THE SERVANT OF MOSES I. JOSHUA. Vol. IV, (pp. 1-17). 1 Esther R., introduction; Abba Gorion 2. 3 Rab Pe‘alim, 12a, giving as source a Midrash quoted by the Kabbalist R. Nathan (t. e., R. Nathan Shapiro, author of mpmy but the published writings of this Kabbalist do not to my knowledge contain this form of the Oedipus legend, nor is it found in any other Jewish source. The reference to rmfyo 'D of R. Nissim Gaon by the editor of Rab Pe'alim is a poor guess, as this narrative does not occur in that book. The name of Joshua’s father, Nun, “fish”, is hardly sufficient to account for this legend, though it is given as an explanation thereof. With regard to Joshua’s parents, the abovecited source relates the following details: They were very pious, but for a long time they were not blessed with children. After many prayers and supplications, Nun’s wife became pregnant. But instead of rejoicing at the approaching fulfilment of his great desire, Nun kept on weeping and lamenting day and night. Pressed by his wife to explain his strange behavior, he informed her of the revelation made to him from heaven that his own child would cut his head off .To prevent this, Joshua’s mother exposed him immediately after his birth. The infant was swallowed by a whale and subsequently carried out what heaven had decreed against his father. The insultihg name hurled at Joshua by the spies (comp, note 526 on vol. Ill, p. 272) was “ cutter of heads ”, alluding to his having been the official executioner, and as such having cut off his father ’s head. Very strange is the statement that Joshua’s father lived in Jerusalem; yet the king who had him executed (read "U’tacnp “quaestionarius”, instead of ntmD) is described as king of Egypt. On the view that Palestine was an Egyptian dependency in pre-Mosaic times; see note lOon vol. Ill, 8. Comp, note 33. a Yelammedenu in Yalkut II, 959 on Prov. 21 (towards the end) Midrash Tannaim 227; Alphabet R. Akiba II, 16; 2 ARN 11, 28 and 18.39; Likkutim, IV, 76b, and V, 106a. Comp. vol. Ill, pp. 398-399. The Kabbalists describe the charms applied by Moses for the strengthening of J oshua ’s intellect ; comp., e. g. , Raziel (nitron 'D) , 3 la. * Mekilta Amalek 1, 55a. Friedmann, ad loc., calls attention to the view of several Tannaim, according to which the war against 169 5-9] The Legends of the Jews Amalek took place towards the end of Israel’s journey through the wilderness, when it was decreed that Moses should not enter the Holy Land. s Zohar II, 66a; comp. PK 3, 22a; Luria’s note 28 on PRE 44; note 144 on vol. Ill, p. 60. 6 Sifre N., 140; Baba Batra 75a; Zohar 114b; vol. Ill, pp. 400, 441. The metaphorical description of Joshua as the moon gave rise to the popular belief, common among Jews of Eastern Europe, that Joshua is the man in the moon; comp. Perez, Schriften III, 75 (English translation 155) Mandllin Urquell IV, 122; Dahnhard, Natursagen, I. 319. On the legend concerning the plant Arum ( = Aaron ’s rod) discussed by Dahnhardt, loc. cit., see vol. Ill, p. 269, according to which Moses gave the spies his rod to protect them against the attacks of the Canaanites (the legend very frequently confuses, or identifies, the rod of Moses with that of Aaron; see Index, s. v. “Aaron, Rod of”). On the man in the moon, see note 35 on vol. I, p. 317, and Index, s. v. 7 Temurah 16a; comp. vol. Ill, pp. 451-452; vol. IV, p. 29. Joshua is the ideal type of the “disciple of the wise”, and hence the talmudic phrase “even if Joshua the son of Nun had told me, etc.” Comp. Hullin 124a; Yebamot 45a; Berakot 24b (comp, the reading given by Rabinovicz, note 50); Yerushalmi Yebamot 4,6a, where ntPDD hptP is perhaps to be read instead of n^D1? TlIPp; Epstein, Eldad. 88. See also Yerushalmi Peah 1, 15a, which reads: Joshua by means of deep reasoning succeeded in establishing laws which were revealed to Moses on Sinai. 8 Temurah 16a. The revelation of the Torah to Moses was final and could not be abrogated nor altered by the prophets who succeeded him; comp. Chajes, Torat Nebiim, passim. See further note 97 on vol. IV, p. 40; note 42 on p. 64 and note 13 on p. 197. 9 BR 6.9. On the designation of Deuteronomy as “the book of the Law” minn nsD, see Ginzberg, R.E.J., LXVII, 135 (= Compte Rendu 21 ). On Joshua as the ideal type of the scholar, see note 7. According to ps.-Philo, 20; 20D, God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses, saying: “take the garments of his wisdom (those worn by Moses?) and put them on thee, and gird thy loins with the girdle of his knowledge; then shalt thou be changed and become another man.” And it came to pass when he put them on, that his mind was kindled, and his spirit was stirred up.Notes 1 — Joshua
The early history of the first Jewish conqueror in some respects is like the early history of the first Jewish legislator. Moses was rescued from a watery grave, and raised at the court of Egypt. Joshua, in infancy, was swallowed by a whale, and, wonderful to relate, did not perish. At a distant point of the sea-coast the monster spewed him forth unharmed. He was found by compassionate passers-by, and grew up ignorant of his descent. The government appointed him to the office of hangman. As luck would have it, he had to execute his own father. By the law of the land the wife of the dead man fell to the share of his executioner, and Joshua was on the point of adding to parricide another crime equally heinous. He was saved by a miraculous sign. When he approached his mother, milk flowed from her breasts. His suspicions were aroused, and through the inquiries he set a foot regarding his origin, the truth was made manifest.
Later Joshua, who was so ignorant that he was called a fool, became the minister of Moses, and God rewarded his faithful service by making him the successor to Moses. He was designated as such to Moses when, at the bidding of his master, he was carrying on war with the Amalekites. In this campaign God's care of Joshua was plainly seen. Joshua had condemned a portion of the Amalekites to death by lot, and the heavenly sword picked them out for extermination. Yet there was as great a difference between Moses and Joshua as between the sun and the moon. God did not withdraw His help from Joshua, but He was by no means so close to him as to Moses. This appeared immediately after Moses had passed away. At the moment when the Israelitish leader was setting out on his journey to the great beyond, he summoned his successor and bade him put questions upon all points about which he felt uncertain. Conscious of his own industry and devotion, Joshua replied that he had no questions to ask, seeing that he had carefully studied the teachings of Moses. Straightway he forgot three hundred Halakot, and doubts assailed him concerning seven hundred others. The people threatened Joshua's life, because he was not able to resolve their difficulties in the law. It was vain to turn to God, for the Torah once revealed was subject to human, not to heavenly, authority. Directly after Moses' death, God commanded Joshua to go to war, so that the people might forget its grievance against him. But it is false to think that the great conqueror was nothing more than a military hero. When God appeared to him, to give him instructions concerning the war, He found him with the Book of Deuteronomy in his hand, whereupon God called to him: "Be strong and of good courage; the book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth."
ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND
The first step in preparation for war was the selection of spies. To guard against a repetition of what had happened to Moses, Joshua chose as his messengers Caleb and Phinehas, on whom he could place dependence in all circumstances. They were accompanied on their mission by two demons, the husbands of the she-devils Lilith and Mahlah. When Joshua was planning his campaign, these devils offered their services to him; they proposed that they be sent out to reconnoitre the land. Joshua refused the offer, but formed their appearance so frightfully that the residents of Jericho were struck with fear of them. In Jericho the spies put up with Rahab. She had been leading an immoral life for forty years, but at the approach of Israel, she paid homage to the true God, lived the life of a pious convert, and, as the wife of Joshua, became the ancestress of eight prophets and of the prophetess Huldah. She had opportunity in her own house of beholding the wonders of God. When the king's bailiffs came to make their investigations, and Rahab wanted to conceal the Israelitish spies, Phinehas calmed her with the words: "I am a priest, and priests are like angels, visible when they wish to be seen, invisible when they do not wish to be seen."
After the return of the spies, Joshua decided to pass over the Jordan. The crossing of the river was the occasion for wonders, the purpose of which was to clothe him with authority in the eyes of the people. Scarcely had the priests, who at this solemn moment took the place of the Levites as bearers of the Ark, set foot in the Jordan, when the waters of the river were piled up to a height of three hundred miles. All the peoples of the earth were witnesses of the wonder. In the bed of the Jordan Joshua assembled the people around the Ark. A Divine miracle caused the narrow space between its staves to contain the whole concourse. Joshua then proclaimed the conditions under which God would give Palestine to the Israelites, and he added, if these conditions were not accepted, the waters of the Jordan would descend straight upon them. Then they marched through the river. When the people arrived on the further shore, the holy Ark, which had all the while been standing in the bed of the river, set forward of itself, and, dragging the priests after it, overtook the people.
The day continued eventful. Unassailed, the Israelites marched seventy miles to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and there performed the ceremony bidden by Moses in Deuteronomy: six of the tribes ascended Mount Gerizim, and six Mount Ebal. The priests and the Levites grouped themselves about the holy Ark in the vale between the two peaks. With their faces turned toward Gerizim, the Levites uttered the words: "Happy the man that maketh no idol, an abomination unto the Lord," and all the people answered Amen. After reciting twelve blessings similar to this in form, the Levites turned to Mount Ebal, and recited twelve curses, counterparts of the blessings, to each of which the people responded again with Amen. Thereupon an altar was erected on Mount Ebal with the stones, each weighing forty seim, which the Israelites had taken from the bed of the river while passing through the Jordan. The altar was plastered with lime, and the Torah written upon it in seventy languages, so that the heathen nations might have the opportunity of learning the law. At the end it was said explicitly that the heathen outside of Palestine, if they would but abandon the worship of idols, would be received kindly by the Jews.
All this happened on one day, on the same day on which the Jordan was crossed, and the assembly was held on Gerizim and Ebal, the day on which the people arrived at Gilgal, where they left the stones of which the altar had been built. At Gilgal Joshua performed the rite of circumcision on those born in the desert, who had remained uncircumcised on account of the rough climate and for other reasons. And here it was that the manna gave out. It had ceased to fall at the death of Moses, but the supply that had been stored up had lasted some time longer. As soon as the people were under the necessity of providing for their daily wants, they grew negligent in the study of the Torah. Therefore the angel admonished Joshua to loose his shoes from off his feet, for he was to mourn over the decline of the study of the Torah, and bare feet are a sign of mourning. The angel reproached Joshua in particular with having allowed the preparations for war to interfere with the study of the Torah and with the ritual service. Neglect of the latter might be a venial sin, but neglect of the former is worthy of condign punishment. At the same time the angel assured Joshua that he had come to aid him, and he entreated Joshua not to draw back from him, like Moses, who had refused the good offices of the angel. He who spoke to Joshua was none other than the archangel Michael.
CONQUEST OF THE LAND Of a famous teacher of the Mishnah it is said that he ascribed his learning to the fact that he used a staff 170 Joshua [10-13 which belonged to the great master R. Meir; see Yerushalmi Nedarim 9, 41b and comp. 1 Kings 19.19-20. 10 Tan. B. IV, 62; Tan. Shelah 1; BaR 16.1. According to another opinion, the spies were Perez and Zerah, the sons of Judah; comp, vol. II, pp. 36-39. Ps-Philo 20, 21, is of the opinion that the two spies were Kenaz and Seenamias (the Hebrew original had either yotP or ytPD; comp. 1 Chron. 2.42 and 43), the two sons of Caleb, whom Joshua admonished “to do like unto their father”, and not to follow the example of the other spies, who slandered the Holy Land. 11 Kinat Setarim 31c and 44d. Owing to the ambiguity of the word Enn in Josh. 2.1, the opinions in the Midrashim differ as to how the spies succeeded in avoiding the suspicion of the inhabitants of Jericho. According to some, the spies pretended to be deaf and dumb (P^n is reads as ®nD), while others say that they disguised themselves as merchants of pottery (Enn is read as Dm) ; still others say that they were disguised as carpenters (Enn is read as ^10); comp. Sifre Z., 74; Ruth R. 1.1; Tan. E. IV, 62; Tan. Shelah 1; BaR 16.1; Yelammedenu in ‘Aruk, s. v. Din; Likkutim IV, 27a 12 Sifre N., 78; Sifre Z., 75; BaR 8 (end); Megillah 14b; EZ 22, 37 (here it is said that Rahab’s descendants were seven kings and eight prophets); PR 40, 167b; Midrash Aggada Num. 167 (below). Comp. vol. Ill, p. 443; vol. IV, p. 282. The eight prophets and priests are: Jeremiah and his father Hilkiah, Seraiah and his grandfather Mahseiah (Jer. 51.59), Baruch and his father Neriah, as well as Hananel and Shallum, Jeremiah 's cousin, or according to some (comp. Rashi and Kimhi on Jerem. 