Joshua 15:16-17 – Why does Caleb give his daughter to marry his brother?

Problem: Caleb said, “The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter as a wife” (Josh. 15:16). But then his brother Othniel volunteers to do capture Kiriath-sepher and succeeds. Thus we read, “Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it; so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife” (Josh. 15:17). Why does Caleb allow for incest of this magnitude?
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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching

Joshua 10:13 – Why don’t we have this book?

Problem: When critics see other books mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, they usually raise questions about the Hebrew canon: Were there many other holy books that never made it into the Bible? The Book of Jasher is mentioned here and in 1 Samuel 1:18. Is this an example of a “holy book” that never made it into the canon of Scripture?
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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching

Joshua 9:1-27 – Why would Israel keep their oath with the Gibeonites?

Problem: The Gibeonites had heard about how Israel was taking down each and every one of their cities (Josh. 9:3). They banned together and deceived the Israelites by pretending that they had come from a “far country” (Josh. 9:9) –even though Gibeon is only about a day’s journey away. However, after finding out that they were enemies (Josh. 9:16), the Jews did not attack them (Josh. 9:18). Why would they honor an oath with these deceivers that became such a problem down the road in their history (see 2 Sam. 21:1ff)?
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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching