellent commentary on Joshua is updated and revised. This new edition takes into account the most recent scholarly work on the book of Joshua. The commentary includes Butler's translation of the text, explanatory notes, and commentary to help any professor, student, or pastor with research and writing.

Features include:

-solid biblical scholarship for teachers, pastors, and students

-updated bibliography commentary for deeper study

-thorough coverage of the biblical languages

-close analysis of ancient manuscripts of Joshua

The Word Biblical Commentary series offers the best in critical scholarship firmly committed to the authority of Scripture as divine revelation. It is perfect for scholars, students of the Bible, ministers, and anyone who wants a theological understanding of Scripture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310520122
Publisher:	Zondervan Academic
Publication date:	11/25/2014
Series:	Word Biblical Commentary
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Trent C. Butler is a freelance author and editor. He served ten years on the faculty of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Rüschilkon, Switzerland, and for twenty-two years as editor and editorial director for Holman Bible Publishers and Life Way. He wrote the Word Biblical Commentary volume on Joshua, the Layman’s Bible Book Commentary on Isaiah, the Holman Old Testament Commentaries on Isaiah and Hosea through Micah, and the Holman New Testament Commentary on Luke. He served on the editorial Board of the Holman Christian Standard Bible, and edited the Holman Bible Dictionary. Dr. Butler has a Ph.D. in biblical studies and linguistics from Vanderbilt University, has done further study at Heidelberg and Zurich, and has participated in the excavation of Beersheba.

Nancy L. de Claissé-Walford (Ph D, Baylor University) is the Carolyn Ward Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages at the Mc Afee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of Reading from the Beginning: The Shaping of the Hebrew Psalter, Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Textbook, Introduction to the Psalms: A Song from Ancient Israel, and The Book of Psalms (NICOT).

Peter H. Davids (Ph D, University of Manchester) is visiting professor in Christianity at Houston Baptist University and visiting professor of Bible and applied theology Houston Graduate School of Theology. He is author of numerous books, including Reading Jude with New Eyes, The Epistle of James (NIGTC), The Epistle of 1 Peter (NICNT), James (NIBC), and A Biblical Theology of James, Peter, and Jude. He coedited with Ralph P. Martin The Dictionary of the Latter New Testament and Its Developments.

Read an Excerpt

Joshua 13-24, Volume 7B

Word Biblical Commentary

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By Trent C. Butler, Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, Peter H. Davids

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2014 Trent C. Butler
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-52012-2

