Joshua 5:13-14

Israel Conquers Jericho

5:13 When Joshua was near ¹  Jericho, ²  he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. ³  Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?” ⁴  5:14 He answered, ⁵  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. ⁶  Now I have arrived!” ⁷  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground ⁸  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Joshua 7:15

7:15 The one caught with the riches ⁹  must be burned up ¹⁰  along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

Joshua 7:19

7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor ¹¹  the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!”

Joshua 8:14

8:14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. ¹²  But he did not realize ¹³  men were hiding behind the city. ¹⁴ 

Joshua 8:22

8:22 At the same time the men who had taken the city came out to fight, and the men of Ai were trapped in the middle. ¹⁵  The Israelites struck them down, leaving no survivors or refugees.

Joshua 17:1

17:1 The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son, was also allotted land. ¹⁶  The descendants of Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn and the father of Gilead, received land, for they were warriors. ¹⁷  They were assigned Gilead and Bashan. ¹⁸ 

Joshua 17:3

17:3 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Joshua 17:18

17:18 The whole hill country ¹⁹  will be yours; though it is a forest, you can clear it and it will be entirely yours. ²⁰  You can conquer the Canaanites, though they have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels and are strong.”

Joshua 19:50

19:50 As the Lord had instructed, they gave him the city he requested – Timnath Serah in the Ephraimite hill country. He built up the city and lived in it.

Joshua 20:4-5

20:4 The one who committed manslaughter ²¹  should escape to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the city gate, and present his case to the leaders of that city. ²²  They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there. ²³  20:5 When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the one who committed manslaughter, for he accidentally killed his fellow man without premeditation. ²⁴ 

Joshua 24:3

24:3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates ²⁵  and brought him into ²⁶  the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac,

[5:13]  ¹ tn Heb “in.”

[5:13]  ² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[5:13]  ³ tn Heb “he lifted up his eyes and looked. And look, a man was standing in front of him, and his sword was drawn in his hand.” The verb הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the reader to view the scene through Joshua’s eyes. By calling the stranger “a man,” the author reflects Joshua’s perspective. The text shortly reveals his true identity (vv. 14-15).

[5:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

[5:14]  ⁵ 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.

[5:14]  ⁶ 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.

[5:14]  ⁷ 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.

[5:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”

[7:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “with what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “burned with fire.”

[7:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “give glory to.”

[8:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “When the king of Ai saw, the men of Ai hurried and rose early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people at the meeting place before the Arabah.”

[8:14]  ¹⁸ tn Or “know.”

[8:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “that (there was) an ambush for him behind the city.”

[8:22]  ²¹ tn Heb “and these went out from the city to meet them and they were for Israel in the middle, some on this side, and others on the other side.”

[17:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and the lot belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph.”

[17:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to Makir, the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, for he was a man of war.”

[17:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Gilead and Bashan belonged to him.”

[17:18]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply “the hill country,” which must here include the hill country of Ephraim and the forest regions mentioned in v. 15.

[17:18]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and its limits will be yours.”

[20:4]  ³³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the one who accidentally kills another, cf. v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:4]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and speak into the ears of the elders of that city his words.”

[20:4]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and they should gather him into the city to themselves, give to him a place, and he will live with them.”

[20:5]  ³⁷ tn Heb “for without knowledge he killed his neighbor, and he was not hating him prior to that.”

[24:3]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:3]  ⁴² tn Or “through.”