CHAP. I.

OF THE WAR CARRIED ON BY JOSHUA AGAINST THE CANAANITES, AND THE SIGNAL SUCCESSES OF THE HEBREWS.

WHEN Moses had been taken from among men, in the manner already described, and when all the solemnities belonging to the mourning for him were finished, Joshua commanded the multitude to get themselves ready for an expedition. He also sent spies to Jericho,* to discover what forces they had, and what were their intentions. But he put his camp in order, as intending to pass over Jordan at a proper season. And calling to him the rulers of the tribe of Reubel, and the governors of the tribe of Gad, and the half tribe of Manas

* Josh. ii. 1. Jericho was a city of Canaan, which afterwards fell to the lot of the tribe of Benjamin, about seven leagues distant from Jerusalem, and two from Jordan. Moses calls it likewise the city of palm-trees, Deut. xxxiv. 3, because there were great numbers of them in the plains of Jericho; and not only of palm-trees, but as Josephus tells us, (Antiq. lib. 4. c. 5.) balsamtrees likewise, which produced the precious liquor in such high esteem among the ancients. The plain of Jericho was watered with a rivulet, which was formerly salt and bitter, but was afterwards sweetened by the prophet Elisha, 2 Kings ii. 21, 22; whereupon the adjacent country, which was watered by it, became not only one of the most agreeable, but most fertile spots in all that country. As to the city itself, after it was destroyed by Joshua, it was, in the days of Ahab, king of Israel, rebuilt by Hiel the Bethelite, 1 Kings xvi. 24, and in the times of the last kings of Judea, yielded to none except Jerusalem. For it was adorned with a royal palace, wherein Herod the Great died; with an hippodromus, or place where the Jewish nobility learned to ride the great horse, and other arts of chivalry, with an amphitheatre, and other magnificent buildings; but during the siege of Jerusalem, the treachery of its inhabitants provoked the Romans to destroy it. After the siege was over, there was another city built, but not upon the same place where the two former stood, for the ruins of them are seen to this day. Of what account and bigness it was we have no certain information; but some later travellers inform us, that at present it is no more than a poor nasty village of the Arabs. Well's Geog. of the Old and New Testament; and Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo. B.

seh, (for half of this tribe had been permitted to have their habitation in the country of the Amorites, which was thef seventh part of the land of Canaan;) he put them in mind what they had promised Moses, and exhorted them that for the sake of the care that Moses had taken of them, who had never been weary of taking pains for them, no not when he was dying; and for the sake of the public welfare, they would prepare themselves, and readily perform what they had promised. So he took fifty thousand of them, and marched with them, from Abila to Jordan, sixty furlongs.

When he had pitched his camp, the spiest came

†The Amorites were one of the seven nations of Canaan. Hence Reland is willing to suppose, that Josephus did not here mean that their land beyond Jordan was a seventh part of the whole land of Canaan, but meant the Amorites as a seventh nation. His reason is, that Josephus, as well as our Bible, generally distinguish the land beyond Jordan, from the land of Canaan. Nor can it be denied, that in strictness they were different. Yet after two tribes and a half of the twelve tribes came to inherit it, it might in a general way be included under the land of Canaan, Palestine, or Judea. Of which we have a clear example before us in Josephus, whose words evidently imply that, taking the whole land of Canaan, or that inhabited by all the twelve tribes together, and parting it into seven parts; the part beyond Jordan was in quantity of ground one seventh of the whole. And this agrees with Reland's map of that country. Although this land beyond Jordan was so peculiarly fruitful, and good for pasturage, as the two tribes and a half took notice, Numb. xxxii. 1, 4, 16, that it maintained about a fifth part of the whole people.

The eastern writers tell us, that these spies (whom they make to be Caleb and Phineas) were valiant and religious men, and in the prime of their youth; that to pass unobserved, they changed their habits, as if they had come from a distant country; and if any one asked them any questions, their reply was to this effect: "We are people from the east, and our companions have heard of this powerful people, who were forty years in the wilderness, without either guide or provision; and it was reported to us, that they had a God whom they called the King

