Luke 17:16

17:16 He ¹  fell with his face to the ground ²  at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. ³  (Now ⁴  he was a Samaritan.) ⁵ 

Leviticus 9:24

9:24 Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord ⁶  and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground. ⁷ 

Joshua 5:14

5:14 He answered, ⁸  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. ⁹  Now I have arrived!” ¹⁰  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground ¹¹  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Joshua 5:1

5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they ¹²  crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. ¹³ 

Joshua 18:1

The Tribes Meet at Shiloh

18:1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting. ¹⁴  Though they had subdued the land, ¹⁵ 

Joshua 18:1

The Tribes Meet at Shiloh

18:1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting. ¹⁶  Though they had subdued the land, ¹⁷ 

Joshua 21:16

21:16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of nine cities taken from these two tribes.

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² tn Grk “he fell on his face” (an idiom for complete prostration).

³ sn And thanked him. This action recognized God’s healing work through Jesus.

⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a parenthetical comment.

⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The comment that the man was a Samaritan means that to most Jews of Jesus’ day he would have been despised as a half-breed and a heretic. The note adds a touch of irony to the account (v. 18).

⁶ tn Heb “from to the faces of the Lord.” The rendering here is based on the use of “my faces” and “your faces” referring to the very “presence” of the Lord in Exod 33:14-15.

⁷ tn Heb “fell on their faces.” Many English versions and commentaries render here “shouted for joy” (e.g., NIV; cf. NCV, NLT) or “shouted joyfully,” but the fact the people “fell on their faces” immediately afterward suggests that they were frightened as, for example, in Exod 19:16b; 20:18-21.

⁸ 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.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”

¹² tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”

¹³ tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “and the land was subdued before them.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “and the land was subdued before them.”