The South-North Divide in the Conquest Narrative (Joshua 1–12)

The book of Joshua distinguishes in several ways between the Israelite conquest of the »south« – what will later become the kingdom of Judah, and the conquest of the »north« – the area of the future northern kingdom of Israel. The south was conquered »at a single stroke,« accomplished through miracles »for the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel« (Josh 10:42); while in the north »Joshua waged war with all those kings over a long period« (Josh 11:18), and was not aided by any supernatural phenomena. Other differences relate to the character of the enemies in the north and the south and to the type of battle Joshua fought against them. The southerners are Amorites or Hivites, and they are entrenched within fortified cities. The battles against them are focused on cities and their fortifications. The northerners are Canaanites, masters of chariots and horses, and they fight pitched battles in the open field. This paper proposes that the most plausible historical-ideological setting for this south-north divide is the memory of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the ninth-eighth centuries bce, when Israel had inhabitants with identifiable Canaanite backgrounds, sustained a substantial chariot force, and participated in pitched battles, while Judah did not. This memory informed the pre-Dtr. literary strata from the end of the eighth century bce, and was later reinforced by the Dtr. editor of the Conquest Narrative, from the seventh century bce or later, adding a value judgement – the conquest of the south was achieved at one stroke, while the conquest of the north lasted many days.