Joshua 7, Ai

The Israelites have been victorious at Jericho.  They move on to a town called Ai. Unknown to them, not everyone has been obedient to God's commands.

Joshua 7:1-3, Treachery

But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel.

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai. 

    

When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there."

The impurity of the actions of Achan at Jericho will lead to disaster at Ai.  Joshua is overconfident and sends a small army to take Ai. (Madvig says that the name Ai (or i , עַי) means "a ruins" and might not have really been the name of a city.)

The name Bethel means "house of God"; the name Beth Aven means "house of evil." This second town may have received its name after this episode!

(NIV footnotes: Some ancient manuscripts give "Zimri" in verses 1, 17 and 18; other manuscripts give "Zabdi".)

Joshua 7:4-5, Disaster

So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

The Israelites are routed and thirty-six are killed.

Commentator Robert L. Hubbard argues that the Hebrew word, eleph (אֶלֶף), translated here as "thousand" might be better translated "clan" or "military unit." Joshua, he argues, sends three squads of soldiers, maybe several hundred men, to attack Ai.  This translation makes the death of 36 in a "rout" much more reasonable.

(NIV footnotes: Verse 5 "as far as the stone quarries" could be "as far as Shebarim".) 

Joshua 7:6-9, Joshua seeks an answer

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.

    

And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?"

Joshua is stunned by this defeat and falls down before the ark, asking, "Why?"  The leaders fall down with him. In his expression of dismay, he points out that this rout is bad for the reputation of Israel and Israel's God! (This is a complaint Joshua may have learned from Moses!)

Joshua 7:10-13, God's answer

The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.

    

That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
    

"Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, `Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.

The cause of the defeat is the lack of full devotion by all the people. The defeat at Ai is a physical reminder of the seriousness of the earlier instructions. The failure to fully follow instructions has led to this defeat and the death of 36 men. The problem needs to be resolved.

Joshua 7:14-15, Finding the culprit

"`In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the LORD takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the LORD takes shall come forward man by man. He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!'"

The reader knows who committed the crime but must wait while Joshua and the nation learn. The culprit will be revealed by this winnowing through the tribes and families.

Joshua 7:16-19, An answer by lots

Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
    

Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."
    

What a strange way to find the culprits! Hubbard suggests that the priests may have had a divine way (Urim and Thummim?) that would have indicated "Yes" or "No". The priests got "Yes" when the tribe of Judah was represented, then when the subtribe of Zorah appeared, and so on.

Joshua 7:20-21, Confession

Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

Achan admits to his crime. He has both coveted items that were not his and then stolen these treasures from YHWH, violating both the Eighth and Tenth Commandments.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 20, "Babylonia" is the Hebrew "Shinar". In verse 21, fifty shekels is about about 1 1/4 pounds so two hundred shekels is about five pounds.)

 

Joshua 7:22-24, Busted!

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD.

    

Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.

The booty is found in Achan's tent, just as he had said. It was hidden there; obviously Achan knew this was a crime and presumably his family were aware of his actions.

The Hebrew word "akar" (עָכַר) means "troubled" or "disturbed." The Valley of Achor is thus "The Valley of Trouble."

Joshua 7:25-26, Punishment

Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Achan and his family are executed and their bodies burned. Afterwards, the bodies are covered by a mound of rocks, possibly a humiliating form of burial. (The body of the king of Ai will be buried this way in the next chapter.) To modern ears, this punishment is brutal. But the Israelites, in Joshua 1, had promised full obedience to God, through Joshua, and had sworn that the punishment for betrayal was death. Achan and his family, in their deceit, are responsible for 36 deaths.

Robert L. Hubbard points out that the promises to the country of Israel are really to the covenant of YHWH. Outsiders, like Rahab, who commit to YHWH, become part of Israel; insiders like Achan, who have Israelite lineage but turn away from YHWH, receive the same punishment as those outside the nation. Rahab (and her descendants -- see the book of Ruth) are members of the tribe; Achan and his descendants are not.

Some Random Thoughts

This chapter emphasizes the united community of Israel; the actions of one individual can hurt the entire community.

First published June 2, 2023; updated June 2, 2026

Joshua 6, Jericho

Joshua has encountered the supernatural commander of YHWH's army and now it is time for the Israelites to move on Jericho.

Joshua 6:1-5, March around the city

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

    

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."