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CHAPTER 1

II. God's Geographical Guidance (13:1–19:51)

Bibliography

Aharoni, Y.The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979. _______. "The Province List of Judah." VT 9 (1959) 225–46. _______. The Settlement of the Israelite Tribes in Upper Galilee (Heb.). Jerusalem, 1957. Ahituv, A. "Land and Justice." In Justice and Righteousness: Biblical Themes and Their Influence. Ed. H. G. Reventlow and Y. Hoffman. JSOTSup 137. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1992. 11–28. Alt, A. "Israels Gaue unter Salomo." In Alttestamentliche Studien: Rudolf Kittel zum 60. Geburtstag. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1913. 1–19. _______. "Judas Gaue unter Josia." PJ 21 (1925) 100–116. Reprinted in Kleine Schriften zur Geschichten des Volkes Israel, vol. 2 (Munich: Beck, 1953) 276–88. _______. "Das System der Stammesgrenzen im Buche Josua." In Beiträge zur Religionsgeschichte und Archaeologie Palästinas. Leipzig: Deichert, 1927. 13–24. Reprinted in Kleine Schriften zur Geschichten des Volkes Israel. Vol. 1. Munich: Beck, 1953. 193–202. "Die Landnahme der Israeliten in Palätina." Reformationsprogramm der Universität Leipzig (1935). Translated in Essays on Old Testament History and Religion by R. A. Wilson as "The Settlement of the Israelites in Palestine." London: Blackwell, 1966. 135–69. Assis, E. "How Long Are You Slack to Go to Possess the Land (Jos 18:3): Ideal and Reality in the Distribution Descriptions in Joshua 13–19." VT 53 (2003) 1–25. Bächli, O. "Von der Liste zur Beschreibung: Beobachtungen und Erwägungen zu Jos. 13–19." ZDPV 89 (1973) 1–14. Baldi, D. "La Terra Promessa nel Programma di Giosue." In SBFLA 1 (1950–1951) 87–106. Blenkinsopp, J. "The Structure of P." CBQ 38 (1976) 275–92. Boer, R.Tracking the Tribes of Yahweh: On the Trail of a Classic. JSOTSup 351. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 2002. Buhl, F. "Textkritische Bemerkungen zu Jos 13:4–5." MNDPV 1 (1895) 53–55. Coogan, M. D. "Archaeology and Biblical Studies: The Book of Joshua." In The Hebrew Bible and Its Interpreters. Ed. W. H. Propp, B. Halpern, and D. N. Freedman. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990. 19–32. Cortese, E. "Giosuè 13–19 e l'antica geografia delle tribù." RivB 33 (1985) 345–50. _______. Josua 13–21: Ein priesterschriftlicher Abschnitt im deuteronomistischen Geschichtswerk. OBO 94. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1990. Cross, F. M., and G. E. Wright. "The Boundary and Province Lists of the Kingdom of Judah." JBL 75 (1956) 202–26. Curtis, A. H. W. "Joshua: Historical Mapping." In Ancient and Modern Scriptural Historiography/L'historiographie biblique, ancienne et moderne. Ed. G. T. Brooke and T. Römer. BETL 207. Leuven: Leuven UP, 2007. 99–108. Eissfeldt, O.The Old Testament: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell, 1965. Elliger, K. "Die Grenze zwischen Ephraim und Manasse." ZDPV 53 (1930) 265–309. _______. "Tribes, Territories of." IDB, 4:701–10. Finkelstein, I.The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1988. Gass, E.Die Moabiter—Geschichte und Kultur eines ostjordanischen Volkes im 1. Jahrtausend v. Chr. ADPV 38. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2009. Geus, C. H. J. de.The Tribes of Israel: An Investigation into Some of the Presuppositions of Martin Noth's Amphictyony Hypothesis. SSN 18. Assen: Van Gorcum, 1976. 70–83. Gottwald, N. K.The Tribes of Yahweh. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1979. Heidet, L. "Notes de géographie biblique: Les royaumes de Juda et des dix tribus: La ligne intermédiaire de démarcation." Bib 7 (1926) 83–87. Hess, R. S. "Asking Historical Questions of Joshua 13–19: Recent Discussion concerning the Date of the Boundary Lists." In Faith, Tradition, and History. Ed. A. Millard et al. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1994. 191–205. _______. "Late Bronze Age and Biblical Boundary Descriptions of the West Semitic World." In Ugarit and the Bible: Proceedings of the International Symposium of Ugarit and the Bible, Manchester, September 1992. Ed. G. J. Brooke. Münster: Ugarit Verlag, 1994. 123–38. _______. "A Typology of West-Semitic Place Name Lists with Special Reference to Joshua 13–21." BA 59 (1996) 160–70. Hölscher, G.Geschichtsschreibung in Israel. Lund: Gleerup, 1952. 