The chapter is, in fact, not a continuation of the Book of Joshua
at all, but a parallel to it, which, while it presupposes the
conquest of the east-Jordan lands, does not speak of the
west-Jordan lands as conquered, but tells the story of the
conquest, and that in a manner somewhat differing from the other
source. From Gilgal, where the "Angel of Jehovah" first set up
his tent, the tribes march out one by one to conquer their "lot"
by fighting; first Judah, then Joseph. We hear only of these two,
and with regard to Joseph we only hear of the very beginning of
the conquest of his land. There is no mention of Joshua; nor
would his figure as commander-general of Israel suit the view here
given of the situation; though it would very well admit of him as
leader of his tribe. The incompleteness of the conquest is
acknowledged unreservedly; the Canaanites lived on quietly in the
cities of the plain, and not till the period of the monarchy,
when Israel had grown strong, were they subdued and made tributary.
This chapter, as well as the main stem of the Book of Judges,
corresponds to the Jehovistic stratum of the tradition, to which
also passages in Joshua, of an identical or similar import, may
be added without hesitation.
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