1451 B.C.
5)
1: And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord (Yehovah) had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the sons of Israel, until they were passed over, that their heart melted (see note on 2:9,11), neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the sons of Israel.
2: At that time the Lord (Yehovah) said to Joshua, “Make you sharp knives, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time” (not repeated as an act on the person, but on the nation on a second occasion [cp. for this usage Isa.11:11 and Jude 5], implying that the rite was performed in Egypt. See vv.4-7).
3: And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
4: And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
5: Now all the People that came out were circumcised: but all the People that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.
6: For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the People that were men of war (= nation. Some codices read "generation"), which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they listened not to the voice of the Lord (Yehovah): to whom the Lord (Yehovah) swore that He would not show them the land, which the Lord (Yehovah) swore to their fathers that He would give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.
7: And their children, whom He raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
March 31th-April 2nd thru April 2-3rd, 1451 B.C.
8: And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.
9: And the Lord (Yehovah) said to Joshua, “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal (= a wheel, rolling) to this day.”
3-4th April, 1451 B.C.
10: And the sons of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover (some codices add "in the first month". The second of 10 Passovers recorded. See Ex.12:28) on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
4-5th April
11: And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the next day after the passover (Feast of unleavened bread ended 10-11th April [21st Abib] at evening, exactly 40 years from Ex.12:41), unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.
5-6th April
12: And the manna ceased on the next day after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the sons of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit (= produce) of the land of Canaan that year.
C b¹ 13-. The Captain. Vision c¹ -13. Joshua. Question asked. b² 14-. The Captain. Revelation. c² -14. Joshua. Worship accepted. b³ 15-. The Captain. Direction. c³ -15. Joshua. Obedience given.
between 4th and 10-11th April, 1451 B.C.
13: And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a Man over against him with His sword drawn in his hand:
and Joshua went to Him, and said to Him, “Are You for us, or for our adversaries?”
14: And He said, “No; but as Captain (or Prince) of Israel as the Lord's (Yehovah's) host am I now come.” (cp. Ex.12:41)
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship (therefore Divine. Cp. Rev.19:10; 22:9), and said to Him, “What says my Lord (Adonai) to His servant?”
15: And the Captain of the Lord's (Yehovah's) host said to Joshua, “Loose your shoe from off your foot (cp. Ex.3:5. The origen of a solemn Eastern custom of reverence observed to this day.); for the place whereon you stand is holy” (= set apart).
And Joshua did so.
D G¹ 6:1-27. The Taking of Jericho. G² 7:1-26. The Trespass of Achan.
G¹ H¹ 1-19. The City Given. H² 20-27. The City Taken.
H¹ d 1,2. The City given. e f 3,4. Encompassing. g 5. Promise. e f 6-15. Encompassing. g 16-. Promise. d -16-19. The City. Exceptions of gifts.
6)
1: Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the sons of Israel (Heb. "was shutting up and was shut up". thus beautifully rendered. See Gen.26:28): none went out, and none came in.
2: And the Lord (Yehovah) said to Joshua (this is the continuation of the Captain's words, 5:15. See 3:7), “See, I have given into your hand Jericho (it was Yehovah's to give), and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3: And you all shall compass the city, all you men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shall you do six days.
4: And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns (= trumpets of Jubilee, or long sound. Ex.19:13): and on the seventh day you all shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5: And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you all hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down under it (probably to the ground. Cp.11:13. Jer.49:2. See v.20), and the People shall ascend up every man straight before him.”
6: And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord (Yehovah).”
7: And he said to the people, “Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord (Yehovah).”
8: And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the ark of the Lord (Yehovah), and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of Yehovah followed them.
9: And the armed men marching before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward (= the main or central body. Cp. Num.10:25) came after the ark, the priests marching on, and blowing with the trumpets.
10: And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You all shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice (= cause your voice to be heard), neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall you all shout.”
11-12th April, 1451 B.C.
11: So the ark of the Lord (Yehovah) compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12: And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord (Yehovah).
13: And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord (Yehovah) went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men mrching before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord (Yehovah), the priests marching on, and blowing with the trumpets.
17-18th April
14: And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
15: And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16: And it came to pass at the seventh time (cp. Heb. 11:30), when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the People, “Shout;
for the Lord (Yehovah) has given you the city.
17: And the city shall be devoted (probably because this was the "first-fruit" of the conquest. Num.31:54. cp. v.19), even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord (Yehovah): only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18: And you all, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you all make yourselves accursed, when you all take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. (a warning of Achan's sin [7:25])
19: But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron (= utensils or weapons), they are set apart to the Lord (Yehovah): they shall come into the treasury of the Lord (Yehovah).
H² h 20. The city taken. i k 21. The city destroyed. l 22,23. Exception. Rahab. i k 24-. The city burned. l -24,25. Exception. Rahab, &c. h 26,27. The city cursed.