345–49. Ibáñez Arana, A. "Los marcos redaccionales de Jos 13–19." Salm 28 (1981) 71–95. Kallai, Z. "The Allotments of the Tribes of Israel and Their Boundaries." Diss., Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1962 (Heb.). _______. "The Boundaries of Canaan and the Land of Israel in the Bible: Territorial Patterns in Biblical Historiography." In Biblical Historiography and Historical Geography: Collection of Studies. BEATAJ 44. Frankfurt: Lang, 1988. 121–35. _______. "Territorial Patterns, Biblical Historiography and Scribal Traditions—A Programmatic Survey." ZAW 93 (1981) 427–32. Kallai-Kleinmann, Z. "Biblical Historiography and Literary History: a Programmatic Survey." VT 49 (1999) 338–50. _______. "Note on the Town Lists of Judah, Simeon, Benjamin and Dan." VT 11 (1961) 223–27. _______. "The Town Lists of Judah, Simeon, Benjamin and Dan." VT 8 (1958) 134–60. _______. The Tribes of Israel: A Study in the Historical Geography of the Bible (Heb.). Jerusalem, 1967. _______. "Tribes, Territories of." IDBSup, 920–23. Kellermann, D. "?Aštarot—?Ašt[??]rot Qarnayim—Qarnayim: Historisch-geographische Erwägungen zu Orten in nördlichen Ostjordanland." ZDPV 97 (1981) 45–61. _______. "Überlieferungsprobleme: Alttestamentlicher Ortsnamen." VT 28 (1978) 423–32. Kellermann, D., S. Mittmann et al.Palästina: Siedlungen der Eisenzeit. TAVO B.4.6. Wiesbaden, 1992. Kitz, A. M. "The Hebrew Terminology of Lot Casting and Its Ancient Near Eastern Context." CBQ 62 (2000) 207–14. _______. "Undivided Inheritance and Lot Casting in the Book of Joshua." JBL 119 (2000) 601–18. Koizumi, T. "On the List of the Former Inhabitants Whom the Israelites Did Not Drive out in the Books Judges and Joshua." In Festschrift M. Sekine. Tokyo, 1972. 162–95. Kuschke, A. "Historisch-topographische Beiträge zum Buch Josua." In Gottes Wort und Gottes Land. Ed. H. G. Reventlow. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1965. 90–109. _______. "Kleine Beiträge zur Siedlungsgeschichte der Stämme Asser und Juda." HTR 64 (1972) 291–313. Lissovsky, N., and N. Na'aman. "A New Outlook at the Boundary System of the Twelve Tribes." UF 35 (2003) 291–332. Lohfink, N. "Die Priesterschrift und die Geshichte." In Congress Volume: Göttingen 1977. VTSup 29. Leiden: Brill, 1978. 189–225. Mayes, A. D. H.Israel in the Period of the Judges. London: SCM Press, 1974. 67–73, 128–30. Mazar, B. (= Maisler, B.) "Geshur and Maacah." JBL 80 (1961) 16–28. _______. Untersuchungen zur alten Geschichte und ethnographie Syriens und Palästinas. Giessen: Töpelmann, 1930. 59–67. Merling, D., Sr.The Book of Joshua: Its Theme and Role in Archaeological Discussions. Andrews University Doctoral Dissertation Series 23. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews UP, 1997. Mitchell, G.Together in the Land. JSOTSup 134. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1993. Mittmann, S.Beiträge zur Siedlungs- und Territorialgeschichte des nördlichen Ostjordanlandes. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1970. 208–46. Mowinckel, S.Tetrateuch, Pentateuch, Hexateuch. BZAW 90. Berlin: Töpelmann, 1964. 51–76. _______. Zur Frage nach dokumentarischen Quellen in Josua 13–19. Oslo: Dybwad, 1946. Na'aman, N.Borders and Districts in Biblical Historiography. JBS 4. Jerusalem: Simor, 1986. _______. "The District System of Israel in the Time of the United Monarchy." Zion 48 (1983) 1–20 (Heb.). _______. "The Inheritances of the Cis-Jordanian Tribes of Israel and the 'Land That Yet Remaineth.'" ErIsr 16 (1982) 152–58, 257 (Heb.). _______. "Late Bronze Age Canaanite City States and the Israelite Tribes' Allotment." Tarbiz 55 (1985–1986) 463–88 (Heb.). Nagah, R. "Notes and Clarifications to the Lists in Joshua 13–19." BMik 26 (1981) 282–85 (Heb.). Noort, E.Das Buch Josua: Forschungsgeschichte und Problemfelder. EdF 292. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1998. North, R. "Israel's Tribes and Today's Frontier." CBQ 16 (1954) 146–53. Noth, M. "Beiträge zur Geschichte des Ostjordanlandes: 1. Das Land Gilead als Siedlungsgebiet israelitischer Sippen." PJ 37 (1941) 50–101. Reprinted in Aufsätze zur biblischen Landes- und Altertumskunde. Vol. 1. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1971. 347–90. _______. "Israelitische Stämme zwischen Ammon und Moab: Beiträge zur Geschichte des Ostjordanlandes. II." ZAW 60 (1944) 11–57. Reprinted in Aufsätze zur biblischen Landes- und Altertumskunde. Vol. 1. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1971. 391–453. _______. "Studien zu den historisch-geographischen Dokumenten des Josuabuches." ZDPV 58 (1935) 185–255. Reprinted in Aufsätze zur biblischen Landes- und Altertumskunde. Vol. 1. