Timeline of Israel's Conquest of Canaan
The timeline of Israel's conquest of Canaan, as described in the biblical books of Numbers and Joshua, spans several years, beginning with initial victories east of the Jordan River and culminating in the distribution of land to the Israelite tribes. The conquest was not a single, swift campaign but a series of military engagements over an extended period [1, 2].
Before crossing the Jordan into Canaan proper, Israel achieved significant victories under Moses. These included the defeat of King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, whose territories were located east of the Jordan River [4, 5]. These early conquests, detailed in Numbers 21:21-35, served as a precursor to the main conquest of Canaan and demonstrated God's promise to assist His people [4]. The Arnon River, which flows into the Dead Sea, marked the starting point of these eastern conquests [3].
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, an event that established their presence in the land and instilled fear among the Canaanite inhabitants [6]. The capture of Jericho was a pivotal early victory in the western campaign [6]. The conquest then proceeded in distinct phases:
- Southern Campaign: Joshua led campaigns that secured control over southern Canaan, as mentioned in Joshua 10:40-41 [7].
- Northern Campaign: Following the southern victories, Israel engaged in a northern campaign, described in Joshua 11:1-15, which extended their control over the northern parts of the land [7].
While the initial victories in both the southern and northern campaigns were decisive, the overall process of taking fortified cities and securing the land was lengthy [2]. Adam Clarke estimates that the entire conquest likely required six or seven years [1]. This timeframe is supported by chronological details within the biblical text. For instance, Caleb was forty years old when he was sent to scout the land from Kadesh-barnea. At the conclusion of the war, he was eighty-five years old, indicating a period of forty-five years between the scouting mission and the end of the conquest. Since the scouting occurred approximately five years before the crossing of the Jordan, this places the duration of the conquest itself at around five years [1, 2]. The Tyndale House commentary also suggests the total campaign for Canaan lasted perhaps five years after Israel crossed the Jordan River [2].
Joshua 11:16-17 provides a retrospective view of the conquest, summarizing Joshua's success in taking "all this land," encompassing both the southern and northern regions, from the "bald mountain which goeth up to Seir" in the south to "Baal-gad, in the valley of Lebanon under Hermon" in the north [7]. Chapter 12 of Joshua further summarizes these conquests, listing the kings subdued by Moses on the east side of the Jordan and the thirty-one kings defeated by Joshua on the west side [3, 5]. This summary serves as a transition to the subsequent distribution of the land among the tribes of Israel [3].
Sources
- Joshua (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Joshua 11:18: Joshua made war a long time - The whole of these conquests were not effected in one campaign: they probably required six or seven years. There are some chronological notices in this book, and in Deuteronomy, by which the exact time may be nearly ascertained. Caleb was forty years old when he was sent from Kadesh-barnea by Moses to search out the land, about A.M. 2514; and at the end of this war he was eighty-five years old; (compare Jos 14:10 with Numbers 13, and Deuteronomy 1); consequently the war ended in 2559, which had begun, by the passage of Jordan, on the t”
- Joshua (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Joshua 11:18: 11:18 Although the initial victories in both the southern and the northern campaigns were quick and decisive, it took a long time to take fortified cities. After Israel crossed the Jordan River, the total campaign for Canaan lasted perhaps five years (see 14:10).”
- Joshua (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Joshua 12:1: 12:1-24 This chapter summarizes Israel’s conquests on both sides of the Jordan and transitions to Joshua’s distribution of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel (ch 13). 12:1 The Arnon River flows into the Dead Sea midway down its eastern side, creating the Arnon Gorge. Israel began its conquests here (see Num 21:13-15, 21-35). • Mount Hermon lies twenty-five miles north-northeast of the Sea of Galilee.”
- Numbers (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Numbers 21:21: 21:21-35 The Israelite victories over King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan were previews of the Hebrew conquest of Canaan and came to represent God’s promise to assist his people in their time of need (cp. 13:10-12; Deut 2:24–3:7; Josh 2:10; 9:10; 12:1-6; Judg 11:19-22; Neh 9:22; Pss 135:10-12; 136:17-22; Jer 48:45-46). • Because Israel had left the wilderness (cp. Num 21:18, 23) before arriving at Pisgah (21:20), this account is probably a flashback of something that took place before the movement described in 21:18-20. 21:21-24 The territory of King Sih”
- Joshua (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Joshua 12 (introduction): This chapter is a summary of Israel's conquests. I. Their conquests under Moses, on the other side Jordan (for we now suppose ourselves in Canaan) eastward, which we had the history of, Num 21:24, etc. And here the abridgment of that history (Jos 12:1-6). II. Their conquests under Joshua, on this side Jordan, westward. 1. The country they reduced (Jos 12:7, Jos 12:8). 2. The kings they subdued, thirty-one in all (v. 9-24). And this comes in here, not only as a conclusion of the history of the wars of Canaan (that we might at one view see what they had”
- Joshua (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Joshua 6:27: 6:27 As the first chapter in Israel’s conquest of Canaan closed, both the Israelites and the Canaanites could see that the Lord was with Joshua, as he had promised (1:5, 9; cp. 4:14). Crossing the Jordan and taking Jericho established Israel’s presence in the land, causing the people of Canaan to fear Israel and Israel’s God.”
- Joshua (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Joshua 11:16: Retrospective View of the Conquest of the Whole Land. - Jos 11:16, Jos 11:17. Joshua took all this land, namely, those portions of Southern Canaan that have already been mentioned in Jos 10:40-41; also the Arabah, and the mountains of Israel and its lowlands (see Jos 11:2), i.e., the northern part of the land (in the campaign described in Jos 11:1-15), that is to say, Canaan in all its extent, "from the bald mountain which goeth up to Seir" in the south, "to Baal-gad, in the valley of Lebanon under Hermon." The "bald mountain" (Halak), which is mentioned here ”