Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads. Then Joshua tore his clothesThe act of tearing one's clothes is a traditional expression of deep sorrow, mourning, or distress in ancient Hebrew culture. This practice is seen throughout the Old Testament, signifying a heart in turmoil or repentance. The Hebrew root for "tore" is "qara," which conveys a violent action, indicating the intensity of Joshua's grief. This act reflects Joshua's profound anguish over Israel's defeat at Ai and the sin that led to it, demonstrating his leadership and empathy for his people. and fell facedown to the ground
Falling facedown is a posture of humility, submission, and desperation before God. In Hebrew, the word "naphal" means to fall or prostrate oneself. This physical act signifies Joshua's recognition of God's sovereignty and his own helplessness in the situation. It is a plea for divine intervention and guidance, acknowledging that without God's favor, Israel cannot succeed. before the ark of the LORD
The Ark of the Covenant represents God's presence among His people. By positioning himself before the ark, Joshua is seeking God's presence and counsel. The ark, containing the tablets of the Law, Aaron's rod, and manna, symbolizes God's covenant, guidance, and provision. Joshua's actions underscore the importance of seeking God's will and presence in times of crisis. until evening
The duration of Joshua's prostration, "until evening," indicates perseverance in prayer and supplication. It reflects a deep commitment to seeking God's face and waiting for His response. This extended period of prayer highlights the seriousness of the situation and Joshua's dedication to resolving it through divine guidance. both he and the elders of Israel
The involvement of the elders signifies a collective leadership response to the crisis. In Hebrew culture, elders were respected leaders and decision-makers. Their participation underscores the communal nature of Israel's covenant with God and the shared responsibility of leadership in seeking God's direction and forgiveness. and they put dust on their heads
Putting dust on one's head is another traditional sign of mourning and repentance. The Hebrew word "aphar" for dust symbolizes mortality and humility, reminding the people of their dependence on God. This act of contrition is a physical manifestation of their inner repentance and acknowledgment of sin, seeking God's mercy and restoration. Persons / Places / Events 1. JoshuaThe leader of Israel after Moses, tasked with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. His tearing of clothes and prostration signify deep distress and humility before God. 2. Elders of IsraelLeaders among the Israelites who joined Joshua in mourning, indicating a collective leadership response to the crisis. 3. Ark of the LORDThe sacred chest representing God's presence among His people. Joshua and the elders prostrate before it, seeking divine guidance and forgiveness. 4. Tearing of ClothesA traditional expression of grief, repentance, or distress in ancient Israelite culture. 5. Putting Dust on Their HeadsAnother cultural expression of mourning and humility, symbolizing repentance and acknowledgment of human frailty. Teaching Points Humility Before GodJoshua's actions remind us of the importance of approaching God with humility, especially in times of failure or crisis. Collective Leadership ResponsibilityThe involvement of the elders highlights the need for leaders to unite in seeking God's guidance and forgiveness for the community. Cultural Expressions of RepentanceUnderstanding the cultural context of mourning and repentance can deepen our appreciation for biblical accounts and their applications today. Seeking God's PresenceThe focus on the Ark of the LORD underscores the necessity of seeking God's presence and guidance in times of trouble. Repentance and RestorationThe act of mourning and repentance is a precursor to seeking restoration and moving forward in God's plan. Bible Study Questions 1. What does Joshua's response to Israel's defeat teach us about handling personal or communal failures? 2. How can we apply the concept of collective leadership responsibility in our church or community today? 3. In what ways can we express humility and repentance in our modern cultural context? 4. How does seeking God's presence during crises change our perspective and response to the situation? 5. What other biblical examples of mourning and repentance can we learn from, and how do they inform our understanding of Joshua 7:6? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Samuel 4:12Similar expressions of mourning and distress are seen when a messenger brings news of Israel's defeat and the capture of the Ark. Nehemiah 9:1The Israelites express repentance by fasting, wearing sackcloth, and putting dust on their heads, showing a pattern of humility before God. Job 2:12Job's friends express their grief by tearing their robes and sprinkling dust on their heads, paralleling the cultural expressions of mourning. Lamentations 2:10The elders of Zion sit on the ground in silence, with dust on their heads, reflecting deep sorrow and repentance. People Achan, Amorites, Canaanites, Carmi, Israelites, Joshua, Zabdi, Zarhites, Zerah, Zerahites, ZimriPlaces Ai, Beth-aven, Bethel, Jericho, Jordan River, Shebarim, Shinar, Valley of AchorTopics Ark, Cause, Chiefs, Clothes, Dust, Elders, Evening, Eventide, Face, Facedown, Falleth, Fell, Garments, Grief, Ground, Heads, Joshua, Remaining, Rendeth, Rent, Sprinkled, Threw, Till, ToreDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 7:6 1670 symbols
4050 dust
4933 evening
5157 head
5174 prostration
7306 ark of the covenant
7454 sprinkling Joshua 7:1-7 9210 judgment, God's Joshua 7:1-16 6024 sin, effects of Joshua 7:1-26 6173 guilt, and God
8479 self-examination, examples Joshua 7:3-6 5188 tearing of clothes Library Achan's Sin, Israel's Defeat
'But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. 2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-ei, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. 3. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureWhether one Can, Without a Mortal Sin, Deny the Truth which Would Lead to One's Condemnation?
