Discovery BoxJoshua 5:1--7:26
Context5:1 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 1 crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. 2
5:2 At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.” 3 5:3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites on the Hill of the Foreskins. 4 5:4 This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt died on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt. 5 5:5 Now 6 all the men 7 who left were circumcised, but all the sons 8 born on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt were uncircumcised. 5:6 Indeed, for forty years the Israelites traveled through the desert until all the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt, the ones who had disobeyed the Lord, died off. 9 For the Lord had sworn a solemn oath to them that he would not let them see the land he had sworn on oath to give them, 10 a land rich in 11 milk and honey. 5:7 He replaced them with their sons, 12 whom Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised; their fathers had not circumcised them along the way. 5:8 When all the men 13 had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they had healed. 5:9 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have taken away 14 the disgrace 15 of Egypt from you.” So that place is called Gilgal 16 even to this day.
5:10 So the Israelites camped in Gilgal and celebrated the Passover in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the plains of Jericho. 17 5:11 They ate some of the produce of the land the day after the Passover, including unleavened bread and roasted grain. 18 5:12 The manna stopped appearing the day they ate 19 some of the produce of the land; the Israelites never ate manna again. 20
5:13 When Joshua was near 21 Jericho, 22 he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. 23 Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?” 24 5:14 He answered, 25 “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. 26 Now I have arrived!” 27 Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground 28 and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?” 5:15 The commander of the Lord’s army answered Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.
6:1 Now Jericho 29 was shut tightly 30 because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter. 31 6:2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, 32 along with its king and its warriors. 6:3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time; 33 do this for six days. 6:4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns 34 in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 6:5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn, 35 have the whole army give a loud battle cry. 36 Then the city wall will collapse 37 and the warriors should charge straight ahead.” 38
6:6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 6:7 And he told 39 the army, 40 “Move ahead 41 and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
6:8 When Joshua gave the army its orders, 42 the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind. 6:9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns. 6:10 Now Joshua had instructed the army, 43 “Do not give a battle cry 44 or raise your voices; say nothing 45 until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’ 46 Then give the battle cry!” 47 6:11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time. 48 Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there. 49
6:12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of the Lord. 50 6:13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark of the Lord blowing rams’ horns. 6:14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.
6:15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn 51 and marched around the city as before – only this time they marched around it seven times. 52 6:16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told the army, 53 “Give the battle cry, 54 for the Lord is handing the city over to you! 55 6:17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord, 56 except for Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the spies 57 we sent. 6:18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for the Lord. If you take any of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster. 58 6:19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. 59 They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”
6:20 The rams’ horns sounded 60 and when the army 61 heard the signal, 62 they gave a loud battle cry. 63 The wall collapsed 64 and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. 65 6:21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, 66 including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 6:22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house 67 and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.” 68 6:23 So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a place outside 69 the Israelite camp. 6:24 But they burned 70 the city and all that was in it, except for the silver, gold, and bronze and iron items they put in the treasury of the Lord’s house. 71 6:25 Yet Joshua spared 72 Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, 73 and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel 74 to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. 75 6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: 76 “The man who attempts to rebuild 77 this city of Jericho 78 will stand condemned before the Lord. 79 He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” 80 6:27 The Lord was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land. 81
7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. 82 Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, 83 son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. 84 The Lord was furious with the Israelites. 85
7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho 86 to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel 87 ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 7:3 They returned and reported to Joshua, 88 “Don’t send the whole army. 89 About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. 90 Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” 91
7:4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures 92 and defeated them on the steep slope. 93 The people’s 94 courage melted away like water. 95
7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; 96 he and the leaders 97 of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening 98 and threw dirt on their heads. 99 7:7 Joshua prayed, 100 “O, Master, Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? 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 101 before its enemies? 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us 102 from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” 103
7:10 The Lord responded 104 to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down? 105 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! 106 They have taken some of the riches; 107 they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. 108 7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. 109 I will no longer be with you, 110 unless you destroy what has contaminated you. 111 7:13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord God of Israel says, “You are contaminated, 112 O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.” 113 7:14 In the morning you must approach in tribal order. 114 The tribe the Lord selects 115 must approach by clans. The clan the Lord selects must approach by families. 116 The family the Lord selects must approach man by man. 117 7:15 The one caught with the riches 118 must be burned up 119 along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
7:16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order 120 and the tribe of Judah was selected. 7:17 He then made the clans of Judah approach and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach and Zabdi 121 was selected. 122 7:18 He then made Zabdi’s 123 family approach man by man 124 and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor 125 the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!” 7:20 Achan told Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel in this way: 126 7:21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, 127 two hundred silver pieces, 128 and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”
7:22 Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in his tent, with the silver underneath. 129 7:23 They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed 130 it before the Lord. 7:24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, ox, donkey, sheep, tent, and all that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster. 131 7:25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster 132 on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.) 133 7:26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day 134 ) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.
