Kifl Hares, Palestine
Tomb of Joshua (wikipedia.com)
Of all of the major figures of the Exodus period, Joshua was the last survivor. His life and death in the 14th century BC marked the end of Jewish prehistory and the beginning of the Israelite nation. His tomb was the last major shrine associated with the Exodus to be constructed. It has the distinction of being one of the most reliably known tombs from the pre-kingdom era, and is thus one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in Israel. Since the final resting place of Moses was not known with certainty, and the tombs of Aaron and Miriam were far away, it was, and still is, one of the most popular sacred places related to the Exodus.
History
Joshua was a popular leader, and possibly the prince, of the tribe of Ephraim at the time of the Exodus. A prominent figure in the flight from bondage and subsequent conquest of Canaan, he is arguably the third most important figure in the Book of Exodus after Moses and Aaron. He was one of Moses’ chief followers from the beginning, and was the only person to accompany him up onto Mount Sinai when God bestowed the Ten Commandments on the Israelite prophet.
Joshua’s service became even more important during the forty year sojourn in the wilderness. He served as both a military commander and a spy for the Israelites. Along with Caleb of the tribe of Judah, he advised the Israelites to invade Canaan from the south. Although they were voted down by the other tribes, it was their courage and leadership at this time which later led to the preeminence of the tribes of Ephraim and Judah. Throughout the rest of their lives, the two men were both friends and rivals, though Joshua was always the more prominent of the pair. Just before Moses died upon Mount Nebo, it was Joshua and not Caleb that he chose to lead the people into Canaan.
The subsequent military campaigns of Joshua in Canaan have since become legendary, beginning with his miraculous triumph over the mighty city of Jericho. Joshua spent the remainder of his years conquering the petty kingdoms of Canaan, dividing the lands among the Israelite tribes and overseeing the settlement of the cities of the territory of Ephraim. He established his own home at Timnath-Heres. There he later died and was buried in what was probably Israel’s first state funeral.
As much as Moses was the savior of the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, Joshua was the great hero who united the people and established Israel as a nation. His tomb became a revered place, and was remembered and visited by pilgrims even in later years when the other great holy cities of Ephraim had waned in importance. The ancient town of Timnath-Heres, now the Palestian city of Kifl Hares, still receives many visitors at what is the arguably the greatest surviving shrine of the Exodus period.
Visiting
The Tomb of Joshua is a surprisingly unassuming place. Occupying only a small street corner in the middle of downtown Kifl Hares, it can be easily mistaken for a walled compound of a typical residence of the neighborhood, such as might belong to a local middle class citizen. Unfortunately, this sacred Jewish site is usually best recognized by the Arabic graffiti which is usually scrawled all over the outer walls.
The main building is a very simple affair: a white structure with a small dome, reminiscent of the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem. The grave of Joshua, and possibly several other prominent Exodus leaders, lie beneath the dome.
The town of Kifl Hares is located in the Palestinian territory, not too far from Tel Shiloh, about twenty miles north of Jerusalem. Because of its location, the Tomb of Joshua has had difficulties during the last few decades. The site has been vandalized on a number of occasions, and the few Jewish pilgrims that still trickle in often come in the company of Israeli soldiers. As of this writing no other visitor information was available. Web: http://travelpalestine.ps (official tourism website of Palestine)
Other Sites
According to tradition, several other Exodus figures were buried at Timnath-Heres. Notable among these possible sites is the Tomb of Nun, the father of Joshua. Another is the Tomb of Caleb, Joshua’s friend and leader of the tribe of Judah. The legitimacy of both of these claims is disputed, as the former probably died enroute to the Holy Land, while the latter was probably buried in the tribal territory of Judah.
I will buy your book, looks very interesting !!
Thanks! The Complete Christian Pilgrim will be available very soon as well!
Great piece of information. I’m learning from other comments as well. Stay blessed all.
Thank you!
Beautiful picture of his Tomb. . Did not know you could visit it. Is it safe for an American to go there alone ?? I will read your book !!
Looks very interesting !!
I felt very safe, but I went with a tour. Abraham Tours goes there, along with some other fantastic Old Testament sites in the West Bank. Make sure its open, though. It is heavily guarded by the Palestinian authority, and we had to ask very politely for them to let us in (they were very nice and did so).
Since Palestine has no borders, it’s proper to list this as part of Israel, or at least part of Judea.
I do appreciate your comment, so I will allow it. However, The Complete Pilgrim is a non-political website. To the best of my knowledge, Kifl Hares is an Area B which is Palestinian civil control.
God led Joshua to Canaan.
That’s what the Bible says
Estimado Hermanos:
Quería pedirles, que por favor me dé información sobre “Youshe”, un profeta que anunció la llegada del diluvio, junto a Enoch, y que está enterrado en el Jordán.
Espero su pronta respuesta. Quedo muy agradecido de antemano.
Un abrazo fuerte.
You noted that the tomb is located in “Palestine” but that is somewhat inaccurate & misleading because at present, there is no state, nation or country called “Palestine.” The location of the site can more precisely be expressed as either Samaria or northern West Bank.
You make a very good point. For the moment, I am leaving it as Palestine only because of the sheer number of posts I would have to update. But if I have some time, I may update it to either the West Bank or Palestinian Territory.
Howard,
I’m disappointed that you have named the burial site of Joshua (and therefore Nun and Caleb) as in “Palestine” and not in “Israel”. In answering Dov, you mentioned the “West Bank”. The “West Bank” once belonged to Jordan, but not to Palestine. (How large can the “bank” of a river be, anyway?). The presence of Joshua’s burial site is enough to establish, to me anyway, that the area is Israel, despite the debate of if land won in war belongs to the victor or not. Such things is why ISIS destroyed the Tomb of Jonah in Syria – to destroy any evidence of anything different or any testament to any religion other than their radical Islam or any other nationality. I see no problem with Nun being buried there – as you know Joseph’s body was carried for over 40 years through the wilderness to be buried in Israel – so it would not be unlikely to carry the body of a leader (or leader in training as he was to Moses) through the wilderness to the land God promised to be buried as well. We are also told that Caleb was indeed still alive when they returned to the land which God has promised.
Maybe it is because I live here that I have to ask the obvious question. The Hebrew Bible says that Joshua was buried in the town of Timnat Serach in the hill country of Ephraim. Today you tell us that he is buried in Kifl Hares (Serach backwards) in Palestine. Did Joshua conquer Cana’an to be buried in Palestine? So Wikipedia now tells us that Joshua is buried in Palestine. Do you believe Wikipedia or your own tendency towards common sense? Be careful how you answer that. There is One who takes acct. when someone conforms his opinion to be loved in a world of lies.
Hello Dov –
It never occurred to me that Serach is Hares backwards. Interesting. I was reading your comment, and I just want to clarify. Every source I am familiar with places the Tomb of Joshua in Kifl Hares in the West Bank. Am I incorrect? I strive to be accurate in my writings. I will definitely incorporate any updated information if you have any.
Thanks for letting me know there is an issue.
– Howard
Janice say please find the right and complete verification it’s should not be hard to find Get it done Right away from sos and challenging to be accurate and updated