20: So the People shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the People heard the sound of the trumpet, and the People shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down under itself (cp. v.5. Jericho was thrice built, and thrice destroyed; so that the city of Joshua's time has not been reached by recent excavations. The city, rebuilt by Hiel in Ahab's reign [822-790 B.C.], was captured by the Herodians [3 B.C.] and rebuilt by Archelaus [2 A.D.]. This was the Jericho of Yehoshua's [our Lord] day, which was destroyed by Vespasian, 68 A.D.), so that the People went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
21: And they utterly devoted to destruction (ellipsis supled) all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword (= according to the mouth. "Mouth", put by Fig., = without quarter).
22: But Joshua had said to the two men that had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot's house, and bring out from that place the woman, and all her household (see v.17), according as you all swore to her.” (cp. 2:14. Heb.11:31)
23: And (note the many "ands" in vv.23-25) the young men that were spies went in, and brought Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them outside the camp of Israel.
24: And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein:
only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord (Yehovah).
25: And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive (cp. Matt.1:5. Married to Salmon, in the line of Messiah), and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwells in the midst of Israel even to this day (written therefore during her lifetime); because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26: And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord (Yehovah), that rises up and builds this city Jericho (i.e. its walls and gates [v.26], for Joshua himself gave it to the Benjamites, 18:12. Cp. 2 Sam.10:5. see v.20): he shall lay the foundation thereof in the death of his firstborn (prophecy fulfilled in Hiel the Beth-elite. 1 Kings 16:34), and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.”
27: So the Lord (Yehovah) was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.
G² J 1. Achan's trespass committed. Jericho. K 2-9. Consequence. Defeat at Ai. K 10-12. Cause of defeat explained. J 13-26. Achan's trespass to be put away. Achor.
7)
1: But the sons of Israel committed a trespass (= a treachery, unfaithfulness. Cp. Lev.6:2. Deut. 32:51. 1 Chron.5:25: breach of trust) in the devoted thing (cp. 6:17, &c.): for Achan(= Troubler; called Achar, 1 Chron.2:7), the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took for themselves of the devoted thing (i.e. sacrilege. Same word as in Acts 5:1,2 of Ananias and Sapphira): and the anger of Yehovah was kindled against the sons of Israel.
K m 2. Joshua's mission. n 3. Advice given. n 4,5. Advice taken. Result. m 6-9. Joshua's mourning.
2: And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (= heap of ruins. Near Beth-el), which is beside Beth-aven (= House of vanity), on the east side of Bethel (= House of God. Here Father is pointing out to you that Satan sets up camp close to His children. Satan is a great immitator. Be careful), and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and view the country.” And the men went up and viewed Ai.
3: And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Let not all the people go up (= go toilingly to that place); but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour to that place; for they are but few.”
4: So there went up to that place of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
5: And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim (= the breaches), and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted (= became as water. Fig. Hyberbolê), and became as water.
6: And Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Yehovah until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
7: And Joshua said, “Alas, O Adonai Yehovah, why have You at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to Elohim (Heb. "whould that". No "to God" in Heb. text) we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
8: O Lord (Yehovah), what shall I say, when Israel has once turned their backs before their enemies!
9: For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what will You do to Your great name?”
(There is a minute correspondence between vv.10-12 and 13, and Extended Alternation of five members each; also between v.14 and 16-18)
10: And the Lord (Yehovah) said to Joshua, “Get you up; why do you lie thus upon your face?
11: Israel has sinned, and (note the many "ands". All these "ands might well be rendered "moreover") they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: and they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12: Therefore the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were devoted: neither will I be with you any more, except you all destroy the devoted from among you.
J o q 13-15. The trouble to be removed. r 16-18. The troubler to be discovered. p 19-21. Joshua and Achan. Conviction. p 22-24. Joshua and Achan. Proof. q 25,26-. The troubler stoned. o -26. The trouble removed.
13: Up, sanctify the People, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus says the Lord God (Yehovah Elohim) of Israel, ‘There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, O Israel: you can not stand before your enemies, until you all take away the devoted thing from among you.
14: In the morning therefore you all shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord (Yehovah) takes by lot shall come according to the families thereof (i.e. by the Urim and Thummim. See Ex.28:30 and Num.26:55. The Urim stone bringing to "light" the guilty, and the Thummim declaring the "perfection" or innocence); and the family which the Lord (Yehovah) shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord (Yehovah) shall take shall come man by man (Heb. geber, denotes man in respect of his physical strength).
15: And it shall be, that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt up with fire (not necessarily alive), he and all that he has: because he has transgressed the covenant of Yehovah, and because he has wrought folly in Israel.’’”
16: So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
17: And he brought the families of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man (some codices read "by their families"); and Zabdi (= my gift) was taken:
18: And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19: And Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give, I pray you, glory to Yehovah Elohim of Israel, and make confession to Him; and tell me now what you have done; hide it not from me.”