[5:1] 1 tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”
[5:1] 2 tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”
[5:2] 3 tn Heb “return, circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate the repetition of an action.
[5:3] 5 tn Or “Gibeath Haaraloth.” This name means “Hill of the Foreskins.” Many modern translations simply give the Hebrew name, although an explanatory note giving the meaning of the name is often included.
[5:4] 7 tn Heb “All the people who went out from Egypt, the males, all the men of war, died in the desert in the way when they went out from Egypt.”
[5:5] 11 tn Heb “all the people.”
[5:6] 11 tn Heb “all the nation, the men of war who went out from Egypt, who did not listen to the voice of the
[5:6] 12 tn Some Hebrew
[5:6] 13 tn Heb “flowing with.”
[5:7] 13 tn Heb “their sons he raised up in their place.”
[5:9] 17 tn Heb “rolled away.”
[5:9] 18 sn One might take the disgrace of Egypt as a reference to their uncircumcised condition (see Gen 34:14), but the generation that left Egypt was circumcised (see v. 5). It more likely refers to the disgrace they experienced in Egyptian slavery. When this new generation reached the promised land and renewed their covenantal commitment to the Lord by submitting to the rite of circumcision, the
[5:9] 19 sn The name Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew verb “roll away” (גַּלַל, galal).
[5:10] 19 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[5:11] 21 tn The Hebrew text adds, “on this same day.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.
[5:12] 23 tn Heb “the day after, when they ate.” The present translation assumes this means the day after the Passover, though it is possible it refers to the day after they began eating the land’s produce.
[5:12] 24 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel had no more manna.”
[5:13] 26 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[5:13] 27 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] 28 tn Heb “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
[5:14] 27 tc Heb “He said, “Neither.” An alternative reading is לוֹ (lo, “[He said] to him”; cf. NEB). This reading is supported by many Hebrew
[5:14] 28 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] 29 sn The commander’s appearance seems to be for Joshua’s encouragement. Joshua could now lead Israel into battle knowing that the
[5:14] 30 tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”
[6:1] 29 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[6:1] 30 tn Heb “was shutting and shut up.” HALOT 2:743 paraphrases, “blocking [any way of access] and blocked [against any who would leave].”
[6:1] 31 tn Heb “there was no one going out and there was no one coming in.”
[6:2] 31 tn Heb “I have given into your hand Jericho.” The Hebrew verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, “I have given”) is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action. The Hebrew pronominal suffix “your” is singular, being addressed to Joshua as the leader and representative of the nation. To convey to the modern reader what is about to happen and who is doing it, the translation “I am about to defeat Jericho for you” has been used.
[6:3] 33 tn Heb “and go around the city, all [you] men of war, encircling the city one time.” The Hebrew verb וְסַבֹּתֶם (vÿsabbotem, “and go around”) is plural, being addressed to the whole army.
[6:4] 35 tn Heb “rams’ horns, trumpets.”
[6:5] 37 tn Heb “and it will be at the sounding of the horn, the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn.” The text of Josh 6:5 seems to be unduly repetitive, so for the sake of English style and readability, it is best to streamline the text here. The reading in the Hebrew looks like a conflation of variant readings, with the second (“when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn”) being an interpolation that assimilates the text to verse 20 (“when the army heard the sound of the horn”). Note that the words “when you hear the sound of the ram's horn” do not appear in the LXX of verse 5.
[6:5] 38 tn Heb “all the people will shout with a loud shout.”
[6:5] 39 tn Heb “fall in its place.”
[6:5] 40 tn Heb “and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.”
[6:7] 39 tn An alternative reading is “and they said.” In this case the subject is indefinite and the verb should be translated as passive, “[the army] was told.”
[6:8] 41 tn Heb “when Joshua spoke to the people.”
