Final Preparations Before Entering Canaan
| No. | Case | Timeline | Bible Verses | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189 | Death of Moses | Year 40, Month 12 | Deuteronomy 34:1–8 | Moses went up to Mount Nebo, viewed the Promised Land, and died there according to the word of the Lord. His death marked the end of the Mosaic era before Israel’s entry into Canaan. |
| 190 | Mourning for Moses | Year 40, Month 12 to Year 41, Month 1 | Deuteronomy 34:8 | Israel mourned Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. This period provided a formal transition from Moses’ leadership to Joshua’s. |
| 191 | Joshua assumes leadership | Year 41, Month 1 | Deuteronomy 34:9; Joshua 1:1–2 | Joshua, already commissioned by Moses, now becomes Israel’s recognised leader. He is described as being filled with the spirit of wisdom and is commanded by the Lord to lead the people across the Jordan. |
| 192 | Joshua prepares the people to cross Jordan | Year 41, Month 1 | Joshua 1:10–11 | Joshua instructed the officers of the people to go through the camp and tell the Israelites to prepare provisions, because they would cross the Jordan within three days. |
| 193 | Joshua sends spies to Jericho | Year 41, Month 1 | Joshua 2:1 | Joshua secretly sent two spies from Shittim to inspect Jericho and the surrounding land. This was a strategic reconnaissance mission before the crossing and the first assault in Canaan. |
| 194 | Rahab hides the spies | Year 41, Month 1 | Joshua 2:2–7 | Rahab concealed the spies on her roof and misdirected the king of Jericho’s men. Her action protected the spies and showed her faith in the God of Israel. |
| 195 | Spies return to Joshua | Year 41, Month 1 | Joshua 2:23–24 | The spies returned after crossing back over the Jordan and reported to Joshua that the Lord had delivered the land into Israel’s hands and that fear had fallen on its inhabitants. |
| 196 | Israel encamped in the plains of Moab before Jordan crossing | Year 41, Month 1, about 3–4 days before crossing | Numbers 22:1; Joshua 2:1; Joshua 3:1 | Israel remained camped east of the Jordan in the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho. This served as the final staging ground before the crossing into Canaan. |
| 197 | Officers command preparation of provisions | Year 41, Month 1 | Joshua 1:10–11 | Following Joshua’s instruction, the officers passed through the camp and ordered the people to prepare food and supplies for the imminent crossing. |
| 198 | Reuben, Gad and Manasseh pledge support | Year 41, Month 1 | Joshua 1:12–18 | The tribes that had received land east of the Jordan reaffirmed their promise to go armed with Israel until the land west of the Jordan had also been secured. |
| 199 | Priests carry the Ark toward the Jordan | Year 41, Month 1 | Joshua 3:3, 6, 14 | The priests took up the Ark of the Covenant and moved ahead of the people towards the Jordan. The Ark signified the Lord’s presence leading Israel into the land. |
| 200 | Crossing of the Jordan River | Year 41, Month 1, Day 10 | Joshua 3:14–17; Joshua 4:19 | As the priests stepped into the Jordan, the waters stopped, and Israel crossed on dry ground. The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and entered Canaan, camping at Gilgal near Jericho. |
Explanation of the table
This section of the timeline records one of the most decisive transitions in the whole Exodus-to-Canaan narrative. The death of Moses closes the wilderness generation’s leadership era, while Joshua’s rise opens the conquest period. The table therefore captures a major transfer of authority, a major geographical breakthrough, and a major covenant milestone.
The most significant event in this section is the crossing of the Jordan River. In narrative and theological terms, it functions as the counterpart to the crossing of the Red Sea. At the Red Sea, Israel left bondage behind; at the Jordan, Israel entered inheritance. The Jordan crossing is therefore not merely a travel event but a covenant breakthrough. It marks the movement from promise to possession, from wilderness wandering to territorial fulfilment, and from preparation to occupation (Howard, 1998; Hess, 1996).
Another major turning point is the death of Moses. Moses remains the foundational leader of Israel’s deliverance, covenant formation, and wilderness governance, yet he does not personally bring the people into the land. This creates a powerful literary and theological transition. The mission continues, but the leadership changes. Joshua’s assumption of authority shows continuity rather than rupture: the same God who spoke through Moses now commissions Joshua to complete the next stage of redemptive history (Butler, 1983).
A further breakthrough appears in the spy mission to Jericho and Rahab’s intervention. This episode shows that the conquest will involve not only military action but also moral and spiritual recognition of God’s sovereignty among the nations. Rahab becomes an early sign that Canaan is not approached simply as a battlefield but also as a place where allegiance to the Lord can reorder identity and destiny. Her protection of the spies stands in sharp contrast to Jericho’s fear and resistance (Hess, 1996).
In overall terms, the table is important because it connects three settings smoothly: the plains of Moab, the Jordan River, and Gilgal near Jericho. These are not random stops. Moab is the final waiting ground, the Jordan is the boundary crossing, and Gilgal becomes the first covenant foothold inside the land. Together they form the threshold sequence through which Israel moves from expectation into occupation. This makes the whole table a compact but crucial bridge between Deuteronomy and Joshua, between wilderness history and land history, and between Moses’ closing ministry and Joshua’s opening campaign.
References
Butler, T.C., 1983. Joshua. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Hess, R.S., 1996. Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press.
Howard, D.M., 1998. Joshua. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.
The Holy Bible, 2011. New International Version. London: Hodder & Stoughton.