32.12) his uncle. According to some authorities, Ezekiel and his father Buzi (who, too, was a prophet) were likewise descendants of Rahab. As to the immoral life led by Rahab until the time of her conversion, see, in addition to the sources cited above, also Mekilta Yitro 57a; Mekilta RS, 85; Zebahim 116b. In the last passage it is asserted that she led an immoral life from the age of ten years until fifty. The legend paints Rahab in very black colors to bring out the effect of repentance; but it has in Josh. 2.1 biblical authority for that. It is true that Josephus, Antiqui., V. 1.2, and Targumadfuc. interpret rfiffto mean “ keeper of an inn ” (fromjt “he fed ”), but comp. Kimhi, a d loc., and Biichler, Priester und Cultus, 63-64 who call attention to the identity of Nn’ptllD with nilf; comp, note 106 on vol. IV, 43. ■3 Tan. B. IV, 62; Tan. Shelah 1; BaR 16.1; WR 1.1. As to the 171 14-17] The Legends of the Jews miracle of becoming invisible, see also vol. II, p. 261, vol. IV, pp. 25, 391The medieval legends frequently allude to the miracle of invisibilityi and know of the charms which render one invisible; see Raziel, at the end of 'T HINl. The Christian legends are also acquainted with this idea; comp. Acts of Matthew, towards the middle; see Index, s. v. “ Invisibility”. 14 Sotah Tosefta 8.1-4; Babli 33b-34a; Yerushalmi 7, 21d-22a; comp. vol. Ill, p. 400. The division of the waters of the Jordan is said to have taken place as a reward for the good deeds of Abraham (Yelammedenu in Yalkut II, 15); according to others, for the good deeds of Jacob (BR 76.5; Shir 4.4; comp. Vol. V, p. 275). Still others think that it was on account of Joseph (comp. vol. II, p, 3, bottom). 15 Sotah, Mishnah 7.5; Tosefta 8.5-11; Babli 34a, 35b— 37b ; Yerushalmi 7, 22a; Seder ‘Olam 9; Sifre D., 55-57; Midrash Tannaim 56, 57-58; Mekilta Deut., 189-190 (line 5 read D’nrcn instead of D’inDm, and comp. Mekilta Bahodesh 2, 62b, top as well as Seder ‘Olam, loc. cit.; nDD rD means “in proper order ”) ; Targum Yerushalmi Deut. 27.9 and 25. According to Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.19, the ceremonies on the mountains Gerizim and Ebal took place after the conquest of the Holy Land, and not on entering it. R. Ishmael (Midrash Tannaim 58) is of the same view. On the miracle that the narrow space contained all the people, see BR 5.7, and parallel passages cited by Theodor as well as vol. Ill, p. 180. On the ark moving by itself, see ShR 36.4; BaR 4.20 (27b); vol. Ill, p. 395. As to what part of the Torah was written upon the stones, see Mekilta Deut., loc cit.; Ginzberg, R.E.J., LXVII,35 ( = Compte Rendu 21) ; vol. Ill, pp. 350-351, note 9.Notes 2 — Joshua
Joshua's first victory was the wonderful capture of Jericho. The whole of the city was declared anathema, because it had been conquered on the Sabbath day. Joshua reasoned that as the Sabbath is holy, so also that which conquered on the Sabbath should be holy. The brilliant victory was followed by the luckless defeat at Ai. In this engagement perished Jair, the son of Manasseh, whose loss was as great as if the majority of the Sanhedrin had been destroyed. Presently Joshua discovered that the cause of the defeat was the sinfulness of Israel, brought upon it by Achan, who had laid hands on some of the spoils of Jericho. Achan was a hardened transgressor and criminal from of old. During the life of Moses he had several times appropriated to his own use things that had been declared anathema, and he had committed other crimes worthy of the death penalty. Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan, God had not visited Achan's sins upon the people as a whole, because at that time it did not form a national unit yet. But when Achan abstracted an idol and all its appurtenances from Jericho, the misfortune of Ai followed at once.
Joshua inquired of God, why trouble had befallen Israel, but God refused to reply. He was no tale-bearer; the evil-doer who had caused the disaster would have to be singled out by lot. Joshua first of all summoned the high priest from the assembly of the people. It appeared that, while the other jewels in his breastplate gleamed bright, the stone representing the tribe of Judah was dim. By lot Achan was set apart from the members of his tribe. Achan, however, refused to submit to the decision by lot. He said to Joshua: "Among all living men thou and Phinehas are the most pious. Yet, if lots were cast concerning you two, one or other of you would be declared guilty. Thy teacher Moses has been dead scarcely one month, and thou has already begun to go astray, for thou hast forgotten that a man's guilt can be proved only through two witnesses."
Endued with the holy spirit, Joshua divined that the land was to be assigned to the tribes and families of Israel by lot, and he realized that nothing ought to be done to bring this method of deciding into disrepute. He, therefore, tried to persuade Achan to make a clean breast of his transgression. Meantime, the Judeans, the tribesmen of Achan, rallied about him, and throwing themselves upon the other tribes, they wrought fearful havoc and bloodshed. This determined Achan to confess his sins. The confession cost him his life, but it saved him from losing his share in the world to come.
In spite of the reverses at Ai, the terror inspired by the Israelites grew among the Canaanitish peoples. The Gibeonites planned to circumvent the invaders, and form an alliance with them. Now, before Joshua set out on his campaign, he had issued three proclamations: the nation that would leave Canaan might depart unhindered; the nation that would conclude peace with the Israelites, should do it at once; and the nation that would choose war, should make its preparations. If the Gibeonites had sued for the friendship of the Jews when the proclamation came to their ears, there would have been no need for subterfuges later. But the Canaanites had to see with their own eyes what manner of enemy awaited them, and all the nations prepared for war. The result was that the thirty-one kings of Palestine perished, as well as the satraps of many foreign kings, who were proud to own possessions in the Holy Land. Only the Girgashites departed out of Palestine, and as a reward for their docility God gave them Africa as an inheritance.
The Gibeonites deserved no better fate than all the rest, for the covenant made with them rested upon a misapprehension, yet Joshua kept his promise to them, in order to sanctify the name of God, by showing the world how sacred an oath is to the Israelites. In the course of events it became obvious that the Gibeonites were by no means worthy of being received into the Jewish communion, and David, following Joshua's example, excluded them forever, a sentence that will remain in force even in the Messianic time.
THE SUN OBEYS JOSHUA
The task of protecting the Gibeonites involved in the offensive and defensive alliance made with them, Joshua fulfilled scrupulously. He had hesitated for a moment whether to aid the Gibeonites in their distress, but the words of God sufficed to recall him to his duty. God said to him: "If thou dost not bring near them that are far off, thou wilt remove them that are near by." God granted Joshua peculiar favor in his conflict with the assailants of the Gibeonites. The hot hailstones which, at Moses' intercession, had remained suspended in the air when they were about to fall upon the Egyptians, were now cast down upon the Canaanites. Then happened the great wonder of the sun's standing still, the sixth of the great wonders since the creation of the world.
The battle took place on a Friday. Joshua knew it would pain the people deeply to be compelled to desecrate the holy Sabbath day. Besides, he noticed that the heathen were using sorcery to make the heavenly hosts intercede for them in the fight against the Israelites. He, therefore, pronounced the Name of the Lord, and the sun, moon and stars stood still. The sun at first refused to obey Joshua's behest, seeing that he was older than man by two days. Joshua replied that there was no reason why a free-born youth should refrain from enjoining silence upon an old slave whom he owns, and had not God given heaven and earth to our father Abraham? Nay, more than this, had not the sun himself bowed down like a slave before Joseph? "But," said the sun, "who will praise God if I am silent?" Whereupon Joshua: "Be thou silent, and I will intone a song of praise." And he sang thus:
1. Thou hast done mighty things, O Lord, Thou has performed great deeds. Who is like unto Thee? My lips shall sing unto Thy name. As to the conditions under which Israel was willing to refrain from attacking the heathens, see vol. IV, p. 9. 16 Yebamot 7lb-72a; Midrash Shir 15a-15b; Shir 4.6. See also Midrash Aggada Gen. 17.8, which reads: Israel would never have been able to enter the Holy Land, had not Joshua circumcised those born in the wilderness, since this land was promised the patriarchs on the condition that their descendans would observe the rite of circumcision; comp. BR 46.9; vol. Ill, p. 282; note 196 on vol. II, p. 358. The statement of Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.11 that Gilgal means “liberty” is a haggadic rendering of Josh. 5.9, and perhaps presupposes the view quoted above that by performing the rite of circumcision at that place they definitely won their liberty. 17 Tosefta Sotah 11.2 (the manna which came down on the last day sufficed them for the following thirty-nine days); Seder ‘Olam 172 Joshua [18-21 10; Mekilta Wa-Yassa‘ 5, 51b (where different views are given as to how long they ate manna after the death of Moses; one authority is quoted to the effect that the last manna sufficed them for “ the fourteen years of the conquest and the dividing of the Holy Land”); Kiddushin 38a. An allegorical explanation of Josh. 1.11 is found in ER 18, 101, and reads as follows: Joshua’s command to Israel to prepare victuals did not refer to the preparation of food to eat (for there was no need for that as long as the manna came down) ; but he urged them to prepare spiritual food, to repent from their sins, that they might be found worthy to enter the Holy Land. Here is presupposed that the manna continued to come down after the death of Moses, and only ceased after they had crossed the Jordan. Comp. vol. Ill, p. 41, which gives a similar legend concerning the bread which the Israelites took with them from Egypt. That the manna was given to Israel as a reward for the good deeds of Moses is a widespread haggadah, comp. ps-Philo, 21A (end); vol. Ill, pp. 48-49 and 246. 18 ER 18, 101-102. 19 ‘Erubin 63b, and parallel passages on the margin; Aggadat Esther 80. In these sources Joshua is further reproached for having kept the warriors in camp (separated from their wives) when there was no need for it. Comp, note 526 on vol. Ill, p. 273; Yerushalmi Ketubot 5, 30a-30b. Joshua is also blamed for having married Rahab (comp, vol. IV, p. 5), and for not having prayed to God on entering the Holy Land to have the ‘‘evil inclination removed from Israel”; see Pa‘ aneah, Haazinu (end). Comp. Index, s. v. “Joshua”. 30 BR 97.3; Tan. B. II, 87; Tan. Mishpatim 18; Aggadat Bereshit 32, 64—65. On the view that Moses refused the help of an angel and insisted on God’s direct guidance for Israel, see also Midrash Tannaim 222; ShR 32.3-8; Tehillim 90, 390; Philo, Quaestiones, Exod. II, 13; vol. Ill; pp. 131-132 and 347. 31 Aggadat Bereshit 32.64; Zerubbabel (Jellinek’s edition, 55; Wertheimer’s edition, 10); R. Hananel as quoted by R. Bahya, Exod. 23.20; Lekah and Midrash Aggada on Exod. loc. cit.; BR 97.3, where the text is to be emended in accordance with ShR 2.5. That the angel who appeared to Joshua was Michael is also asserted by Aphraates, 57. In Tan. B. I. 17, Michael is declared to be the “angel of the face”, whereas in Sanhedrin 38b the angel whose services Moses refused, and who is none other than the “angel of the face" (comp. Tan. Mishpatim 18), is identified with Metatron. The identity of Michael with Metatron in Zerubbabel, loc. cit., is due to an attempt at harmoni173 22 ] The Legends of the Jews zation. Comp. Index, s. v. “Angel of the Face ”, “ Michael ”, “ Metatron”. 11 Tan. B. IV, 42; Tan. Naso 28; BaR 14.1. That the fall of Jericho took place on the Sabbath is frequently stated in rabbinic literature; comp. Seder ‘Olam 11; Yerushalmi Shabbat 1, 4a-4b; BR 47.9 and 70.15; Tan. B. IV, 9 and 163; Tan. Bemidbar 9 and Mass'e 5; BaR 2.9 and 23.6. Among the Church Fathers it is Tertullian who attempts at great length to explain this desecration of the Sabbath by Joshua; comp. Adversus Marc., 2.21 and 12. In Adversus Judaeos, 4, the abrogation of the Mosaic law is argued from this incident and this is a further proof that this work is wrongly ascribed to Tertullian. It is very likely that this Christian (and Karaitic; comp. Hadassi, Eshkol, 45b) polemic prompted Sa'adya Gaon, Emunot we-De‘ ot, 3, 95, to assert that Jericho was not captured on the Sabbath. According to a Midrash quoted by Sabba1 Wa-Yehi, 59a-59d, Joshua would not even allow the trumpets to be blown on the Sabbath (the production of music on the Sabbath is forbidden by the Rabbis only; see Rosh ha-Shanah 29b) before he heard the sounding of the heavenly trumpets.Notes 3 — Joshua
2. My goodness and my fortress, my refuge, I will sing a new song unto Thee, with thanksgiving I will sing unto Thee, Thou art the strength of my salvation.