20: And Achan answered Joshua, and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God (Yehovah Elohim) of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21: When I saw among the spoils one goodly Babylonish garment (Heb. = "of Shinar", i.e. of Babylonia), and two hundred shekels of silver (aprox. 100 oz.), and a bar (Heb. tongue: put for a coin of this shape) of gold of fifty shekels weight (aprox. 1 lbs.), then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” (Feminine. Probably referring to the garment)
22: So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
23: And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel, and laid them out before Yehovah.
24: And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah (put for great-grandson), and the silver (emphasising each particular), and the garment, and the bar of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25: And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Yehovah shall trouble you this day.” And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones (i.e. the people, not the property).
26: And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day.
So Yehovah turned from the fierceness of His anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, to this day.
C L 8:1-29. Conquest of Ai. M O 8:30-35. Joshua's obedience. P 9:1-27. League with Gibeonites N 10:1-43. Confederacy against Gibeonites by Adonai-zedec. N 11:1-17. Confederacy against Israel by Jabin. M O 11:18. Joshua' obedience. P 11:19,20. League with Gibeonites. L 11:21–12:24. Conquest of other cities.
L Q 1,2. The Promise. R s 3,4. The Ambush. t 5. The Residue and Decoy. Command. u 6. The Pursuit. Command. v 7,8. Seizure of city. Command. S 9-13. Arrangement. R s 14. The Ambush. t 15. The Residue and Decoy. Obedience. u 16,17. The Pursuit. Oedience. v 18-22. Seizure of city. Obedience. Q 23-29. The Performance.
8)
1: And the Lord (Yehovah) said to Joshua, “Fear not, neither be you dismayed: take all the People of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and (emphasising each particular) his people, and his city, and his land:
2: And you shall do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king (cp. 6:21): only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof (cp. Deut.20:14), shall you all take for a prey to yourselves: you lay an ambush for the city behind it.”
3: So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
4: And he commanded them, saying, “Behold, you all shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be you all all ready:
5: And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach to the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
6: {For they will come out after us} till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, ‘They flee before us, as at the first:’ therefore we will flee before them.
7: Then you all shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) will deliver it into your hand (Fig., put for the power which is in it. Cp. v.20, where it is rendered "power").
8: And it shall be, when you all have taken the city, that you all shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the Lord (Yehovah) shall you all do. See, I have commanded you.”
9: Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai (the place of Abraham's altar, Gen.12:8: so that the place where the promise of the Land was made, is the place where it began to be fulfilled. Abraham had come down from Sichem; Joshua goes up to Shichem, and builds his altar on the same spot where Abraham had built his. Cp. Gen.12:6-8 with Josh.8:30-35 and Deut.11:30), on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
10: And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and inspected (or mustered) the People, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the People to Ai.
11: And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew near, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.
12: And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city (Another school of Massorites read "of Ai", with many codices and Aramaic).
13: And when they had set the People, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went (some codices read "lodged in") that night into the midst of the valley.
14: And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his People, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he knew not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.
15: And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them (the only form of the verb in the Heb. Bible), and fled by the way of the wilderness.
16: And all the People that were in Ai (some codices read "in the city") were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
17: And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
18: And the Lord (Yehovah) said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear (= a short javelin. First occ. of Heb. kîdôn) that is in your hand toward Ai; for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that he had in his hand toward the city.
19: And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.
20: And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power (Heb. hands, put for the power put froth by them) to flee this way or that way: and the People that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuing force.
21: And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.
22: And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none (cp. Deut.7:2) of them remain or escape (one Massoretic reading is remain "to him").
Q w 23. The king. x 24-26. The city. y 27. The spoil. x 28. The city. w 29. The king.
23: And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.
24: And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were spent, that all the Israelites returned to Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
25: And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
26: For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed (= devoted) all the inhabitants of Ai.
27: Only the cattle (cp. Num.31:22-28) and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey to themselves, according to the word of the Lord (Yehovah) which He commanded Joshua (cp. v.2).
28: And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap (its ony name today is "Tell" = the Heap) for ever, even a desolation to this day.
29: And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down (cp. Deut.21:22,2 and Josh.10:27), Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remains to this day.
O a 30,31. Moses' command. b 32. Words written. b 33,34. Words read. a 35. Moses' command.
30: Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God (Yehovah Elohim) of Israel in mount Ebal,
31: As Moses the servant of Yehovah (see Deut.34:5) commanded the sons of Israel, according as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses (see Ex.17:14; 24:4. So that Joshua had a copy of Deuteronomy), an altar of whole stones (cp. Ex.20:25. Deut.27:5), over which no man has lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings to the Lord (Yehovah), and sacrificed peace offerings.
32: And he wrote (see Ex.17:14) there upon the stones a copy (= duplicate) of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the sons of Israel.
33: And all Israel, and their elders, and their officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of Yehovah, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Yehvah had commanded at the first, that they should bless the People of Israel.
34: And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.
35: There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel (= assembly [as mustered]), with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant (Heb. walked) among them.