Instructions are given for another dramatic demonstration of God's power. Once again, the number seven is important. The Israelites will march for six days around the city and then on the seventh day, the priests will blow trumpets, the people will shout, and God will act.

Joshua 6:6-11, Instructions given to the people

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it." 

    

And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD."
    

When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD's covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding.

    

But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!"

    

So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.

Joshua passes on the instructions to the people. Seven priests carry seven trumpets, with the ark following them. They circle the city once, then retire.

Emphasis is placed on the travel of the ark and, as in the last chapter, we are reminded that it is YHWH Who is really at work. The people are just following YHWH, the priests, and the ark.

Joshua 6:12-14, Marching

Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding.

    

So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

The people and the ark travel around the city, day after day. Each day they do a full circle. There are seven trumpets and they will march for seven days with seven priests.

Joshua 6:15-19, Seventh day

On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 

    

The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD."

    

"Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
    

The climactic day has arrived. Once more the people march around the city. This time they circle it seven times, then shout and blow the trumpets.  

Final instructions are given. Rahab, and those in her house, are the only ones to be spared.

Joshua 6:20-21, Victory and destruction

When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it--men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Victory is complete. As instructed, everything in the city is herem, that is, devoted to YHWH. (The NIV footnotes want us to be aware that this Hebrew word, herem, sometimes translated "devoted" means "giving over things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them." In some cases this seems to mean "destroyed" but in other cases it may mean "full submission".)

Joshua 6:22-24, Rahab saved

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." 

    

So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house.

Joshua makes sure that Rahab is protected. Everything else is destroyed or moved into the treasury in YHWH's house.  (Commentaries are unclear as to what this last line means -- this is the first mention of a treasury for YHWH and at this time YHWH's house is presumably the tabernacle. It is possible this phrasing reflects the language of a later date.)

Joshua 6:25, Rahab saved

But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho--and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

    

We do not hear of Rahab again in the Old Testament, although the text of Joshua says she (or her descendants) reside in Israel at the time of this writing. However, this foreigner is mentioned in the New Testament, in the line of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5), and as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:25.)  Even in the book of Joshua we will see a dramatic difference between the faith of this Canaanite woman and that of a true Israelite in the very next chapter.

This theme will be repeated in Joshua and Judges: If the people of Israel are devoted to God, they will be successful in their conquest.  Their enemies will be destroyed, with even a foreign remnant joining Israel.  Here the remnant is explicitly described as Rahab and her family.

Joshua 6:26, A curse on Jericho

At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates."

    

Although people will continue to live in the ruins of Jericho off and on for centuries, no one tries to rebuild the city until the reign of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel during the divided kingdoms, much later. The fulfillment of this curse is described in 1 Kings 16:26.

Joshua 6:27, YHWH with Joshua

So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

The mantle of Moses has passed on to Joshua. If YHWH is with Joshua, who can defeat him?

What happens if the people of Israel are not fully devoted to God? The answer to that question will be described in the next chapter, since, as it turns out, not everyone followed Joshua's instructions.

First published June 1, 2023; updated June 1, 2026

Names of God in the Old Testament

Two (and a half) Names for God

The ancient Hebrew of the Old Testament had a variety of different names for God. There were two basic names used, followed by a number of variants on those two names. 

One of the two basic names was El, a generic name for "god". The syllable "el" shows up in lots of places, such at Beth-el, where Abraham met God (see Genesis 13:3-4) and Jacob first met God on a stairway leading up to Heaven (see Genesis 28:12-19.)  That word probably morphed into the arabic word, Allah, a generic -- not specifically Muslim! -- word for God. In the Old Testament, El is occasionally used for some other god, other than the God of the Jews.

The other name for God was a three syllable word with four consonants that, in English, are written YHWH. This is the name God gives Moses in Exodus 3:14. In biblical Hebrew, we do not have vowels written down and so it is not clear how that name was pronounced. This word is generally translated "I am" or "I will be what I will be".

The Hebrew word Adonai, means "master" or "lord". It might be used of a servant to his master; it was not a word for God but could be used in addressing God, since He, of course, should be one's master. For example in Genesis 15:2, Abraham address God as "sovereign Lord" (NIV translation); this is "adonai YHWH" in the original Hebrew.