3. All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, the princes of the world shall sing unto Thee, the children of Israel shall rejoice in Thy salvation, they shall sing and praise Thy power.
4. In Thee, O God, did we trust; we said, Thou art our God, for Thou wast our shelter and our strong tower against our enemies.
5. To Thee we cried, and we were not ashamed; in Thee we trusted, and we were delivered; when we cried unto Thee, Thou didst hear our voice, Thou didst deliver our souls from the sword.
6. Thou hast shown unto us Thy mercy, Thou didst give unto us Thy salvation, Thou didst rejoice our hearts with Thy strength.
7. Thou wentest forth for our salvation; with the strength of Thy arm Thou didst redeem Thy people; Thou did console us from the heavens of Thy holiness, Thou didst save us from tens of thousands.
8. Sun and moon stood still in heaven, and Thou didst stand in Thy wrath against our oppressors, and Thou didst execute Thy judgements upon them.
9. All the princes of the earth stood up, the kings of the nations had gathered themselves together, they were not moved at Thy presence, they desired Thy battles.
10. Thou didst rise against them in Thine anger, and Thou didst bring down Thy wrath upon them, Thou didst destroy them in Thy fury, and Thou didst ruin them in Thy rage. Just as the first of all the products of the earth belong to the Lord, even so did Joshua consecrate unto Him the first city conquered; comp, the sources cited at the beginning of this note. See also note 648 on vol. Ill, p. 33; Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.15. The statement of Josephus that Jericho fell on the seventh day of Passover is not in agreement with the view of the Rabbis, according to whom this event took place after the festival; see Seder ‘Olam 11. — Not only Rahab and the members of her family escaped the fate of the inhabitants of Jericho, but all the families allied to her by marriage; Yerushalmi Berakot 4, 8, Sanhedrin 10, 28c; BR 1.1; Koheleth 5.6; Ruth R. 1.1. Israel was forced to spare the lives of all those inhabitants of Jericho in compliance with the oath given by the two spies to Rahab. However, there was no j ustification for the spies to grant Rahab ‘s request, and as a punishment for this it was a descendant of Rahab, the prophet Jeremiah (see note 12), who was charged to prophesy about the destruction of the Temple and the exile of Israel; PK 13.112a; Ekah Z., 75. According to some authorities, Rahab did not belong to one of the “seven nations”, whose extermination God had commanded. The spies were therefore justified in granting her request; comp. Tosafot Megillah 14b (bottom); Kimhi, Josh. 6.25; Halakot Gedolot (Venice edition, 108b; Hildesheimer’s edition, 443). In the last-named source KnX’pHDn means “foreigner” ( =rustica ?) and not farmer, as maintained by Perles, Etymologische Studien, 84. Another view is also quoted in Torn Joshua [23-26 safot to the effect that since Rahab had adopted Judaism before the Israelites entered the Holy Land, the laws relating to the “seven nations” did not apply to her; comp, however Sifre N., 78; Sifre Z., 75. The victory over Jericho was of very great importance, as the inhabitants of that city were valiant warriors, so that Israel’s first victory equalled all the later victories put together (Sifre D., 52, and Midrash Tannaim 45) which were won by an army of seventy thousand Jewish warriors; Shir 6.4. Comp, also Josephus, V. 125. The great miracle which happened at Jericho was not that the walls fell, but that they disappeared in the bowels of the earth; Berakot 54a, 54b; Targum Joshua 6.20. 33 WR 11.7; Baba Batra 121b; Yerushalmi Sotah 7, 22a (top); Alphabet of Ben Sira 2a-2b. In the last source it is said that when Abraham journeyed in Ai it was announced to him that all his descendants, with the exception of one (Jair), would fall in the battle of Ai. He then prayed that this misfortune should be averted from Israel, and his prayer was granted. In the battle of Ai the Jewish army suffered only one casualty, the death of Jair. A somewhat different version of this legend is found in BR 39.16, and Sanhedrin 44b. The prominence of those slain at Ai is also emphasized by Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.12. Joshua is responsible for this defeat, because he remained in camp and did not march at the head of the army as he had been commanded by God. Comp. vol. Ill, p. 397. Others say that Joshua’s sin which caused this defeat consisted in his having delayed to erect the stones and write the Torah upon them. Instead of doing so immediately after the crossing of the Jordan, he waited till he was sixty miles away from the river. Another opinion blames Joshua for having declared Jericho devoted to the Lord and thereby led the Israelites to temptation; comp. Sifre D., 29; Mekilta RS, 26; ER 18, 102; Sanhedrin 44a; vol. IV, p. 6. On Jair, comp. 2 Alphabet of Ben Sira 27a, where it is said that he declared the raven ( = any = y, the first letter of ’y, Ai) clean, but the dove ( = nil’ =’, the second letter of ’y, Ai) unclean. This wishes to convey that he was of such a keen mind that he could by clever dialectics demonstrate the exact oposite of the law; comp. Sanhedrin 17a-17b, and 101a (top). 34 Sanhedrin 43b; Yerushalmi 6, 23b; BR 85 (end); Tan. B. IV, 163; Tan. Mass' e 5; BaR 23.6. 35 Sanhedrin 44a; Tan. B. IV, 163; Tan. Mass'e 5; BaR 23.6. The crime of which he is accused are: unchastity with a betrothed woman, desecration of the Sabbath, and epispasmos. 3 6 Sanhedrin 43b (below) ; Shebuot 39a (this is the locus classicus 175 27-3i] The Legends of the Jews of the statement that all Jews are responsible for one another); Yerushalmi Sotah 7.22 (top). Comp, also WR 1.10, and Shir 2.3.Notes 4 — Joshua
11. Nations raged from fear of Thee, kingdoms tottered because of Thy wrath, Thou didst wound kings in the day of Thine anger.
12. Thou didst pour out Thy fury upon them, Thy wrathful anger took hold of them, Thou didst turn their iniquity upon them, and Thou didst cut them off in their wickedness.
13. They spread a trap, they fell therein, in the net they hid their foot was caught.
14. Thine hand found all Thine enemies, who said, through their sword they possessed the land, through their arm thy dwelt in the city.
15. Thou didst fill their faces with shame, Thou didst bring their horns down to the ground.
16. Thou didst terrify them in Thy wrath, and thou didst destroy them from before Thee.
17. The earth quaked and trembled from the noise of Thy thunder against them; Thou didst not withhold their souls from earth, and Thou didst bring down their lives to the grave.
