The book of Joshua details the conquests of land in Palestine by ancient Israel. For modern readers, the story can touch a nerve; its chronicle of brutality and genocide can be seen to parallel more recent history. The book of Joshua has many textual problems, primarily differences between the Hebrew and Greek texts. Much of the inconsistency stems from the varied forms of storytelling in the book, including war narratives, folktales, sermons, and city lists. In this commentary, Richard D. Nelson addresses the textual issues and offers historical, literary, and theological insights into Joshua.
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