to him immediately, well acquainted with the whole state of the Canaanites. For at first, before they were all discovered, they took a full view of the city of Jericho without disturbance, and saw which parts of the walls were strong, and which parts were insecure, and which of the gates were so weak as might afford an entrance to their army. Now those that met them took no notice of them when they saw them, and supposed they were only strangers, who used to be very curious in observing every thing in the city, and did not take them for enemies. At even they retired to a certain inn that was near the wall, whither they went to eat their supper, but when they had finished their repast, and were considering how to get away, information was given the king, that there were some persons come from the Hebrews' camp to view the city, as spies; and that they were in the inn kept by Rahab, and were very solicitous that they might not be discovered. So he sent immediately and commanded to catch them, and bring them to him, that he might examine them by torture, and learn what their business was there. As soon as Rahab understood that these messengers were coming, she hid the spies under stalks of flax, which were laid to dry on the top of her house, and said to the messengers that were sent by the king, that certain unknown strangers had supped with her, a little before sun-setting, and were gone away; who might easily be taken, if they were any terror to the city, or likely to bring any danger to the king. So these messengers being thus* deluded by the woman, and suspecting no imposition, went their ways, without so much as searching the inn; but they immediately pursued them along those roads which they most probably supposed them to have gone, and those particularly which led to the river; but could hear no tidings of them; so they left off any further pursuit. But when the tumult was over, Rahab

of Heaven and earth, and who (as they say) hath given them both your and our country. Our principals have therefore sent us to find out the truth hereof, and to report it to them.-We have likewise heard of their captain, whom they call Joshua, the son of Nun, who put the Amalekites to flight, who destroyed Sihon and Og, the kings of Midian and Moab. Woe therefore be to us, and you, and all that flee to us for shelter! They are a people who pity none, leave none alive, drive all out of their country, and make peace with none. We are all accounted by them infidels, profane, proud, and rebellious. Whoever of us or you, therefore, that intend to take care of themselves, let them take their families, and be gone, lest they repent of their stay, when it is too late." By this means they imposed upon the people; and, as Josephus informs us, went whither they would, and saw whatever they had a mind to, without any stop or question. They took a view of the walls, the gates, the ramparts, and passed the whole day for men of curiosity only, without any design. So that if any credit may be given to this account, it was but just that they who thus imposed upon the Canaanites, should, in the same manner, be imposed upon by the Gibeonites. Chronicon Samaritanum Arabice scriptum, page 65. B.

brought the men down, and desired them, as soon as they should have obtained possession of the land of Canaan, when it would be in their power to make her amends for her preservation of them, to remember what danger she had undergone for their sakes; for, that if she had been caught concealing them, she could not have escaped a terrible destruction, she and all her family; and so bid them go home, and desired them to swear to her, to preserve her and her family when they should take the city, and destroy all its inhabitants, as they had resolved to do. For, so far, she said, she had been assured by those divine miracles of which she had been informed. So these spies acknowledged that they owed her thanks for what she had done already, and withal swore to requite her kindness, not only in words, but in deeds; but they gave her this advice, that when she should perceive that the city was about to be taken, she should put her goods and all her family, by way of security, in her inn; and hang out scarlet threads before her doors or windows, that the commander of the Hebrews might know her house, and take care to do her no harm. "For," said they, "we will inform him of this matter, because of the concern thou hast had to preserve us; but if any of thy family fall in the battle, do not blame us; and we beseech that God by whom we have sworn, not then to be displeased with us, as though we had broken our oaths." our oaths." So these men, when they had made this agreement, went away; letting themselves down by a rope from the wall, and escaped; and came and told their own people whatsoever they had done in their journey to this city. Joshua also told Eleazar the high-priest, and the senate, what the spies had sworn to Rahab, who confirmed what had been sworn.

Now while Joshua, the commander, was in fear about their passing over Jordan, for the river ran

*It plainly appears by the history of these spies, and the innkeeper Rahab's deception of the king of, Jericho's messengers, by telling them what was false, in order to save the lives of the spies, and yet the great commendation of her faith and good works in the New Testament, Heb. xi. 32. Jam. ii. 25, as well as by many other parallel examples, both in the Old Testament and in Josephus, that the best men did not then scruple to deceive those public enemies, who might justly be destroyed; as also to deceive ill men, in order to save life, and deliver themselves from the tyranny of their unjust oppressors; and this by telling direct falsehoods. I mean all this where no oath was demanded of them; otherwise they never durst venture on such a procedure. Nor was Josephus himself of any other opinion or practice; as I shall remark in the note on Antiq. IX. 4, 3. And observe, that I still call this woman Rahab an innkeeper, not a harlot; the whole history, both in our other copies, and especially in Josephus, implying no more. It was indeed so frequent a thing that women, who were innkeepers, were also harlots, or maintainers of harlots, that the word commonly used for real harlots was usually given them. See Dr. Bernard's note here, and Judg. xi. 1. and Josephus, Antiq. V. 7.

