Deuteronomy 9:1

Theological Justification of the Conquest

9:1 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications. ¹ 

Joshua 1:11

1:11 “Go through the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your supplies, for within three days you will cross the Jordan River and begin the conquest of the land the Lord your God is ready to hand over to you.’” ² 

Joshua 3:13-17

3:13 When the feet ³  of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Ruler ⁴  of the whole earth, touch ⁵  the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up.” ⁶ 

3:14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ⁷  ahead of them. 3:15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface ⁸  of the water – (the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time) ⁹  – 3:16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. ¹⁰  It piled up far upstream ¹¹  at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). ¹²  The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. ¹³  3:17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. All Israel crossed over on dry ground until the entire nation was on the other side. ¹⁴ 

[9:1]  ¹ tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.

[1:11]  ² tn Heb “to enter to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving to you to possess it.”

[3:13]  ³ tn Heb “the soles of the feet.”

[3:13]  ⁴ tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”

[3:13]  ⁵ tn Or “rest in.”

[3:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “the waters of the Jordan, the waters descending from above, will be cut off so that they will stand in one pile.”

[3:14]  ⁷ tn The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.

[3:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “dipped into the edge.”

[3:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.”

[3:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the waters descending from above stood still.”

[3:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they stood in one pile very far away.”

[3:16]  ¹² tn Heb “the [waters] descending toward the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) were completely cut off.”

[3:16]  ¹³ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[3:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and all Israel was crossing over on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”