18. Thou didst pursue them in Thy storm, Thou didst consume them in the whirlwind, Thou didst turn their rain into hail, they fell in floods, so that they could not rise. That Achan stole an idol is asserted in PRE 38 and Tan. Wa-Yesheb 2. Comp, note 33. Sanhedrin 43b, and Yerushalmi 6, 23b; ER 18, 102. Joshua’s prayer and God’s reply to it (Josh. 7, seq.) are embellished with many additional passages in the Haggadah; comp. Sanhedrin 44a; Yerushalmi Ta’anit 1, 65d; Tan. B. IV, 163; Tan. Mass'e 5; BaR 23.6; ER, loc. cit .; Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.13. The Rabbis, as well as Josephus, emphasize the fact that “Joshua used freedom with God”. See also ps.-Philo, 21B. 28 PRE 38; Tan. Wa-Yesheb 2; comp. vol. Ill, 455, and vol. IV, p. 566. An unknown Midrash quoted by Kimhi on Josh. 8.3, reads: Joshua caused the people to pass before the ark; the sinners remained rooted to the soil, without being able to move a step; comp, vol. IV, p. Ill (top) and note 861 on vol. Ill, p. 413. 29 Sanhedrin 43b, and Yerushalmi 6, 23b; Tan. B. IV, 163; Tan. Mass’e 5; BaR 23.6; ER 18, 102. 3° Tan. B. IV, 163; Tan. Mass’e 5; BaR 23.6. 31 Sanhedrin Mishnah 6.2; Tosefta 9.5; Yerushalmi 6, 23b; PRE 38; Tan. Wa-Yesheb 2. Comp. ARN 45, 126, which reads: Three men, by their confessions, lost this world, and gained the world to come: the gatherer of wood on the Sabbath (comp. vol. Ill, p. 240); the blasphemer (comp. vol. Ill, p. 239-240); Achan. See further WR 9.1. That Achan by his confession gained the world to come is also presupposed in ps.-Philo, 25.7; see the quotation therefrom in vol. IV, p. 22 (top). On the question whether the members of his family were executed with him, as Scripture seems to indicate (comp. Josh. 8.24-25), or not, see Sanhedrin 44a; PRE loc. cit.; Neweh Shalom 75-76. According to the Talmud only Achan was executed, but his execution took place in the presence of the members of his family, and that is how Josh. 8.24 is to be understood. The Midrashim, on the other hand, maintain that, together with Achan, all the members of his family were executed, because they had not informed the authorities of the crime committed by him. The statement of Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.14, that Achan was buried at night in a disgraceful manner, suitable for a condemned criminal, is in harmony with the regulations concerning the burial of criminals described in Sanhedrin 6.5, and Babli 46b (top). According to Sanhedrin 44b and WR 9.1, this Achan is identical with Zimri mentioned in 2 Chron. 2.6, and the different names borne 176 Joshua [32-34 by this sinner are explained haggadically. The derivation of the name Achan, py, from Kl’Dy “serpent” (Greek vos) is also given by ps. -Jerome on 2 Chron. 2.7. 3 2 On the reason for the defeat at Ai, see note 23. Yerushalmi Shebi'it 7, 36c; WR 17.6; DR 5.14. On foreign kings who acquired possessions in Palestine, see also vol. Ill, pp. 443,444. In connection with the story of Achan this legend is employed to explain how it came about that he found in Jericho a Babylonian garment (see Josh. 7.21). Comp. Sifre D., 37; BR 85 (end); Tan. Mishpatim 17 and Re ’eh 8; Shir 8.11; Tan. B. II, 86-87, and IV, 86 (this is the source of Makiri, Ps. 84.61); Yelammedenu (?) in Yalkut II, 271, on Jer. 3; ShR 32.3; Tehillim 5, 51. Most of these sources state that the Palestinian viceroy of the king of Babylon resided in Jericho. The former used to send to his overlord Palestinian dates, in exchange for which he would receive articles manufactured in Babylon, like garments and similar things. It is hardly likely that the Haggadah has preserved reminiscences of the time when Palestine stood in political and commercial relations with Babylon, as maintained by Jastrow, Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie, VII, 1-7. On the relations of Palestine with Egypt, according to the Haggadah, see note 2; note 12 on vol. II, p. 251, and note 10 on vol. Ill, p. 8 — The large number of kings in such a small country as Palestine is explained by the Haggadah by assuming that they were representatives of the foreign kings, who were desirous of owning possessions in the Holy Land. 34 Yerushalmi Shebi'it 7, 36c; WR 17.6; DR 5.14; BaR 17.3; Mekilta Bo 18, 21b-22a; Tosefta Shabbat 7(8). 25. In the tannaitic sources it is the Canaanites, or, to be more accurate, the Amorites, who emigrated to Africa, and this is very likely the haggadic way of stating that the Phenicians (=]yio) founded Carthage in Africa. Procopius, II, 20, p. 135, and Suidas, s. v. yjxv 35-43] The Legends of the Jews person”. Superstitious practices are designated in tannaitic, as well as in amoraic texts, as the ‘ ‘ ways of the Amorites ” (comp.Notes 5 — Joshua
19. Their carcasses were like rubbish cast out in the middle of the streets.
20. They were consumed, and they perished before Thee, Thou hast delivered Thy people in Thy might.
21. Therefore our hearts rejoice in Thee, our souls exult in Thy salvation.
22. Our tongues shall relate Thy might, we will sing and praise Thy wondrous works.
23. For Thou didst save us from our enemies, Thou didst deliver us from those who rose up against us, Thou didst destroy them from before us, and depress them beneath our feet.
24. Thus shall all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, and the wicked shall be like chaff driven by the wind, and Thy beloved shall be like trees planted by the waters.
WAR WITH THE ARMENIANS
Joshua's victorious course did not end with the conquest of the land. His war with the Armenians, after Palestine was subdued, marked the climax of his heroic deeds. Among the thirty-one kings whom Joshua had slain, there was one whose son, Shobach by name, was king of Armenia. With the purpose of waging war with Joshua, he united the forty-five kings of Persia and Media, and they were joined by the renowned hero Japheth. The allied kings in a letter informed Joshua of their design against him as follow: "The noble, distinguished council of the kings of Persia and Media to Joshua, peace! Thou wolf of the desert, we well know what thou didst to our kinsmen. Thou didst destroy our palaces; without pity thou didst slay young and old; our fathers thou didst mow down with the sword; and their cities thou didst turn into desert. Know, then, that in the space of thirty days, we shall come to thee, we, the forty-five kings, each having sixty thousand warriors under him, all them armed with bows and arrows, girt about with swords, all of us skilled in the ways of war, and with us the hero Japheth. Prepare now for the combat, and say not afterward that we took thee at unawares."
