Joshua 5:14

5:14 He answered, ¹  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. ²  Now I have arrived!” ³  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground ⁴  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Joshua 6:10

6:10 Now Joshua had instructed the army, ⁵  “Do not give a battle cry ⁶  or raise your voices; say nothing ⁷  until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’ ⁸  Then give the battle cry!” ⁹ 

Joshua 7:11

7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ¹⁰  They have taken some of the riches; ¹¹  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ¹² 

Joshua 11:20

11:20 for the Lord determined to make them obstinate so they would attack Israel. He wanted Israel to annihilate them without mercy, as he had instructed Moses. ¹³ 

¹ 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.

² 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.

³ 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.

⁴ tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”

⁵ tn Heb “the people.”

⁶ tn Or “the shout.”

⁷ tn Heb “do not let a word come out of your mouths.”

⁸ tn Or “the shout.”

⁹ tn Or “the shout.”

⁹ tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

¹¹ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

¹³ tn Heb “for from the Lord it was to harden their heart[s] to meet for the battle with Israel, in order to annihilate them, so that they would receive no mercy, in order annihilate them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”