Numbers 14:5

14:5 Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces to the ground ¹  before the whole assembled community ²  of the Israelites.

Numbers 16:4

16:4 When Moses heard it he fell down with his face to the ground. ³ 

Numbers 16:22

16:22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ⁴  and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people, ⁵  will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?” ⁶ 

Numbers 16:45

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 

Exodus 17:4

17:4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with ⁸  this people? – a little more ⁹  and they will stone me!” ¹⁰ 

Joshua 7:6

7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; ¹¹  he and the leaders ¹²  of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening ¹³  and threw dirt on their heads. ¹⁴ 

Joshua 7:1

Achan Sins and is Punished

7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. ¹⁵  Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, ¹⁶  son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. ¹⁷  The Lord was furious with the Israelites. ¹⁸ 

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.

Psalms 109:3-4

109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; ¹⁹ 

they attack me for no reason.

109:4 They repay my love with accusations, ²⁰ 

but I continue to pray. ²¹ 

Matthew 26:39

26:39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, ²²  “My Father, if possible, ²³  let this cup ²⁴  pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

[14:5]  ¹ sn This action of Moses and Aaron is typical of them in the wilderness with the Israelites. The act shows self-abasement and deference before the sovereign Lord. They are not bowing before the people here, but in front of the people they bow before God. According to Num 17:6-15 this prostration is for the purpose of intercessory prayer. Here it prevents immediate wrath from God.

[14:5]  ² tn Heb “before all the assembly of the congregation.”

[16:4]  ³ tn Heb “fell on his face.”

[16:22]  ⁴ sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.

[16:22]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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).

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

[17:4]  ⁸ tn The preposition lamed (ל) is here specification, meaning “with respect to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 49, §273).

[17:4]  ⁹ tn Or “they are almost ready to stone me.”

[17:4]  ¹⁰ tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive almost develops an independent force; this is true in sentences where it follows an expression of time, as here (see GKC 334 §112.x).

[7:6]  ¹¹ sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).

[7:6]  ¹² tn Or “elders.”

[7:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel.”

[7:6]  ¹⁴ sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).

[7:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.”

[109:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”

[109:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “in place of my love they oppose me.”

[109:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “and I, prayer.”

[26:39]  ²² tn Grk “ground, praying and saying.” Here the participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[26:39]  ²³ tn Grk “if it is possible.”

[26:39]  ²⁴ sn This cup alludes to the wrath of God that Jesus would experience (in the form of suffering and death) for us. See Ps 11:6; 75:8-9; Isa 51:17, 19, 22 for this figure.