The messenger bearing the letter arrived on the day before the Feast of Weeks. Although Joshua was greatly wrought up by the contents of the letter, he kept his counsel until after the feast, in order not to disturb the rejoicing of the people. Then, at the conclusion of the feast, he told the people of the message that had reached him, so terrifying that even he, the veteran warrior, trembled at the heralded approach of the enemy. Nevertheless Joshua determined to accept the challenge. From the first words his reply was framed to show the heathen how little their fear possessed him whose trust was set in God. The introduction to his epistle reads as follows: "In the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel, who saps the strength of the iniquitous warrior, and slays the rebellious sinner. He breaks up the assemblies of marauding transgressors, and He gathers together in council the pious and the just scattered abroad, He the God of all gods, the Lord of all lords, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is the Lord of war! From me, Joshua, the servant of God, and from the holy and chosen congregation to the impious nations, who pay worship to images, and prostrate themselves before idols: No peace unto you, saith my God! Know that ye acted foolishly to awaken the slumbering lion, to rouse up the lion's whelp, to excite his wrath. I am ready to pay you your recompense. Be ye prepared to meet me, for within a week I shall be with you to slay your warriors to a man." , e. g., Shabbat, Mishnah 6, end; Tosefta 7[8], passim; Babli 67a-67b). This indicates that the Amorites were considered as magicians and sorcerers. The Apocalypse of Baruch 60.1 and ps.- Philo, 25.10, 26, (bottom) share this opinion with regard to the Amorites. — In the legend concerning the emigration of the Girgashites, the place where they are alleged to have settled is perhaps not Africa (Np’ISN), but the land of the Iberians (Np’“QN = T/Srypt/o)) in Caucasia; comp. Krauss in Monatsschrift, XXXIX, 2, seq.; Harkavy, Ha-Me’assef, 1912, 470; Munk, Palestine, 81; vol. Ill, p. 269; note 45. 35 Gittin 46a. Comp. Tosafot (beginning ]VD). Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.17, dwells upon the inviolability of an oath, as illustrated by the way Israel dealt with the Gibeonites. 36 Yerushalmi Kiddushin 10, 65c; Shemuel 28, 134; BaR 8.4. Comp. vol. IV, p. 110. 37 BaR 8.4; Shemuel 18.133; comp. vol. Ill, p. 64, and vol. IV, p. 110. 38 Berakot 54b; Tan. Wa-Era 16; Ephraem I, 210F. Comp, vol. II, p. 357. 39 PRE 52. On the “seven great miracles”, of which the standstill of the sun is one, see note 272 on vol. I, p. 291. 40 PRE 52, and comp. vol. Ill, p. 61. Opinions differ as to how long the sun stood still; see ‘Abodah Zarah 25a; Targum Hab. 3.11, according to the reading of Mahzor Vitry 171; Shu'aib, Bereshit (end) . The miracle took place on a summer’s day in the month of Tammuz; comp. Seder ‘Olam 11; Aggadat Esther 29. 41 Tan. B. Ill, 68; Tan. Ahare 9; BR 6(end). Comp. vol. Ill, pp. 18-19. Opinions differ as to what is meant by the “ Book of Yashar” of which Joshua spoke on that occasion (Josh. 10.13). Gen., Num., Deut., and Jud. are named by one authority or another as the book to which Joshua referred; comp. BR, loc. cit.-, ‘Abodah Zarah 25a; Yerushalmi Sotah 1, 17; Targum 2 Sam. 1.18 (here the “ Book of Yashar ” — Pentateuch); Jerome, Is. 44.2 and Ezek. 18.4. Comp. Ginzberg, Haggada bei den Kirchenv., 39-41. 44 Tan. B. Ill, 68; Tan. Ahare 9; BR 6(end). 43 Tan. B. Ill, 68; Tan. Ahare 9. On the conception that the praise of God rendered by the pious might take the place of the song chanted by nature to the glory of God, see DR 11.5, and note 947 on vol. Ill, p. 471. 178 Joshua [44-50 44 Yashar Joshua, 135b-136a. As during the war for the defence of the Gibeonites a great miracle was wrought for Joshua, so also later in his war against the united kings of Canaan (see Josh. 11), when the enemies of Israel at the prayer of Joshua “became still as a stone”; Mekilta Shirah 9, 43a. Comp, note 515 on vol. Ill, p. 269. Shulam in his appendix to his edition of Zacuto’s Yuhasin, following a Samaritan chronicle ( = Chronicon Samaritanum, ed. Juynboll, XXVI-XXXII); see also Yalkut Reubeni, Debarim (end), which follows Shulam. That the Canaanites fleeing from J oshua settled in Armenia is asserted also by Moses Choronensis (comp. p. 53) ; but it is not unlikely that the original form of the legend spoke of Arameans and not of Armenians. Observe the name of the hero Shobah, which is identical with that of an Aramean general; see 2 Sam. 10.16 and 18. There is perhaps also some connection between this legend and the one concerning the emigration of the Girgashites (comp. vol. IV, p. 10, top), if we accept the hypothesis that in the latter legend the Georgians (Tewpycoi) in the Caucasus are identical with the biblical Girgashites; comp, references to Krauss, Harkavy, and Munk, in note 34. 46 Seder ‘Olam 11; Mekilta Wa-Yassa‘ 5, 51b; Zebahim 118b, and in many more talmudic and midrashic passages, where the “seven years of conquest ” and “seven years of division ” are spoken of. Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.19, and the Assumption of Moses 2.3 maintain that the war of conquest lasted only five years. 47 Baba Batra 122a, and, in a somewhat different form, Yerushalmi Yoma 4, 41b, where it is stated that the division of the land was carried out by lot, the decision of the Urim and Tummim, and the valuation of the different kinds of the soil allotted. On the last point, see also Josephus, Antiqui., V, 1.21, and vol. Ill, p. 391. The small stones used in casting the lots proclaimed aloud the share allotted to each tribe, crying out: “This is the share of the tribe of Judah, etc.” Comp. vol. Ill, p. 391. Comp. Ma'asiyyot (Gaster’s edition, 114); Yalkut Reubeni, Gen. 1.1, quoting Sode Raza as his authority, whereas in Num. 26.56 Hakam ha-Razin is given as the source. Comp. Raziel 1 la-1 lb; note 70 on vol. IV, p. 96. 4 8 On this plant ( = urginea maritima ) and its use, see Low, in Lewy- Festschrift, 47-53, and Ginzberg, R.E.J., LXVII, 139-140 ( Compte Rendu, 26). 45 Baba Batra 56a; Bezah 25b; Yerushalmi Peah 2, 16d; Tehillim 87, 377. 50 Baba Kamma 81a, where several other ordinances are as179 51-56] The Legends of the Jews cribed to Joshua by some authorities; Tosefta Baba Mezi'a 11.32; Yerushalmi Baba Batra 5, 15a (top). Comp. Bloch, Sha'are Torat ha-Takkanot I, 54-68. The second benediction of Grace after Meal is said to have been composed by Joshua; Berakot 48b; comp. vol. III, p. 50. On Joshua as the author of ‘ Alenu, see note 53 on vol. IV, p. 361. 