The Book of Joshua does not name its author, but Jewish and Christian tradition generally attribute most of it to Joshua son of Nun, with later editors adding the sections about his death and some closing notes.

Who wrote Joshua? (Quick Scoop)

  • The text itself is anonymous ; nowhere does it explicitly say, “Joshua wrote this book.”
  • Ancient Jewish tradition (e.g., the Talmud) and early Christian writers credit Joshua with writing the majority of it.
  • Many modern conservative scholars think Joshua likely wrote or dictated most of the core narrative, especially the conquest and settlement stories.
  • The final chapters that describe Joshua’s death and later events were probably added by another figure such as Eleazar the priest, Phinehas, or elders who outlived Joshua.

Internal clues people point to

  • Some passages appear to reflect eyewitness perspective (e.g., first‑person “we” in some manuscripts of Joshua 5:1), which supports the idea that at least part comes from someone present at the events.
  • The book preserves very old place names and local details, which many see as evidence of an early source close to Joshua’s time.

What scholars say today

  • Traditional view: Joshua is the main author, with a few later editorial additions (especially the death narrative in Joshua 24:29–33).
  • Critical view: The book is a later historical-theological composition that used older sources, possibly including material that goes back to Joshua, but arranged and edited by later writers.

Simple takeaway

When people ask “who wrote Joshua,” the mainstream traditional answer is: Joshua wrote most of it, and later followers finished and edited it after his death.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.