Out of respect for the name of God (and concerned about obedience to the Third Commandment), Jewish rabbis did not pronounce YHWH out loud but instead replaced it by Adonai. In later Hebrew texts, where vowels were inserted, the vowels of Adonai replaced any vowels for YHWH and so, we have in English, versions of YaHoWaH, such as Jehovah in the King James Bible.

A nice explanation of this transition is given in the Bible Project video on YHWH.

More Names of God

In Hebrew one could take a name for God and add various adjectives. Eloah mean Strong God; Elohim mean God, Might Creator, a plural (?) of Eloah. El-Shaddai is God Almighty.

Some descriptions of these names appears here at the GotQuestions website. Here, copied from that site, are more names:

• YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) 
• YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) 
• YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15) 
• YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Lev. 20:8; Ezek. 37:28) 
• YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) 
• YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) 
• YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) 
• YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) 
• YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) 
• YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) 
• EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19)
• EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) 
• EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) 
• EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) 

The BibleProject has a blog post on this topic and (of course) a video.

That they may know me...

These names do not, of course, include other places where YHWH is simply described in some way.  Throughout the Old Testament YHWH challenges the Israelites to know Him. (See Isaiah 43:10.) In the New Testament there are similar challenges to know Messiah Yeshua. The apostle Paul declares that his goal to know Jesus/Yeshua (Philippians 3:8-10.)

Years ago, I had a poster on a wall (either in my office or my home) that had the names of Jesus using various Bible passages. It is now old and tattered, but the goal is clear....

First published April 23, 2023; updated May 31, 2026

Joshua 5, Recommitment

The Israelites have crossed a dry Jordan river and now prepare to enter Jericho.

Joshua 5:1, Hearts melt

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

The results at Jericho have been heard by other nations, just as Rahab had heard about the miracles in Egypt.

The Hebrew text has an occurrence of first person, "we", both here in verse 1 and again in verse 6.  According to commentators, the occurrence of first person here does not necessarily represent an eyewitness view of these events but an identification of the author with the experiences of his ancestors during this time.

Joshua 5:2-8, Circumcision

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again."
    

So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt--all the men of military age--died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

    

So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

The reader keeps waiting for the battle at Jericho but the author's goal is to remind Israel of their covenant relationship with YHWH. Here, before the Israelites can follow YHWH to the land, they must remember the strange sign of the covenant given long ago to Moses. They have not followed this requirement and so the sign of the covenant needs to be met here, before the invasion of Jericho.

NIV footnote: The phrase "Gibeath Haaraloth" means "hill of foreskins". (How gross is that?! Do you want that phrase in your home address??)

Joshua 5:9-11, Passover

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

    

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.

The site of the circumcisions is given a name in memory of the "rolling away",  the"removing" of the "reproach of Egypt." (The Hebrew verb "to roll away", "to remove" is galal (גָּלַל.) This is very close to the name Gilgal (גִּלְגָּל.)

Just as the Hebrews have renewed the sign of circumcision, they also observe the Peschal (Passover) feast.

Joshua 5:12, Manna stops

The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.

The Passover feast ends the forty years of delivery by manna. Now the Israelites will live off of their new land. In Exodus 12-14 the Israelites celebrated Passover and then crossed the Sea of Reeds.When they complained about the lack of food in the desert, they received manna. Here they have crossed the Jordan River, again celebrated Passover, and now the food stops. The Exodus is over.

Joshua 5:13-15, The commander of the army of the LORD

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
    

"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." 

    

Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"

    

The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

The strange warrior Joshua meets is neither for nor against the Israelites.  He is "the ommander of the army of YHWH"!  Joshua then recognizes this divine presence and bows down. Victory will follow only if Joshua and the people act in obedience to YHWH. This "commander" repeats instructions given by YHWH at the bush-that-did-not-burn in Exodus 3:5.  

This chapter provides strong similarities between the actions of Moses in the Exodus and the actions of Joshua at Jericho. Joshua has received the mantle of leadership that YHWH had previously given Moses. 

The importance of a transfer of leadership (here from Moses to Joshua) is an important concept and we will see constructive and destructive aspects of this transfer as we continue through the Old Testament. (I have a friend who has emphasized the importance of this for modern institutions, especially churches and charitable organizations.)

Some Random Thoughts

Throughout history, national leaders have asked God, "Are you for us or against us?" This is clearly the wrong question. It is not clear that God takes sides in military campaigns.

