Joshua 7:8

7:8 If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated 1  before its enemies?

Joshua 4:6

4:6 The stones 2  will be a reminder to you. 3  When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’

Joshua 4:21

4:21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’ 4 

Joshua 15:18

15:18 One time Acsah 5  came and charmed her father 6  so that she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?”

Joshua 22:24

22:24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that 7  in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? 8 

Joshua 5:14

5:14 He answered, 9  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. 10  Now I have arrived!” 11  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground 12  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Joshua 7:19

7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor 13  the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!”

Joshua 7:25

7:25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster 14  on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.) 15 

Joshua 22:16

22:16 “The entire community of the Lord says, ‘Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord. 16 

1 tn Heb “turned [the] back.”

2 tn Heb “that this may be”; the referent of “this” (the twelve stones) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

3 tn Heb “in order that this might be a sign among you.”

3 tn Heb “What are these stones?”

4 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 tn Heb “him.” The referent of the pronoun could be Othniel, in which case the translation would be, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 19. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18//Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. This incident is also recorded in Judg 1:14.

5 tn Heb “Surely, from worry concerning a matter we have done this, saying.”

6 tn Heb “What is there to you and to the Lord God of Israel?” The rhetorical question is sarcastic in tone and anticipates a response, “Absolutely none!”

6 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.

7 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.

8 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.

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

7 tn Heb “give glory to.”

8 tn Or “trouble.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).

9 tc Heb “and they burned them with fire and they stoned them with stones.” These words are somewhat parenthetical in nature and are omitted in the LXX; they may represent a later scribal addition.

9 tn Heb “What is this unfaithfulness with which you have been unfaithful against the God of Israel, turning today from after the Lord, when you built for yourselves an altar, rebelling today against the Lord?”