Joshua 3:8

3:8 Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, ‘When you reach the bank of the Jordan River, ¹  wade into the water.’” ² 

Joshua 5:14

5:14 He answered, ³  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. ⁴  Now I have arrived!” ⁵  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground ⁶  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Joshua 10:40

10:40 Joshua defeated the whole land, including the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, ⁷  the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivors. He annihilated everything that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.

Joshua 13:31

13:31 Half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities in the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were assigned to the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh, to half the descendants of Makir by their clans.

¹ tn Heb “the edge of the waters of the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.

² tn Heb “stand in the Jordan.” Here the repetition of the word “Jordan” would be redundant according to contemporary English style, so it was not included in the translation.

³ tc Heb “He said, “Neither.” An alternative reading is לוֹ (lo, “[He said] to him”; cf. NEB). This reading is supported by many Hebrew mss, as well as the LXX and Syriac versions. The traditional reading of the MT (לֹא, lo’, “no, neither”) is probably the product of aural confusion (the two variant readings sound the same in Hebrew). Although followed by a number of modern translations (cf. NIV, NRSV), this reading is problematic, for the commander of the Lord’s army would hardly have declared himself neutral.

⁴ sn The Lord’s heavenly army, like an earthly army, has a commander who leads the troops. For the phrase שַׂר־צְבָא (sar-tsÿva’, “army commander”) in the human sphere, see among many other references Gen 21:22, 32; 26:26; Judg 4:2, 7; 1 Sam 12:9.

⁵ sn The commander’s appearance seems to be for Joshua’s encouragement. Joshua could now lead Israel into battle knowing that the Lord’s invisible army would ensure victory.

⁶ tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”

⁵ tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”