Joshua 5:14

5:14 He answered, 1  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. 2  Now I have arrived!” 3  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground 4  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Joshua 7:6

7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; 5  he and the leaders 6  of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening 7  and threw dirt on their heads. 8 

1 tc Heb “He said, “Neither.” An alternative reading is לוֹ (lo, “[He said] to him”; cf. NEB). This reading is supported by many Hebrew mss, as well as the LXX and Syriac versions. The traditional reading of the MT (לֹא, lo’, “no, neither”) is probably the product of aural confusion (the two variant readings sound the same in Hebrew). Although followed by a number of modern translations (cf. NIV, NRSV), this reading is problematic, for the commander of the Lord’s army would hardly have declared himself neutral.

2 sn The Lord’s heavenly army, like an earthly army, has a commander who leads the troops. For the phrase שַׂר־צְבָא (sar-tsÿva’, “army commander”) in the human sphere, see among many other references Gen 21:22, 32; 26:26; Judg 4:2, 7; 1 Sam 12:9.

3 sn The commander’s appearance seems to be for Joshua’s encouragement. Joshua could now lead Israel into battle knowing that the Lord’s invisible army would ensure victory.

4 tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”

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

6 tn Or “elders.”

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

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