First published May 31, 2023; updated May 30, 2026

Joshua 4, Twelve Stones

The Israelites have crossed a dry Jordan river.

Joshua 4:1-3, Instructions on a memorial cairn

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."

A ceremony is created to help the people remember.  The twelve stones form a very visual image that nails down the memory of this event.

Joshua 4:4-7, A cairn of twelve stones

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. 

    

In the future, when your children ask you, `What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

There will be twelve large rocks (carried on shoulders) that will create an unusual cairn of stones, a monument. These are memorial stones, intended to stimulate questions from the next generation, as the Israelites review YHWH's promises and decrees.

When the Passover is celebrated, one expects the children to ask "What does this ceremony mean?" (See Exodus 12:26.) And the parents are to have a response to that question. Here, too, the children are to ask "What do these stones mean?" In each case, a vivid symbol is created to stimulate remembrance and commitment. (In the New Testament this tradition will continue with both baptism and communion.)

Joshua 4:8-9, Stones set up

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

Note that the writer, writing long after this event, says the stones are there "to this day", that is, still visible at the time of the author.

The NIV footnotes suggest that one interpretation of verse 9 is that Joshua set up a second set of stones. This is consistent with the fact that one set of twelve stones is moved to the camp at Gilgal at the end of this chapter.

Joshua 4:10-14, Israel crosses the Jordan

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the LORD had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the LORD and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, armed, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them.

    

About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for war.

    

That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.

The community of Israel now understand that Joshua is their leader.  The writer notes that "transjordan" tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh join their brothers in unity with the plan to conquer the west bank of the Jordan.

The number forty thousand appears in various places in the Old Testament, such as Judges 5:8, 2 Samuel 10:18, (1 Chronicles 19:18) and 1 Kings 4:26. Given the significance of the number forty in the Old Testament, it is possible that "forty thousand" merely stands for a large round number. (Commentator Hubbard suggests that this is true in this passage.)

Joshua 4:15-18, River returns

Then the LORD said to Joshua,"Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan."

    

So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

Just as in crossing the Sea of Reeds in Exodus, the water returns to its path after the Israelites cross.

Joshua 4:19-24, "What do these stones mean?"

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.

He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, `What do these stones mean?' tell them, `Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.'  For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

Much of the Torah emphasizes certain acts of remembrance.  This time we do not have a festival of remembrance but a monument to recall the memory.  Some have suggested that this memorial describes a good principle: When one sees a miracle or wonderful gift from God, create a physical symbol (a "heap of stones") of His action, a way to say, "I will make sure to remember this."

In case the reader has not seen the parallel between the sea dividing for Moses at the exodus from Egypt and the river dividing for Joshua at the entrance to Canaan, verse 23 makes this clear. The water standing up in the Sea of Reeds was the beginning of the exodus and the water standing up in the Jordan River is the end. (See Psalm 114 for a short praise song that links these two events.)

Gilgal will be the central camp of the Israelites as they conquer Canaan.

First published May 30, 2023; updated May 29, 2026

Joshua 3, Step into the River

Joshua is ready to enter the region around Jericho. But there are some preparations required....

Joshua 3:1-4, Follow the ark

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.

    

After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

The Israelites are to follow the ark but to keep well away from it!  (There is no explanation for how the priests got these instructions.)

In verse 4 "about a thousand yards" is the translation for the Hebrew phrase literally "two thousand cubits."

Joshua 3:5-8, Consecrate yourselves

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

    

Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them.

    

And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: `When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'"

It is clear that the people are to expect God to work.  Their instructions are to simply follow Him.

Jericho was just west of the Jordan River; the Israelites are currently on the east side, outside Canaan.

Joshua 3:9-13, Waters will be cut off

Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.

    

"Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD--the Lord of all the earth--set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

Joshua explains the miracle that is about to occur. (The numbers seven and twelve show up again in this passage.  The occurrence of twelve is obvious but do you see the appearance of seven?)

In verse 13, YHWH is described as the Lord of all the earth. He is not a regional God but Creator of the earth (universe) and thus has the power to change nature.

Joshua 3:14-17, The Jordan River stops flowing

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

    

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

The Salt Sea in verse 16 is the Dead Sea.

The Jordan stops flowing just as those carrying the ark touch the water's edge.The ark plays a critical part throughout this story.