with a strong current, and could not be passed over with bridges, for there never had been bridges laid over it hitherto; and while he suspected that if he should attempt to make a bridge, the enemies would not afford him time to perfect it; and ferry-boats they had none; God promised so to dispose of the river that they might pass over it, and that by taking away the main part of its waters. So Joshua, after two days, caused the army and the whole multitude to pass over in the following manner:-The priests went first, having the ark with them; then went the Levites, bearing the tabernacle and the vessels that belonged to the sacrifices; after which the entire multitude followed, according to their tribes, having their children and their wives in the midst of them, as being afraid for them lest they should be borne away by the stream. But as soon as the priests had entered the river first, it appeared fordable; the depth of the water being restrained, and the sand appearing at the bottom, because the current was neither so strong nor so swift, as to carry it away by its force; so they all passed over the river with out fear, finding it to be in the very same state as God had foretold he would put it in. But the priests stood still in the midst of the river, till the multitude should be passed over, and should get to the shore in safety; and when all were gone over, the priests came out also, and permitted the current to run freely as it used to do before. Accordingly, the river, as soon as the Hebrews were gone out of it, arose again presently, and came to its proper height as before.*

So the Hebrews went on farther fifty furlongs, and pitched their camp at the distance of ten furlongs from Jericho. But Joshua built an altar of those stones which all the heads of the tribes, at the command of the prophet, had taken out of the river; to be afterward a memorial of the division of the stream, and upon it offered sacrifice to God; and in that place celebrated the passover, and had great plenty of all things which they had wanted hitherto. For they reaped the corn of the Canaanites, which was now ripe; and took other things as prey; for then it was that their former food, which was manna, and of which they had eaten forty years, failed them. While the Israelites did this, and the Canaanites did not attack them, but remained quiet within their own walls, Joshua resolved to besiege them. So on the first day of the feast of the passover, the priests carried the ark, round about which was some part of the armed men to be a guard to it. These priests

*Josh. iv. 10.

† It has been a custom in all nations to erect monuments of stone, in order to preserve the memory of covenants, victories, and other great transactions; and though there was no inscription upon these stones, yet the number of them, and the place

went forward, blowing with their seven trumpets, and exhorted the army to be of good courage, and went round the city with the senate following them, and when the priests had only blown with their trumpets,‡ for they did nothing more at all, they returned to the camp. And when they had done this for six days, on the seventh Joshua gathered the armed men, and all the people together, and told them the city should now be taken; since God would on that day give it them, by the falling down of the walls; and this of their own accord and without their labour.. However, he charged them to kill every one whom they should take; and not to abstain from the slaughter of their enemies, either for weariness or for pity; and not to fall on the spoil and be thereby diverted from pursuing their enemics as they ran away; but to destroy all the animals, and to take nothing for their own peculiar advantage. He commanded them also to bring together all the silver and gold, that it might be set apart as first fruits unto God, out of this glorious exploit, as having gotten them from the first city they took; only that they should save Rahab and her kindred alive, because of the oath which the spies had sworn to her.

When he had said this, and had set his army in order, he brought it against the city; so they went round the city again, the ark going before them, and the priests encouraging the people to be zealous in the work; and when they had gone round it seven times, and had stood a little, the wall fell down; while no instruments of war, nor any other force, was applied to it by the Hebrews.

So they entered into Jericho, and slew all the men that were therein, while they were affrighted at the surprising, overthrow of the walls, and their courage was become useless, and they were not able to defend themselves; so they were slain, and their throats cut, some in the ways, and others as caught in their houses; nothing afforded them assistance, but they all perished, even to the women and the children, and the city was filled with dead bodies, and not one person escaped. They also burnt the whole city, and the country about it, but they saved alive Rahab, with her family, who had fled to her inn; and when she was brought to him, Joshua owned that they owed her thanks for her preservation of the spies. He also said he would not appear to be behind her in his benefaction to her, and therefore he gave her certain lands immediately, and held her in great esteem ever afterwards.

where they lay which was not at all stony, was sufficient to signify some memorable thing, which posterity would not fail to hand down from one generation to another. Patrick's Commentary on Joshua, iv. 7. B.

Josh. vi. 13.

If any part of the city escaped the fire, he overthrew it from its foundation, and denounced a curse* against its inhabitants, if any one should desire to rebuild it; how upon his laying the foundations of the walls he should be deprived of his eldest son, and upon finishing it he should lose his youngest son;t but what happened hereupont we shall speak of hereafter.

Now there was an immense quantity of silver and gold, and besides those of brass also, that was heaped together out of the city when it was taken; no one transgressing the decree, nor purloining for their own peculiar advantage; which spoils Joshua delivered to the priests, to be laid up among their treasures; and thus did Jericho perish.

what spoils he, by running some hazard, had found, he must give away, and offer them to God, who stood in no need of them, made a deep ditch in his tent, and laid them up therein, as supposing he should not only be concealed from his fellow soldiers, but from God also.

