It is helpful to have clear in one’s mind the place which the book of Joshua occupies in the historical thread of the Old Testament books as concerns Israel Simply stated, the Old Testament history of Israel is of three eras,3 centered around a land (Canaan) and a government (theocracy [God as Ruler]), as shown by Chart 28 As noted in chapter 1, the arrangement of the Hebrew Old Testament is vastly di erent from that of the Protestant Old Testament, though the text content is identical The Hebrew Old Testament contains three groups, namely, Law, Prophets, and Writings The Prophets section is divided into two parts: Former and Latter Joshua is the rst book of the Former Prophets, followed in order by Judges, Samuel (1 and Samuel), and Kings (1 and Kings) Placing Joshua among prophetical books may have been because its author was considered to hold the o ce of prophet; more likely it was because the historical record illustrated the great principles which prophets preached.4 Before you study the Bible text of Joshua, become acquainted with the geography involved in the narrative Map H marks the major movements of the Israelite hosts against the enemies, which fall naturally into three general campaigns: a) the central campaign—to secure a bridgehead for the Israelites in the center of the land, from which to spread out b) the southern campaign—to rout the nearest foes c) the northern campaign—to gain control of the distant territory Map I shows how Joshua divided the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes after the ... noted in chapter 1, the arrangement of the Hebrew Old Testament is vastly di erent from that of the Protestant Old Testament, though the text content is identical The Hebrew Old Testament contains... bridgehead for the Israelites in the center of the land, from which to spread out b) the southern campaign—to rout the nearest foes c) the northern campaign—to gain control of the distant territory... acquainted with the geography involved in the narrative Map H marks the major movements of the Israelite hosts against the enemies, which fall naturally into three general campaigns: a) the central