Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Walter,

> We are told Judah captured Jerusalem and set it on fire, then attacked
> Hebron and the Negeb, but this is contradicted by David's capture of
> Jerusalem and its Jebusite inhabitants :
>
> Judges 1:8-10 RSV
>
> "And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and smote it
> with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. And afterward the men
> of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the hill
> country, in the Negeb and in the lowland. And Judah went against the
> Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron..."
>
> Joshua 6:24) RSV
>
> "And they burned the city [Jericho] with fire and all within it..."
>
> Contradicting the above verses is the statement that _ONLY Hazor was burnt_
> of all the cities conquered by Joshua :
>
> Joshua 11:13 RSV
>
> "But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor
> only; that Joshua burned."


HH: Joshua 11:13 does not contradict Judges 1:8-10, since Judges 
1:8-10 concerns events that followed Joshua's death (Judges 1:1), 
while Joshua 11:13 concerns Joshua's efforts. So the burning of 
Jerusalem in Judges 1:8-10 was years after the events described in 
Josh 11:13.

Joshua 6:24 does not contradict Joshua 11:13 because Joshua 11:13 is 
about a specific campaign by Joshua against the northern kings. The 
description of that campaign begins at Josh 11:1. So the remark in 
Josh 11:13 concerns these northern kings and their cities. See the 
comment in 11:12: "these kings," that is, the northern ones mentioned 
in 11:1-5. The burning of Jericho mentioned in 6:24 happened earlier 
and is not under consideration in 11:13.

                                        Yours,
                                        Harold Holmyard