[6:10] 43 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:10] 45 tn Heb “do not let a word come out of your mouths.”
[6:11] 45 tn Heb “and he made the ark of the
[6:11] 46 tn Heb “and they entered the camp and spent the night in the camp.”
[6:12] 47 tn Heb “Joshua rose early in the morning and the priests picked up the ark of the
[6:15] 49 tn Heb “On the seventh day they rose early, when the dawn ascended.”
[6:15] 50 tn Heb “and they went around the city according to this manner seven times, only on that day they went around the city seven times.”
[6:16] 51 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:16] 53 tn Heb “for the
[6:17] 53 tn Or “dedicated to the
[6:17] 54 tn Heb “messengers.”
[6:18] 55 tn Heb “Only you keep [away] from what is set apart [to the
[6:19] 57 tn Heb “it is holy to the
[6:20] 59 tc Heb “and the people shouted and they blew the rams’ horns.” The initial statement (“and the people shouted”) seems premature, since the verse goes on to explain that the battle cry followed the blowing of the horns. The statement has probably been accidentally duplicated from what follows. It is omitted in the LXX.
[6:20] 60 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:20] 61 tn Heb “the sound of the horn.”
[6:20] 62 tn Heb “they shouted with a loud shout.”
[6:20] 63 tn Heb “fell in its place.”
[6:20] 64 tn Heb “and the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured the city.”
[6:21] 61 tn Heb “all which was in the city.”
[6:22] 63 tn Heb “the house of the woman, the prostitute.”
[6:22] 64 tn Heb “and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore on oath to her.”
[6:23] 65 tn Or “placed them outside.”
[6:24] 67 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
[6:24] 68 tn Heb “the treasury of the house of the
[6:25] 69 tn Heb “kept alive.”
[6:25] 70 tn Heb the house of her father.”
[6:25] 71 tn Or “among the Israelites”; Heb “in the midst of Israel.”
[6:25] 72 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[6:26] 71 tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the
[6:26] 72 tn Heb “rises up and builds.”
[6:26] 73 tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.
[6:26] 74 tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the
[6:26] 75 tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation.
[6:27] 73 tn Heb “and the report about him was in all the land.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) may also be translated “earth.”
[7:1] 75 tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 76 tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).
[7:1] 77 tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 78 tn Heb “the anger of the
[7:2] 77 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[7:2] 78 map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[7:3] 79 tn Heb “and they returned to Joshua and said to him.”
[7:3] 80 tn Heb “Don’t let all the people go up.”
[7:3] 81 tn Heb “Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up to defeat Ai.”
[7:3] 82 tn Heb “all the people for they are small.”
[7:5] 81 tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).
[7:5] 82 sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.
[7:5] 84 tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”
[7:6] 83 sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).
[7:6] 85 tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the
[7:6] 86 sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).
[7:8] 87 tn Heb “turned [the] back.”
[7:9] 89 tn Heb “and cut off our name.”
[7:9] 90 tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”
[7:10] 92 tn Heb “Why are you falling on your face?”
[7:11] 93 tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”
[7:11] 94 tn Heb “what was set apart [to the
[7:11] 95 tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”
[7:12] 95 tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the
[7:12] 96 tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.
[7:12] 97 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 97 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 98 tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the
[7:14] 99 tn Heb “by your tribes.”
[7:14] 100 tn Heb “takes forcefully, seizes.”
[7:15] 101 tn Heb “with what was set apart [to the
[7:15] 102 tn Heb “burned with fire.”
[7:16] 103 tn Heb “by tribes.”
[7:17] 105 tn See the note on “Zabdi” in 1 Chr 7:1.
[7:17] 106 tn Heb “and he selected Zabdi.” The
[7:18] 107 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Zabdi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:19] 109 tn Heb “give glory to.”
[7:20] 111 tn Heb “like this and like this I did.”
[7:21] 113 tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).
[7:22] 115 tn Heb “Look, [it was] hidden in his tent, and the silver was beneath it.”
[7:23] 117 tn Heb “poured out,” probably referring to the way the silver pieces poured out of their container.
[7:24] 119 tn Or “Trouble” The name is “Achor” in Hebrew, which means “disaster” or “trouble” (also in v. 26).
[7:25] 121 tn Or “trouble.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).
[7:25] 122 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.
[7:26] 123 tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.
