Numbers 16:22

16:22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ¹  and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people, ²  will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?” ³ 

Numbers 16:41-47

16:41 But on the next day the whole community of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” ⁴  16:42 When the community assembled ⁵  against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting – and ⁶  the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 16:43 Then Moses and Aaron stood before the tent of meeting.

16:44 The Lord spoke to Moses: 16:45 “Get away from this community, so that I can consume them in an instant!” But they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. ⁷  16:46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer, put burning coals from the altar in it, place incense on it, and go quickly into the assembly and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord – the plague has begun!” 16:47 So Aaron did ⁸  as Moses commanded ⁹  and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague was just beginning among the people. So he placed incense on the coals and made atonement for the people.

Joshua 7:1

Achan Sins and is Punished

7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. ¹⁰  Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, ¹¹  son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. ¹²  The Lord was furious with the Israelites. ¹³ 

Joshua 7:11

7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ¹⁴  They have taken some of the riches; ¹⁵  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ¹⁶ 

Joshua 22:18

22:18 Now today you dare to turn back ¹⁷  from following the Lord! You are rebelling today against the Lord; tomorrow he may break out in anger against ¹⁸  the entire community of Israel.

Joshua 22:20

22:20 When Achan son of Zerah disobeyed the command about the city’s riches, the entire Israelite community was judged, ¹⁹  though only one man had sinned. He most certainly died for his sin!’” ²⁰ 

Joshua 22:2

22:2 and told them: “You have carried out all the instructions of Moses the Lord’s servant, and you have obeyed all I have told you. ²¹ 

Joshua 24:1

Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord

24:1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God.

Joshua 24:15-17

24:15 If you have no desire ²²  to worship ²³  the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, ²⁴  whether it be the gods whom your ancestors ²⁵  worshiped ²⁶  beyond the Euphrates, ²⁷  or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family ²⁸  will worship ²⁹  the Lord!”

24:16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can ³⁰  worship ³¹  other gods! 24:17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery ³²  in the land of Egypt ³³  and performed these awesome miracles ³⁴  before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. ³⁵ 

[16:22]  ¹ sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.

[16:22]  ² tn The expression “the God of the spirits of all humanity [flesh]” is somewhat difficult. The Hebrew text says אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר (’elohey harukhot lÿkhol-basar). This expression occurs in Num 27:16 again. It also occurs in some postbiblical texts, a fact which has prompted some scholars to conclude that it is a late addition. The words clearly show that Moses is interceding for the congregation. The appeal in the verse is that it is better for one man to die for the whole nation than the whole nation for one man (see also John 11:50).

[16:22]  ³ tn The verb is the Qal imperfect יֶחֱטָא (yekheta’); it refers to the sinful rebellion of Korah, but Moses is stating something of a principle: “One man sins, and will you be angry….” A past tense translation would assume that this is a preterite use of the imperfect (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[16:41]  ⁴ sn The whole congregation here is trying to project its guilt on Moses and Aaron. It was they and their rebellion that brought about the deaths, not Moses and Aaron. The Lord had punished the sinners. The fact that the leaders had organized a rebellion against the Lord was forgotten by these people. The point here is that the Israelites had learned nothing of spiritual value from the event.

[16:42]  ⁵ tn The temporal clause is constructed with the temporal indicator (“and it was”) followed by the Niphal infinitive construct and preposition.

[16:42]  ⁶ tn The verse uses וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and behold”). This is the deictic particle – it is used to point things out, suddenly calling attention to them, as if the reader were there. The people turned to look toward the tent – and there is the cloud!

[16:45]  ⁷ tn Heb “they fell on their faces.”

[16:47]  ⁸ tn Heb “took.”

[16:47]  ⁹ tn Or “had spoken” (NASB); NRSV “had ordered.”

[7:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.”

[7:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

[7:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

[22:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “you are turning back.”

[22:18]  ¹⁸ tn Or “he will be angry with.”

[22:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Is it not [true that] Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord] and against all the assembly of Israel there was anger?”

[22:20]  ²⁰ tn The second half of the verse reads literally, “and he [was] one man, he did not die for his sin.” There are at least two possible ways to explain this statement: (1) One might interpret the statement to mean that Achan was not the only person who died for his sin. In this case it could be translated, “and he was not the only one to die because of his sin.” (2) Another option, the one reflected in the translation, is to take the words וְהוּא אִישׁ אֶחָד (vÿhu’ ’ish ’ekhad, “and he [was] one man”) as a concessive clause and join it with what precedes. The remaining words (לֹא גָוַע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ, lo’ gava’ ba’avono) must then be taken as a rhetorical question (“Did he not die for his sin?”). Taking the last sentence as interrogative is consistent with the first part of the verse, a rhetorical question introduced with the interrogative particle. The present translation has converted these rhetorical questions into affirmative statements to bring out more clearly the points they are emphasizing. For further discussion, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 240.

[22:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “You have kept all which Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded you, and you have listened to my voice, to all which I commanded you.”

[24:15]  ²² tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”

[24:15]  ²³ tn Or “to serve.”

[24:15]  ²⁴ tn Or “will serve.”

[24:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:15]  ²⁶ tn Or “served.”

[24:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.

[24:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[24:15]  ²⁹ tn Or “will serve.”

[24:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “to.”

[24:16]  ³¹ tn Or “can serve.”

[24:17]  ³² tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”

[24:17]  ³³ tn Heb “for the Lord our God, he is the one who brought up us and our fathers from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.”

[24:17]  ³⁴ tn Or “great signs.”

[24:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.”