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1971. 229–80. _______. Überlieferungsgeschichtliche Studien. Tübingen: Niemeyer, 1943. 45–47. _______. "Überlieferungsgeschichtliches zur zweiten Hälfte des Josuabuches." In Alttestamentliche Studien Fr. Nötscher zum 60. Geburtstag. Ed. H. Junker and J. Botterweck. BBB 1. Bonn: Hanstein, 1950. 152–67. Ottosson, M. "Tradition and History with Emphasis on the Composition of the Book of Joshua." In The Productions of Time: Tradition History in Old Testament Scholarship. Ed. K. Jeppesen and B. Otzen. Sheffield: Almond, 1984. 81–106, 141–43. Petersen,J. "Priestly Materials in Joshua 13–22: A Return to the Hexateuch?" HAR 4 (1980) 131–45. Rogerson, J. W. "Frontiers and Borders in the Old Testament." In In Search of True Wisdom. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1999. 116–26. Rösel, H. N. "Lässt sich eine nomistische Redaktion im Buch Josua feststellen?" ZAW 119 (2007) 184–89. Rudolph, W.Der 'Elohist' von Exodus bis Josua. BZAW 68. Berlin: Töpelmann, 1938. 237–38. Saebø, M. "Grenzbeschreibung und Landideal in Alten Testament: Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der min-'ad-Formel." ZDPV 90 (1974) 14–37. Schmitt, G.Du sollst keinen Frieden schliessen mit den Bewohnern des Landes. BWANT 91. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1970. 81–120. Schunck, K.-D.Benjamin. BZAW 86. Berlin: Töpelmann, 1963. 142–67. Seleznev, M. G. "The Origin of the Tribal Boundaries in Joshua: Administrative Documents or Sacral Geography?" In Memoriae Igor M. Diakonoff. Ed. L. Kogan, N. V. Koslova, S. Loesov, and S. Tishchenko. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2005. 330–61. Simons, J.The Geographical and Topographical Texts of the Old Testament. Leiden: Brill, 1959. 109–207. _______. "The Structure and Interpretation of Joshua XVI–XVII." In Orientalia Neerlandica. Leiden: Sijthoff, 1948. 190–215. Smend, R. "Das uneroberte Land." In Zur ältesten Geschichte Israels. Vol. 2 of Gesammelte Studien. BEvT 100. Munich: Kaiser, 1987. 217–28. Steuernagel, C.Deuteronomium und Josua: Und allgemeine Einleitung in den Hexateuch. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1900. Stone, L. G. "From Real to Reel: Cultural Conflict in History and Tradition in the Formation of Joshua-Judges." Paper read for the SBL Joshua-Judges Consultation, November 2010. Svensson, J.Towns and Toponyms in the Old Testament: With Special Emphasis on Joshua 14–21. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1994. Täubler, E.Biblische Studien: Die Epoche der Richter. Tübingen: Mohr (Siebeck), 1958. Tengström, S.Die Hexateucherzählung. Lund: Gleerup, 1976. 73–78. Vaux, R. de.Histoire ancienne d'Israel. Vol. 2. Paris: Gabalda, 1973. 46–48. Translated as The Early History of Israel, trans. D. Smith. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1978. 727–30. Vos, J. C. de. "'Holy Land' in Joshua 18, 1–10." In The Land of Israel in Bible, History, and Theology: Studies in Honour of Ed Noort. Ed. J. van Ruiten and J. C. de Vos. VTSup 124. Leiden: Brill, 2009. 61–72. Wazana, N.All the Boundaries of the Land: The Promised Land in Biblical Thought in Light of the Ancient Near East (Heb.). Jerusalem: Balik Institute, 2007. Weinfeld, M. "The Extent of the Promised Land: The Status of Transjordan." In Das Land Israel in biblischer Zeit. GTA 25. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1983. 59–75. _______. "Historical Facts behind the Israelite Settlement Pattern." VT 38 (1988) 324–32. _______. "The Pattern of the Israelite Settlement in Canaan." In Congress Volume: Jerusalem, 1986. Ed. J. A. Emerton. VTSup 40. Leiden: Brill, 1988. 279–83. Weippert, H. "Das geographische System der Stämme Israels." VT 23 (1973) 76–89. Wellhausen, J.Die Composition des Hexateuchs und der historischen Bücher des Alten Testaments. 2nd ed. Berlin: Reimer, 1889. 130–35. Wüst, M.Untersuchungen zu den siedlungsgeographischen Texten des Alten Testaments. Vol. 1, Ostjordanland. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1975. Yadin, Y. "The Fourfold Division of Judah." BASOR 163 (1961) 6–12. Yeivin, S.The Israelite Conquest of Canaan. Istanbul: Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut in her Nabije Oosten, 1971. 247–66. Younger, K. L.,Jr. "The Configuring of Judicial Preliminaries: Judges 1:1–2:5 and Its Dependence on the Book of Joshua." JSOT 68 (1995) 75–92.

