John Chrysostom, Synopsis of Sacred Scripture

in the desert, and for this reason 56.337 most of their fighting men were uncircumcised, who also perished; but in their place he raised up their sons, whom Joshua circumcised, because they had become uncircumcised on the way. Then he kept the Passover. And on the day they ate unleavened bread from the grain of that land, the manna ceased. Joshua is commanded to take off his sandal, and to circle Jericho with trumpets and the ark for seven days. When this was done, the walls fell down on their own. It is clear then that from that time the Sabbath began to be broken; for wherever one might begin, it is necessary for the Sabbath to fall within the six days. Then Rahab is saved along with her kindred, and dwells in Israel, but the city is burned and devoted to destruction, and Joshua pronounced a curse on anyone who would rebuild it. Achan stole from the devoted things, and the people are defeated when they attack another city. Joshua prays to God, God commands that the devoted thing be removed. Achan was identified, the theft was exposed, Achan was stoned with his sons and daughters. Joshua renewed the battle, and took Gaza, and burned it; and twelve thousand fell in it; and they hanged the king of the city on a tree. The kings of the Amorites and Canaanites, and the rest, gather to fight Israel. Joshua builds an altar of whole stones and writes the Deuteronomy there. And half of them stand near Mount Ebal, and half near Mount Gerizim. From here, the events concerning the Gibeonites. For they, having heard about the Israelites, and fearing them because of what they had already accomplished against their enemies, come to them, putting on old garments, carrying dry bread, worn-out sandals, and they say to the people that they have come from a far country, and as a sign of their living far away, they used the garments, and the bread, and the sandals. For they said that these had become worn out on the journey; and that they had come to make a treaty of peace with them. But they, not having asked God, made a treaty. But when they realized they had been deceived, and that they did not live far away, but nearby, being unable to fight against them because of the oaths, they made them slaves, woodcutters and water-carriers. Here the prophecy of Noah is fulfilled, which he spoke: Canaan shall be a servant's slave; for they are from him. Adoni-bezek king of Jerusalem heard that Jericho and Gaza had been captured, and that the Gibeonites had deserted to them, and he marches against them with other kings. But they called upon Joshua for an alliance. And he came and joined battle, and routed them; and from above hail was brought down upon them; and the hail killed more than the sons of Israel did with the sword. Then the sun stood still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Elom; and Joshua killed all the people of the enemies, and the five kings. And he took Makkedah, and Libnah, and Lachish, and Odolam, and Hebron, and Dabir, and the hill country, and the plain. Other many kings gathered with large armies, and Joshua captured these. And their names and cities, and the 56.338 number, are included here. And Joshua is commanded to distribute the land to the Israelites. And he describes which tribe received which lots, and what was to be given to the Levites. Joshua sends away the tribe of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh to their inheritances, which they had received while Moses was still living. And when they had departed, they built an altar beside the Jordan. This disturbed the other tribes. For they thought they had done this for the sake of apostasy. They send to them to accuse them; but they defended themselves, saying that they did not build the altar for the sake of apostasy; but so that those born after you might not treat our sons as foreigners to their own kindred, because the Jordan flows between both; but that the altar might be for a testimony, so that your children could not say to our descendants, You have no part in the Lord. The remaining tribes were persuaded not to make war on them any longer. Then

τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπερίτμητοι 56.337 ἦσαν αὐτῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν μαχίμων, οἳ καὶ ἀπώλοντο· ἀντὶ δὲ τούτων ἀντικατέστησε τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν, οὓς ὁ Ἰησοῦς περιέτεμε, διὰ τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἀπεριτμήτους ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ. Τότε ἐποίησε τὸ πάσχα. Καὶ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἔφαγον ἄζυμα ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης, ἐξέλιπε τὸ μάννα. Κελεύεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς λῦσαι τὸ ὑπόδημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ κυκλῶσαι τὴν Ἱεριχῶ μετὰ σαλπίγγων καὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἡμέρας ἑπτά. Οὗ γενομένου αὐτόματα ἔπεσον τὰ τείχη. ∆ῆλον οὖν ὅτι ἔκτοτε ἀρχὴν ἔλαβε λύεσθαι τὸ σάββατον· ὅθεν γὰρ ἂν ἄρξηταί τις, ἀνάγκη τὸ σάββατον ἐμπεσεῖν ἐν ταῖς ἓξ ἡμέραις. Τότε σώζεται μὲν ἡ Ῥαὰβ μετὰ τῆς συγγενείας αὐτῆς, καὶ οἰκεῖ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐμπιπρᾶται δὲ ἡ πόλις καὶ ἀναθεματίζεται, καὶ κατηράσατο Ἰησοῦς τῷ οἰκοδομοῦντι αὐτήν. Ἔκλεψεν ἐκ τοῦ ἀναθέματος Ἄχαρ, καὶ ἡττᾶται ὁ λαὸς προσβαλὼν ἑτέρᾳ πόλει. ∆εῖται τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦς, κελεύει ὁ Θεὸς ἐξαρθῆναι τὸ ἀνάθεμα. Ἀνεδείχθη ὁ Ἄχαρ, ἠλέγχθη τὸ κλέμμα, ἐλιθοβολήθη μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων ὁ Ἄχαρ. Ἀνεμαχέσατο Ἰησοῦς τὴν μάχην, καὶ εἷλετὴν Γάζαν, καὶ ἐνεπύρισε· καὶ ἔπεσον ἐν αὐτῇ δώδεκα χιλιάδες· καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς πόλεως ἐκρέμασαν ἐπὶ ξύλου. Συνέρχονται πολεμῆσαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων καὶ Χαναναίων, καὶ οἱ λοιποί. Οἰκοδομεῖ Ἰησοῦς θυσιαστήριον ἐκ λίθων ὁλοκλήρων καὶ γράφει τὸ ∆ευτερονόμιον ἐκεῖ. Καὶ οἱ ἡμίσεις ἵστανται πλησίον τοῦ ὄρους Γεβὰλ, καὶ οἱ ἡμίσεις πλησίον τοῦ ὄρους Γαριζίν. Ἐντεῦθεν τὰ κατὰ τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας. Οὗτοι γὰρ ἀκούσαντες περὶ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, καὶ φοβηθέντες αὐτοὺς ἐξ ὧν ἤδη κατώρθωσαν ἐν τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτοὺς, παλαιὰ περιθέμενοι ἱμάτια, ἄρτους ἐπιφερόμενοι ξηροὺς, σανδάλια πεπαλαιωμένα, καί φασι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, ὅτι ἐκ γῆς πόῤῥωθεν ἥκουσι, καὶ σημεῖον τοῦ πόῤῥω οἰκεῖν, τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους, καὶ τὰ σανδάλια ἐποιοῦντο. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτὰ πεπαλαιῶσθαι ἔλεγον· ἥκειν δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ συνθήκας ποιήσασθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰρήνης. Οἱ δὲ μὴ ἐρόμενοι τὸν Θεὸν, ἐποιήσαντο συνθήκας. Ὡς δὲ ἔγνωσαν ἠπατημένοι, καὶ ὅτι οὐ πόῤῥω, ἀλλὰ πλησίον οἰκοῦσι, μὴ δυνάμενοι αὐτοὺς καταπολεμῆσαι διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους, δούλους ἐποιήσαντο ξυλοκόπους τε καὶ ὑδροφόρους. Ἐνταῦθα ἐκβαίνει ἡ πρόῤῥησις τοῦ Νῶε, ἣν εἶπε· Χαναὰν παῖς οἰκέτης· ἐξ ἐκείνου γάρ εἰσιν οὗτοι. Ἤκουσεν Ἀδωνιβεζὲκ βασιλεὺς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὅτι ἑάλω Ἱεριχὼ καὶ Γάζα, καὶ ὅτι ηὐτομόλησαν οἱ Γαβαωνῖται, καὶ ἐπιστρατεύει ἐπ' αὐτοὺς μετὰ καὶ ἑτέρων βασιλέων. Οἱ δὲ ἐκάλουν εἰς συμμαχίαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Ἦλθε δὲ καὶ συνέβαλε, καὶ ἐτρέψατο αὐτούς· καὶ ἄνωθεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς χάλαζα κατηνέχθη· καὶ πλείους ἀνεῖλεν ἡ χάλαζα, ἢ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν μαχαίρᾳ. Τότε ἔστη ὁ ἥλιος κατὰ Γαβαὼν, καὶ ἡ σελήνη κατὰ φάραγγα Ἐλώμ· καὶ πάντα τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὸν λαὸν ἀπέκτεινεν Ἰησοῦς, καὶ πέντε βασιλεῖς. Εἷλε δὲ καὶ τὴν Μακηλὰ, καὶ τὴν Λοβνὰ, καὶ τὴν Λαχὶς, καὶ τὴν Ὀδολὰν, καὶ τὴν Χεβρὼν, καὶ τὴν ∆αβὴρ, καὶ τὴν ὀρεινὴν, καὶ τὴν πεδινήν. Συνῆλθον ἕτεροι βασιλεῖς πολλοὶ μετὰ στρατοπέδων μεγάλων, καὶ τούτους εἷλεν Ἰησοῦς. Ἔγκειται δὲ αὐτῶν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ αἱ πόλεις, καὶ ὁ 56.338 ἀριθμός. Προστάσσεται δὲ Ἰησοῦς διαδοῦναι τὴν γῆν τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις. Καὶ διαγράφει τίς φυλὴ τίνας κλήρους ἔλαβε, καὶ τοῖς Λευΐταις τί δοθῇ. Ἐκπέμπεται Ἰησοῦς τὴν φυλὴν Ῥουβὶμ καὶ τὴν Γὰδ καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ φυλῆς Μανασσῆ εἰς τοὺς κλήρους αὐτῶν, οὓς ἔλαβον ἔτι ζῶντος Μωϋσέως. Οἱ δὲ ἀπελθόντες, παρὰ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ᾠκοδόμησαν βωμόν. Ἐτάραξε τοῦτο τὰς ἄλλας φυλάς. Ὤοντο γὰρ ἀποστασίας ἕνεκεν τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι αὐτούς. Πέμπουσι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐγκαλοῦντες· οἱ δὲ ἀπελογοῦντο λέγοντες, οὐκ ἀποστασίας ἕνεκεν οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν βωμόν· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἔχωσιν οἱ μεθ' ὑμᾶς γενόμενοι τοὺς ἡμετέρους υἱοὺς ὡς ἀλλοτρίους τῆς ἑαυτῶν συγγενείας, διὰ τὸ τὸν Ἰορδάνην μέσον ἑκατέρων ῥεῖν· ἀλλ' ἵνα ᾖ ὁ βωμὸς εἰς μαρτύριον, καὶ μὴ ἔχωσι λέγειν τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν τοῖς ἐγγόνοις ἡμῶν, Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῖν μερὶς Κυρίου. Ἐπείσθησαν μηκέτι πολεμῆσαι αὐτοὺς αἱ λοιπαὶ φυλαί. Τότε