Timeline for Joshua

OVERVIEW TIMELINE OF JOSHUA/JUDGES/RUTH

This is perhaps the hardest era in Israelite history to gauge time for. There are many things to consider. First, we do not know when Joshua was born, so we do not know how long his rule was. We can surmise from certain clues in Scripture that he was a young man when he first began serving Moses, and that he was over 20 when the exodus began. Given these clues, we can surmise that Joshua’s rule was about 40 to 50 years. Second, we do not know how long the Israelites remained faithful after Joshua died. Third, we do not know how long it took after the death of Joshua, or some of the judges, for the Israelites to fall into oppression.

Whatever the case, we have three key Scriptures that give us some clue as to the timing of some of these events. The first is Judges 11:26. Jephthah is giving a history lesson to the Ammonites, how for 300 years they have held this land. The land Jephthah is referring to is just east of the Jordan which was conquered in Numbers 21. This land bordered that of the Ammonites. It is likely Jephthah is offering a rounded figure rather than something exact, but it is still helpful. The second is in 1 Kings 6:1. This is the construction of the temple in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. It is stated that it had been 480 years since the exodus. Doing some math, and assuming 80 years for the combined reigns of Saul and David, that leaves 357 years for the conquest and rule of Joshua through the period of the judges, and about 307 to 317 years after Joshua died.

Fig. 1 – Timeline showing where Judges 11:26 and 1 Kings 6:1 fall into place. We do not know when Caleb dies, but the black line in his timeline shows where he receives his inheritance in Joshua 14. Othniel is represented here, estimating he was 20 when he took Debir in Joshua 15 and Judges 1. Since he is also the first judge, we have some idea when he died, over 48 years after the death of Joshua. Eleazar, the son of Aaron, is here, and appears to die not long after Joshua in the narrative. Phinehas, his son, is also here. He is estimated to be 20 when he killed Zimri and Cozbi in Numbers 25. He appears in Judges 20:28 as a high priest. This will be addressed later, as will the length of the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon.

To be continued …