Introduction

These chapters seem to promise very little theologically, at least at first glance. Who has even bothered to read through the long lists of towns and borders, much less attempted to discover geographical grounds for Christian faith? This commentary seeks to show that such seeking and sorting is worth the effort, for as Pressler comments, "Chapters 13–19 are theology in the guise of geography." Chap. 13 in particular shows striking differences from chaps. 1–12 by inserting notes of territory not possessed. These reports contribute to the complexity and depth of the teaching of the book of Joshua.

Merling adds: "The location where the Israelites settled was not so important to the biblical writers of the Book of Joshua as the mechanism—by God's power." I would modify this by stating that occupation and control of land by each of the tribes was important as a major part of the promise-of-land theme so central to the Pentateuch and to the book of Joshua. The details of borders and possession of border villages might vary or be changed during the years, but the confidence that God had given land in fulfillment of his promises remained central to the theology and identity of Israel.

The writer of Joshua has taken up the geographical traditions of the people and preserved them in a unique pattern to demonstrate precisely those points readers needed to hear. Merling thinks that Joshua's camp remaining at Gilgal (Josh 14:6) indicates "that the biblical writers assumed that Israel had not permanently possessed any land before this time." The compiler turns boundary lists into a part of the story of God's actions for his people and of the promises of God for a people who still do not live on the land. The secret lies in the leadership of a faithful servant of God, who will allocate the land and wait for God to drive out the remaining enemies (see Josh 13:6–7).

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Joshua 13-24, Volume 7B by Trent C. Butler, Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, Peter H. Davids. Copyright © 2014 Trent C. Butler. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
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Table of Contents

Contents

Editorial Preface, 7,
Author's Preface, 8,
Preface to First Edition, 15,
Abbreviations, 17,
Commentary Bibliography, 27,
Text and Commentary,
II. God's Geographical Guidance (13:1–19:51), 31,
A. Reviewing Moses' Allotments (13:1–33), 42,
Excursus: The Philistines, 72,
B. Beginning with Caleb (14:1–15), 83,
C. Judah and Joseph (15:1–17:18), 97,
D. The Shiloh Selections (18:1–19:51), 147,
III. Identifying Israel (20:1–24:33), 190,
A. Setting Up Sanctuaries (20:1–9), 190,
B. The Levitical Cities (21:1–42), 205,
C. Gifts from God's Goodness (21:43–45), 234,
D. Authority and Aim of an Altar (22:1–34), 239,
E. The Commander's Concluding Charge (23:1–16), 264,
F. Commitment to the Covenant (24:1-28), 285,
G. Faithful to the Finish (24:29-33), 333,
Scripture Index, 345,
Subject Index, 356,
Author Index, 359,