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Preparation
Shittim (Abel-shittim)
Possibly Tell Abu el-Kharaz or Tell el-Hammam near the Jordan Valley in Moab; identification debated
Josh 1:1-2:24; cf. Num 25:1; 33:49; Mic 6:5
Duration
Days to weeks before the crossing
Territory claimed
None yet; intelligence gathered; protection agreement with Rahab's household
Companions
Joshua; Caleb; Eleazar the priest; the tribal officers; two unnamed spies
Population (est.)
601,730 fighting men plus women and children (second generation; Num 26 census)
Peoples encountered
Rahab (Canaanite prostitute of Jericho); no Canaanite army encountered
Military outcome
Intelligence mission only; no battle; protection covenant made with Rahab through the scarlet cord
Israel's faithfulness
Obedience — Joshua and the officers comply immediately with YHWH's commission; the eastern tribes affirm their military obligation; the spies make a binding covenant with Rahab
Key Events
YHWH commissions Joshua — 'Be strong and courageous' (Josh 1:6-9); Joshua commands the officers to prepare provisions for 3 days; the eastern tribes (Reuben, Gad, half-Manasseh) affirm their commitment to cross with Israel; two spies sent to Jericho; Rahab hides them and declares her faith in YHWH — 'YHWH your God is God in heaven above and on earth below' (Josh 2:11); the scarlet cord agreed as signal; spies report that all the inhabitants are terrified of Israel (Josh 2:24)
What God Did Here
YHWH commissions Joshua directly (Josh 1:1-9); the promise that no enemy will be able to stand against him (Josh 1:5); Rahab's confession (Josh 2:11) is itself a divine testimony — YHWH's reputation has preceded Israel
Significance to Joshua
The book opens with a divine commissioning that deliberately echoes Moses (Josh 1:1-9 echoes Deut 31); YHWH's mandate — 'every place where you set your foot' — inaugurates the conquest; Rahab the Canaanite prostitute is the paradigm of faith from outside Israel; her confession mirrors the Shema; she is incorporated into Israel and appears in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:5); the fear of the Canaanites fulfills YHWH's promise in Exod 23:27
Scholarly Notes
Hess (Joshua, TOTC, 1996, 73-76) and Howard (Joshua, NAC, 1998, 73-90) analyze the Rahab narrative. The Rahab account is cited as an example of faith in Heb 11:31 and Jas 2:25. Woudstra (Joshua, NICOT, 1981, 67-80) studies the parallel commissioning of Joshua to the commissioning of Moses. Tell el-Hammam (Tall el-Hammam) has been proposed as the site but remains contested.