Joshua 7:6
4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled before the men of Ai.
5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
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.
7 “O, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies?
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- 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.
- KJV
- And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
- WEB
- Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the LORD’s ark until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.
- ASV
- And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads.
- DARBY
- And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and threw dust upon their heads.
- BLB
- And Joshua tore his clothes and fell on his face to the earth before the face of the ark of YHWH until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust on their heads.
- ÅB
- Og Josva sønderrev sine klær og falt ned på sitt ansikt til jorden foran Herrens ark og ble liggende der helt til kvelden, både han og Israels eldste, og de strødde støv på sitt hode.
- OTB
- Josva rev i stykker klærne sine og falt med ansiktet mot jorden foran Herrens ark til kvelden, sammen med Israels eldste, som også strødde støv på hodene sine.
- B1930
- Og Josva sønderrev sine klær og falt ned på sitt ansikt til jorden foran Herrens ark og blev liggende der helt til aftenen, både han og Israels eldste, og de strødde støv på sitt hode.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Genesis 37:29
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
Read in contextGenesis 37:34
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Read in contextNumbers 14:6
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes
Read in contextLamentations 2:10
The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
Read in contextRevelation 18:19
Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”
Read in context2 Samuel 13:31
Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground; and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
Read in contextEsther 4:1
When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.
Read in contextJob 2:12
When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head.
Read in context