One can come up with a variety of "natural" explanations for this dry land crossing, just as one might for the Israelites crossing the Sea of Reeds in Exodus. Here people have suggested a large earthquake damming the river. The area does have earthquakes and this might also explain the walls of Jericho collapsing in chapter 6. But those of us who believe God acts through natural laws should not be surprised by this. 

Hubbard points out that the dry land crossings of Exodus and Joshua are bookends to the desert wanderings of the Jews. The forty years of wanderings began with YHWH's prophet Moses dividing the Sea of Reeds and ended with YHWH's prophet Joshua dividing the Jordan.

Some random thoughts

It is possible that there have been some places in my life in which I needed to "step into the river" before I began to see the miraculous dry land.

First published May 29, 2023; updated May 28, 2026

Joshua 2, Rahab and the Spies

The nation of Israel has been told to enter and conquer Canaan. Their new leader is Joshua.

Joshua 2:1, Joshua sends two spies

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

Joshua sends two men into check out the surroundings of the town of Jericho.  This would presumably be a wise course of action -- although it backfired in Exodus when Joshua himself was one of twelve spies sent into the land.

The Hebrew word shittim (שִׁטִּים) apparently translates as acacia trees (see here.) There was a region of acacia trees northeast of the Dead Sea and so this valley was home for the Israelites for a time.

The Hebrew word describing Rahab is zanah (זָנָה.) Some have attempted to translated this word as "innkeeper"  -- Madvig says that first century historian Josephus did this -- but the Hebrew word is used throughout the Old Testament to mean prostitute (see Leviticus 19:29 for an example.) There is no reason to sanitize the Old Testament events -- here we have a pagan prostitute who will play an essential role in the kingdom of YHWH.

Joshua 2:2-7, Spies are chased

The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."
    

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)
    

So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

The "king" of the town is alerted to the spying. Rahab hides the men and then lies to the king about them.  We are not given (yet) a motive for her deceit. Rahab's lie is shrewd -- if the men have just left, the searchers need to hurry after them and thus leave her alone -- so that she can find another way for the spies to leave.

Joshua 2:8-13, Rahab's commitment

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

"Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

This is the reason for Rahab's actions -- she has heard about this God of the Israelites, from His work in Egypt and afterwards. (The defeat of Sihon and Og is described in Numbers 21:21-26.)

The fact that the people of Jericho are frightened, based on YHWH's past action, must surely be encouraging to the spies and, eventually, to Israel.  A similar experience occurs to Gideon in Judges 7:13-15, as he prepares to attack a Midianite camp.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 10, the Hebrew term, "completely destroyed", refers to "devoting possessions to God"; this could be done by destroying these objects. This vague term "completely destroyed" will occur throughout the NIV translation of the book of Joshua, always with a footnote that is could have different meanings.)

Joshua 2:14-16, Gratitude

"Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land." So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.

    

Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

The spies are grateful and promise to remember Rahab. She gives them instructions on getting away, apparently sending them west, away from the Jordan for a time. The term "three days", which also occurred in Joshua 1:11, is a common expression for an undetermined length of time (say commentators Hubbard, Madvig)  I suspect this is similar to the use, in my language, of "couple" (as in "a couple of days") to often mean something other than "two".

Joshua 2:17-21, A scarlet cord

The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.

    

"If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him.  But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear."            

"Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

The instructions to Rahab sound eerily like the Passover instructions to the people of Israel in the Exodus.  Death is coming and only in this house (with the blood red cord) will one be protected. We are given no clue as to why the spies think they can make this agreement.

Hubbard points out a subtle play on words here -- the Hebrew word translated "cord" is tikvat (תִּקְוַ֡ת) in which the woman places her "hope", tikvah (תִּקְוָה.)

Joshua 2:22-24, Report

When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them.

    

Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

The spies return and report on their success. The spies, partly motivated by their conversation with Rahab, are enthusiastic about the upcoming conquest. This report is much better than the report given forty years before!

Some Random Thoughts

I find it eerie (and rather beautiful) that Rahab bases her hope on a scarlet hope (cord) hung over her door just as the Israelites forty years before placed their hope on scarlet blood painted over their doors. The emphasis on the unique value of a scarlet blood sacrifice persists throughout the Old Testament.

First published May 27, 2023; updated May 27, 2026