In the books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy there are many references to Joshua, described in Exodus 24: 13 as the helper of Moses. Joshua was appointed by Moses to lead the Israelites into Canaan when Moses knew that his death was near. The period of the conquest may have been during the last part of the thirteenth century B.C. The account of the conquest is given in the book of Joshua, and is followed by the account of the period of settlement under the leadership of those called 'judges', described in the book of Judges. Joshua and the 'judges' who followed him were charismatic leaders, accepted by the people as 'men of Yahweh' , whom Yahweh had called to leadership.

In Chapter 4 it was suggested that the great historical account which stretches from the book of Joshua to the second book of Kings was written in the form in which we now have it by a writer who may have been one of the Jews in exile in Babylon in the sixth century B.C. The writer uses earlier historical records and ancient traditions to produce a history of his people which is written from a specific viewpoint: he is continually judging the Israelites and their leaders by whether or not they are faithful to the teachings of Moses. Obedience to their covenant relationship with God and the way of life taught to them by Moses were the primary responsibilities of the people of Israel. The writer of Israel's history links times of success and prosperity for the Israelites with obedience to God, and times of disaster with their disobedience.

The teaching about obedience and disobedience which is emphasized so strongly in the book of Deuteronomy is reflected right through the historical books from Joshua to the second book of Kings. The name 'the Deuteronomic history' has been given to this great account to indicate the similarity of outlook between Deuteronomy and the historical books. In the Hebrew Bible, the books from Joshua to Kings are classified together as the 'Former Prophets'. These books not only refer to the great early prophets such as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha, but present Israel's history from the viewpoint of the greatest prophets such as Amos, Hosea and Jeremiah. The teaching of the great prophets is essentially the same teaching with which we have become familiar in the Pentateuch. Israel stands in a covenant relationship with her God; obedience to that covenant will result in blessing, but disobedience will result in disaster. Every generation of Israelites to whom the prophets speak must make their choice between the way of life and the way of death. The task of the prophet is to keep the way of life open in front of Israel.