Biography of Joshua in the Tanach

 Joshua (Yehoshua in Hebrew) was Moses’ successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. The Tanakh describes Joshua as a devoted disciple, a holy man, and a brilliant military commander. Joshua led his people on all fronts, urging them to serve God and uphold the Torah, while at the same time leading them in military conquests. Born in Egypt in 2406 (1355 BCE), he led his people for 28 years until his death in 2516 (1245 BCE). His story is recorded in the Book of Joshua.

1. A Faithful Disciple

Joshua, son of Nun, was from the tribe of Ephraim. His original name was Hoshea (Hosea) but was changed by Moses to Yehoshua (Joshua). He was Moses’ faithful attendant, about whom the Bible attests that he ‘never departed from Moses’ tent. He devoted his heart and soul to his master, and waited at the foot of Mount Sinai all the while Moses was at the summit communing with G-d. He forms a vital link in the chain of transition, for Moses taught Joshua the Torah, and he passed on the teaching to the elders, who passed it on to those who came after them. And when Moses would go to the “Tent of Meeting” to commune with G‑d, Joshua would accompany him. The first to stand up to defend his master’s honor, Joshua was angered when Eldad and Medad prophesied of Moses’ death.

2. The Righteous Spies

Joshua’s most famous exploit in the 5 Books of Moses occurs during the episode of the spies (Numbers 13-14). He was chosen to represent the tribe of Ephraim among a group of twelve leaders who traveled to Canaan to spy out the land. Upon their return from their mission, the ten spies frightened the people with tales of giants and “a land inhabited by people,” declaring it invincible. Only Joshua and Caleb ben Jephunneh (from the tribe of Judah) dissented, and tried not to convince the Jews that G‑d would indeed give them the land. The Jews believed the report of the ten slanderous spies, so G‑d promised that they would not enter the land except for two righteous spies, Joshua and Caleb.

Just before the spies departed, Moses, fearing that the spies would fail in their mission, added the letter “yud” to the name Hoshea (Hosea), changing it to Ye hoshua (Joshua), which means “may G‑d save you.”

3. Moses’ Successor

Before he died, Moses publicly appointed Joshua as his successor, laying his hands on his disciple’s head, transferring his spirit. And on Nissan 7, 2488, after the 30-day mourning period for Moses had ended, Joshua received G‑d’s command to prepare the children of Israel to cross the Jordan River. Three days later, Joshua led the people across the miraculously parted river.

Joshua’s mission was clear. He was to enter the land, subdue its inhabitants, and divide the land into portions for all the tribes. G‑d promised him success in his conquest; “No one will stand before you all your life; just as I was with Moses, so I am with you. I will not weaken My hold on you and I will not forsake you. Be strong and have courage; for you will cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.” G-d also admonished him to remain steadfast in his commitment to Torah and Mitzvos.

4. Joshua’s Wife: Rahab

Soon after crossing the Jordan River, Joshua sent two spies, Caleb and Pincha, to the city of Jericho, the first point of attack by the Jews. In disguise, the spies made their way to an inn owned by a woman named Rahab. When the spies were discovered and soldiers were sent to arrest them, Rahab spared their lives. She asked them that just as she had spared their lives, so should they spare hers and her family’s lives. She expressed her faith in the Jewish God, and revealed that the Canaanites hated the Jews and that they knew the Jews would defeat them. The spies gave Rahab their word and left the city.

Later, after the Jews kept their promise and spared Rahab and her family, she converted to Judaism. She was a very special woman, and our Sages teach that God seeks out the righteous from the nations and draws them to His faith, citing Rahab and Jethro as examples. So pure and holy was she that Joshua eventually married her. Eight prophets, including Jeremiah, descended from their union.

5. A Capable Military Commander

For seven years, Joshua led the people in battle, defeating 31 kings and conquering their land. And for seven years after that, Joshua oversaw the division of the land among the twelve tribes, allocating a portion to each family. One side of Joshua’s personality was that of a dedicated student of the Torah and the other was his military acumen and pragmatic leadership skills. In fact, the first time Joshua is mentioned in the Bible is when, shortly after the Jews were redeemed from Egypt and were traveling in the desert, they were attacked by the Amalekites. Moses instructed Joshua to gather the warriors and command them in battle. And while Moses prayed for their welfare, Joshua and his army fought and defeated the Amalekites.

6. The Walls of Jericho and Stopping the Sun

In Joshua’s conquest of the Holy Land, God was with him every step of the way, and in some cases the supernatural was clearly at work. The first city the Jews conquered, Jericho, had walls that were impenetrable. God commanded Joshua to march around the walls for six days and on the seventh day to have the priests blow the shofars. When they did so on the seventh day, the city walls were swallowed up by the ground and the Jews conquered Jericho easily. Only Rahab and her family survived. Another time, when the Jews were fighting the five Emorite kings at Gibeon, nightfall was approaching and the battle had to be postponed. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still until his army had achieved victory. The sun stood still and the day was lengthened, allowing the Jews to defeat the Emorites that day. God also threw giant rocks at the Emorites, striking many.

7. A Leader's Farewell

As his predecessors had done before, two years before his death, Joshua gathered the people together at Shechem. The future was uncertain, the land was not completely settled, and pockets of enemies remained scattered across the land. There is a possibility of assimilation with the Canaanite tribes and acquisition of their lewd practices. Joshua warned the people to guard against being assimilated by the idol-worshipping natives. He urged them to apply themselves diligently to Torah study and to keep the precepts. Only with Israel's complete devotion to the Torah would they be guaranteed a healthy national existence. This nation swore an oath to God and his Torah.

Two years later, at the age of 110, Joshua died. He was buried at Timnath-Serah on Mount Ephraim, and was greatly mourned by his people. The Torah testifies that the Jewish People remained faithful to God, studying His Torah and obeying His commandments for all the days of Joshua's life.

In addition to his role as a leader and warrior, Joshua was the second link in the chain of transmission of the Torah, receiving it from Moses and passing it on to the “Judges” who succeeded him.

8. Special Leader

While Moses was the leader of the Jews when they were in the desert, Joshua was a real-world leader. In the desert, the Jews could serve God easily because they had no worldly concerns. God’s cloud of glory protected them, manna fell from heaven to sustain them, and a miraculous well provided them with water. When they entered the land, things became difficult, physically and spiritually. They had to fight for their land, had to provide for themselves, and had to adapt to the hustle and bustle of real life. When things got tough, Joshua rose to the task of leading them. He overcame all odds – on the battlefield and in the hall of learning – conquering and settling, all while inspiring his people to remain faithful to God.

The Talmud compares Moses and Joshua to the sun and the moon, respectively. Moses is like the sun, the source of light, because he gave the Torah to the Jews and brought the light of Goodness into the world. He represents a top-down approach to serving God. In contrast, Joshua is compared to the moon, which has no light of its own and only reflects the light of the sun. This represents a bottom-up approach to faithful service; the idea of ​​transforming and elevating the physical world into a “moon,” a vessel for the light of faith. And while both approaches are necessary and complementary, Joshua’s mode has a unique advantage because it achieves that the world itself must become faithful, not just because Godhead is imposed on it.