Now the place where Joshua pitched his camp was called Gilgal,** which denotes liberty;†† for since they had now passed over the river Jordan, they looked upon themselves as freed from the miseries which they had undergone from the Egyptians, and in the wilderness.

A few days after the calamity that befell Jericho, Joshua sent three thousand armed men to take Ai, a city situate above Jericho, but upon the fight of the people of Ai with them, they were driven back, and lost thirty-six of their men.‡‡ When this was told the Israelites, it made them

* Upon occasion of this devoting of Jericho to destruction, and the exemplary punishment of Achar, who broke that cherem or anathema, and of the punishment of the future breaker of it, Hiel, 1 Kings xvi. 34, as also of the punishment of Saul for breaking the like cherem or anathema against the Amalekites, 1 Sam. xv. we may observe what was the true meaning of that law, Levit. xxvii. 28. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death, i. e. Whenever any of the Jews' public enemies had been for their wickedness solemnly devoted to destruction, according to the divine command, as were generally the seven wicked nations of Canaan, and those sinners the Amalekites, 1 Sam. xv. 18. (see the note on IV. 7.) it was utterly unlawful to permit those enemies to be redeemed, but they were to be all utterly destroyed. See also Numb. xxi. 2, 3. The words of Joshua's execration are these:-Cursed be the man before the Lord, that raiseth up and buildeth this city Jericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it, Josh. vi. 26. "This anathema (says Maimonides) was pronounced, that the miracle of the subversion of Jericho might be kept in perpetual memory; for whosoever saw the walls sunk deep in the earth, (as he understands it,) would clearly discern, that this was not the form of a building destroyed by men, but miraculously thrown down by God." Hiel, however, in the reign of Ahab, either not remembering, or not believing this denunciation, was so taken with the beauty of its situation, that he rebuilt Jericho, and, as the sacred history informs us, laid the foundation thereof in Abiram, his first-born, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake to Joshua, the son of Nun, 1 Kings xvi. 34. However, after that Hiel had ventured to rebuild it, no scruple was made of inhabiting it; for it afterwards became famous upon many accounts. Here the prophet sweetened the waters of the spring that supplied it, and the neighbouring countries. Here Herod built a sumptuous palace; it was the dwelling-place of Zaccheus, and was honoured with the presence of Christ, who vouchsafed likewise to work some miracles here. Univer. Hist. lib 1. c. 7. B.

† Josh. vi. 26.

This is now wanting in Josephus. That the name of this thief was not Achan, as in the common copies, but Achar, as here in Josephus, and in the Apos

because of the relation the men that were destroyed bare to them, though those that were destroyed

tolic Constitutions, VII. 2. and elsewhere, is evident by the allusion to that name in the curse of Joshua, "Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee." Where the Hebrew words allude only to the name Achar, but not to Achan; accordingly this valley of Achar or Achor, was and is a known place, a little north of Gilgal, so called from the days of Joshua to this day. See Josh. vii. 24, 26. Is. lxv. 10. Hos. ii. 15, and Dr. Bernard's notes here.

In the original, this robe is called a garment of Shinar, i. e. of Babylon; and the general opinion is, that the richness and excellency of it consisted not so much in the stuff whereof it was made, as in the colour whereof it was dyed, which most suppose to have been scarlet, a colour in high esteem among the ancients, and for which the Babylonians were justly famous. Bochart, however, maintains, that the colour of this robe was various, and not all of one sort; that the scarlet colour the Babylonians first received from Tyre, but the party-colour, whether so woven or wrought with the needle, was of their own invention, for which he produces many passages out of Heathen authors. Such as

Non ego prætulerim Babylonica picta superbe
Texta, Semiramia quæ variantur acu.
Hæc mihi Memphitis tellus dat munera, victa est
Pectine Niliaco jam Babylonis acus.

Mart. Ep. lib. 3.

Ibid. lib. 14.

with many more citations out of several other writers. However this be, it is certain, that the robe could not fail to be a very rich and splendid one, and therefore captivated either Achar's pride, or rather covetousness; since his purpose seems to have been, not so much to wear it himself, as to sell it for a large price. Bochart's Phaleg. lib. 1. c. 9. Saurin, lib. 3. dissertation 3. B.

¶ Here Dr. Bernard justly observes, that a few words are dropped out of Josephus's copies, on account of the repetition of the word shekels, and that it ought to be read thus, A piece of gold that weighed 50 shekels, and one of silver, that weighed 200 shekels, as in our other copies. Josh. vii. 21.

** Josh. v. 9.

tt I agree with Dr. Bernard, and approve of Josephus's interpretation of Gilgal, for liberty.

Josh. vii. 5.