51 Seder ‘Olam 11. Comp, note 46. 5 3 BR 98.15. Comp. vol. Ill, p. 222. The rabbinic Haggadah has nothing to add to the biblical narrative concerning the erection of the altar by the two and a half tribes (Josh. 22.9, seq.), whereas ps.-Philo, 22: 22D, seq. embellishes this story with many new details. In the days of Joshua the Israelites “took upon themselves the kingdom of heaven” with love, and as a reward God treated them for three hundred years (the period of the judges) with love and patience as a father deals with his children, not as a teacher with his disciples; ER 17, 86. 53 Seder ‘Olam 12; Comp. Ratner, ad loc., and Ginzberg, Haggada bei den Kirchenv., 1-2. s< To commemorate his great victories, the coins struck by Joshua bore the figure of a bullock on the obverse, and a wild ox (Re ’em) on the reverse, in allusion to Moses ’ blessing to his tribe (comp. Deut. 33.17); thus his fame spread through all the world; BR 39.11; Baba Kamma 97b. Comp, note 46 on vol. I, p. 206. 53 Septuagint Josh. (end). 3 6 An unknown Midrash quoted by Rashi, Josh. 24.30. Comp, also Kimhi, ad loc. According to Zohar 1, 53a, Joshua was one of the few mortals who “died free from sin”; comp., to the contrary, vol. Ill, pp. 407-408, and notes 19, 23. 57 Shabbat 105b; Shemuel 23, 114; Ruth R., introduction; Koheleth 7.1. The high priest Eleazar died not long after Joshua, but not before he had completed the Book of Joshua, to which he added the report about the author's (Joshua’s) death; see Baba Batra 15a; Seder ‘Olam 12. Comp. Ginzberg, Unbekannte Sekte, 27 On the burial place of Eleazar, see Midrash Tannaim 107. 180Notes 6 — Joshua
Joshua goes on to recite all the wonders God had done for Israel, who need fear no power on earth; and he ends his missive with the words: "If the hero Japheth is with you, we have in the midst of us the Hero of heroes, the Highest above all the high."
The heathen were not a little alarmed at the tone of Joshua's letter. Their terror grew when the messenger told of the exemplary discipline maintained in the Isrealitish army, of the gigantic stature of Joshua, who stood five ells high, of his royal apparel, of his crown graven with the Name of God. At the end of seven days Joshua appeared with twelve thousand troops. When the mother of King Shobach, who was a powerful witch, espied the host, she exercised her magic art, and enclosed the Isrealitish army in seven walls. Joshua thereupon sent forth a carrier pigeon to communicate his plight to Nabiah, the king of the trans-Jordanic tribes. He urged him to hasten to his help and bring the priest Phinehas and the sacred trumpets with him. Nabiah did not tarry. Before the relief detachment arrived, his mother reported to Shobach that she beheld a star arise out of the East against which her machinations were vain. Shobach threw his mother from the wall, and he himself was soon afterward killed by Nabiah. Meantime Phinehas arrived, and, at the sound of his trumpets, the wall toppled down. A pitched battle ensued, and the heathen were annihilated.
ALLOTMENT OF THE LAND
At the end of seven years of warfare, Joshua could at last venture to parcel out the conquered land among the tribes. This was the way he did it. The high priest Eleazar, attended by Joshua and all the people, and arrayed in the Urim and Thummim, stood before two urns. One of the urns contained the names of the tribes, the other the names of the districts into which the land was divided. The holy spirit caused him to exclaims "Zebulon." When he put his hand into the first urn, lo, he drew forth the word Zebulon, and from the other came the word Accho, meaning the district of Accho. Thus it happened with each tribe in succession. In order that the boundaries might remain fixed, Joshua had had the Hazubah planted between the districts. The rootstock of this plant once established in a spot, it can be extirpated only with the greatest difficulty. The plough may draw deep furrows over it, yet it puts forth new shoots, and grows up again amid the grain, still marking the old division lines.
In connection with the allotment of the land Joshua issued ten ordinances intended, in a measure, to restrict the rights in private property: Pasturage in the woods was to be free to the public at large. Any one was permitted to gather up bits of wood in the field. The same permission to gather up all grasses, wherever they might grow, unless they were in a field that had been sown with fenugreek, which needs grass for protection. For grafting purposes twigs could be cut from any plant except the olive-trees. Water springs belonged to the whole town. It was lawful for any one to catch fish in the Sea of Tiberias, provided navigation was not impeded. The area adjacent to the outer side of a fence about a field might be used by any passer-by to ease nature. From the close of the harvest until the seventeenth day of Marheshwan fields could be crossed. A traveler who lost his way among vineyards could not be held responsible for the damage done in the effort to recover the right path. A dead body found in a field was to be buried on the spot where it was found.
The allotment of the land to the tribes and subdividing each district among the tribesmen took as much time as the conquest of the land.
When the two tribes and a half from the land beyond Jordan returned home after an absence of fourteen years, they were not a little astonished to hear that the boys who had been too young to go to the wars with them had in the meantime shown themselves worthy of the fathers. They had been successful in repulsing the Ishmaelitish tribes who had taken advantage of the absence of the men capable of bearing arms to assault their wives and children.
After a leadership of twenty-eight years, marked with success in war and in peace, Joshua departed this life. His followers laid the knives he had used in circumcising the Israelites into his grave, and over it they erected a pillar as a memorial of the great wonder of the sun's standing still over Ajalon. However, the mourning for Joshua was not so great as might justly have been expected. The cultivation of the recently conquered land so occupied the attention of the tribes that they came nigh forgetting the man to whom chiefly they owed their possession of it. As a punishment for their ingratitude, God, soon after Joshua's death, brought also the life of the high priest Eleazar and of the other elders to a close, and the mount on which Joshua's body was interred began to tremble, and threatened to engulf the Jews.