Objection 1: It would seem one can, without a mortal sin, deny the truth which would lead to one's condemnation. For Chrysostom says (Hom. xxxi super Ep. ad Heb.): "I do not say that you should lay bare your guilt publicly, nor accuse yourself before others." Now if the accused were to confess the truth in court, he would lay bare his guilt and be his own accuser. Therefore he is not bound to tell the truth: and so he does not sin mortally if he tell a lie in court. Objection 2: Further, just as …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Contention Over the Man Born Blind.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John IX. 1-41. [Some look upon the events in this and the next section as occurring at the Feast of Tabernacles in October, others think they occurred at the Feast of Dedication in December, deriving their point of time from John x. 22.] ^d 1 And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. [The man probably sought to waken compassion by repeatedly stating this fact to passers-by.] 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Confession of Sin --A Sermon with Seven Texts
The Hardened Sinner. PHARAOH--"I have sinned."--Exodus 9:27. I. The first case I shall bring before you is that of the HARDENED SINNER, who, when under terror, says, "I have sinned." And you will find the text in the book of Exodus, the 9th chap. and 27th verse: "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." But why this confession from the lips of the haughty tyrant? He was not often wont to …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857 Restraining Prayer: is it Sin?
"Thou restrainest prayer before God."--JOB xv. 4. "What profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?"--JOB xxi. 15. "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."--1 SAM. xii. 23. "Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."--JOSH. vii. 12. Any deep quickening of the spiritual life of the Church will always be accompanied by a deeper sense of sin. This will not begin with theology; that can only give expression to what God works …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession The Practice of Piety in Glorifying God in the Time of Sickness, and when Thou Art Called to Die in the Lord.
As soon as thou perceivest thyself to be visited with any sickness, meditate with thyself: 1. That "misery cometh not forth of the dust; neither doth affliction spring out of the earth." Sickness comes not by hap or chance (as the Philistines supposed that their mice and emrods came, 1 Sam. vi. 9), but from man's wickedness, which, as sparkles, breaketh out. "Man suffereth," saith Jeremiah, "for his sins." "Fools," saith David, "by reason of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Exposition of the Moral Law.
1. The Law was committed to writing, in order that it might teach more fully and perfectly that knowledge, both of God and of ourselves, which the law of nature teaches meagrely and obscurely. Proof of this, from an enumeration of the principal parts of the Moral Law; and also from the dictate of natural law, written on the hearts of all, and, in a manner, effaced by sin. 2. Certain general maxims. 1. From the knowledge of God, furnished by the Law, we learn that God is our Father and Ruler. Righteousness …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Of a Private Fast.
That we may rightly perform a private fast, four things are to be observed:--First, The author; Secondly, The time and occasion; Thirdly, The manner; Fourthly, The ends of private fasting. 1. Of the Author. The first that ordained fasting was God himself in paradise; and it was the first law that God made, in commanding Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. God would not pronounce nor write his law without fasting (Lev. xxiii), and in his law commands all his people to fast. So does our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Holiness of God
The next attribute is God's holiness. Exod 15:51. Glorious in holiness.' Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known. Psa 111:1. Holy and reverend is his name.' He is the holy One.' Job 6:60. Seraphims cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa 6:6. His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect love of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil. Of purer eyes than …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Second Great Group of Parables.
(Probably in Peræa.) Subdivision F. Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. ^C Luke XVI. 19-31. [The parable we are about to study is a direct advance upon the thoughts in the previous section. We may say generally that if the parable of the unjust steward teaches how riches are to be used, this parable sets forth the terrible consequences of a failure to so use them. Each point of the previous discourse is covered in detail, as will be shown by the references in the discussion of the parable.] …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Joshua 7:6 NIVJoshua 7:6 NLTJoshua 7:6 ESVJoshua 7:6 NASBJoshua 7:6 KJV
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