Joshua 7 · Verse 6

Joshua 7:6

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.
Joshua 7:6, King James Version

Joshua 7:6 in other translations

BSBThen 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.
WEBJoshua 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.
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd Joshua rendeth his garments, and falleth on his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah till the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they cause dust to go up on their head.
DARBYAnd 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.
BBEThen Joshua, in great grief, went down on the earth before the ark of the Lord till the evening, and all the chiefs of Israel with him, and they put dust on their heads.
WebsterAnd Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

What does Joshua 7:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 7:6-9
6-9. Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth ... before the ark ... he and the elders--It is evident, from those tokens of humiliation and sorrow, that a solemn fast was observed on this occasion. The language of Joshua's prayer is thought by many to savor of human infirmity and to be wanting in that reverence and submission he owed to God. But, although apparently breathing a spirit of bold remonstrance and complaint, it was in reality the effusion of a deeply humbled and afflicted mind, expressing his belief that God could not, after having so miraculously brought His people over Jordan into the promised land, intend to destroy them, to expose them to the insults of their triumphant enemies, and bring reproach upon His own name for inconstancy or unkindness to His people, or inability to resist their enemies. Unable to understand the cause of the present calamity, he owned the hand of God.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Joshua rent his clothes, etc. - It was not in consequence of this slight discomfiture, simply considered in itself, that Joshua laid this business so much to heart; but 1. Because the people melted, and became as water, and there was little hope that they would make any stand against the enemy; and 2. Because this defeat evidently showed that God had turned his hand against them. Had it not been so, their enemies could not have prevailed. Put dust upon their heads - Rending the clothes, beating the breast, tearing the hair, putting dust upon the head, and falling down prostrate, were the usual marks of deep affliction and distress. Most nations have expressed their sorrow in a similar way. The example of the distressed family of King Latinus, so affectingly related by Virgil, may be adduced in illustration of many passages in the history of the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, etc. Regina ut testis venientem prospicit hostem - Purpureos moritura manu discindit amictus - Filia prima manu flavos Lavinia crines, Et roseas laniata genas. - It scissa veste Latinus - Canitiem immundo perfusam pulvere turpans. Aen. lib. xii., ver. 594. "The queen, who saw the foes invade the town, And brands on tops of burning houses thrown, She raves against the gods, she beats her breast, And tears, with both her hands, her purple vest. The sad Lavinia rends her yellow hair, And rosy cheeks; the rest her sorrow share. Latinus tears his garments as he goes, Both for his public and his private woes; With filth his venerable beard besmears, And sordid dust deforms his silver hairs." Dryden.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joshua 7:6-9
Joshua's concern for the honour of God, more than even for the fate of Israel, was the language of the Spirit of adoption. He pleaded with God. He laments their defeat, as he feared it would reflect on God's wisdom and power, his goodness and faithfulness. We cannot at any time urge a better plea than this, Lord, what wilt thou do for thy great name? Let God be glorified in all, and then welcome his whole will.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Joshua 7:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּקְרַ֨עvai.yik.Ra'and he toreH7167
יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַye.ho.Shu.a'JoshuaH3091
שִׂמְלֹתָ֗יוsim.lo.Tavclothes hisH8071
וַיִּפֹּל֩vai.yi.Poland he fellH5307
עַל\־'al-onH5921
פָּנָ֨יוpa.Navface hisH6440
אַ֜רְצָה'Ar.tzah[the] ground towardsH776
לִפְנֵ֨יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
אֲר֤וֹן'a.Ron[the] ark ofH727
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
הָעֶ֔רֶבha.'E.revthe eveningH6153
ה֖וּאhu'heH1931
וְזִקְנֵ֣יve.zik.Neiand [the] elders ofH2205
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וַיַּעֲל֥וּvai.ya.'a.Luand they made go upH5927
עָפָ֖ר'a.FardustH6083
עַל\־'al-onH5921
רֹאשָֽׁם\׃ro.Shamhead theirH7218

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joshua 7:6

  • Genesis 37:29

    And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

  • Genesis 37:34

    And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

  • Numbers 14:6

    And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

  • Lamentations 2:10

    The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.

  • Revelation 18:19

    And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

  • 2 Samuel 13:31

    Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.

  • Esther 4:1

    When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;

  • Job 2:12

    And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

  • Job 1:20

    Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

  • Acts 14:14

    Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

  • Judges 21:2

    And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

  • Numbers 16:45

    Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
rent.
Ge 37:29,34; Nu 14:6; 2Sa 13:31; Ezr 9:3-5; Es 4:1; Job 1:20
Ac 14:14
fell.
Nu 16:22,45; 2Sa 12:16
until the eventide.
Jud 20:23,26; 21:2; 2Sa 1:12
put dust.Rending the clothes, beating the breast, tearing the hair, throwing dust upon the head, and falling prostrate, were usual signs of deep affliction and distress among the ancient Israelites. In illustration of this custom, see 1 Sa 4:12, when the messenger brought tidings to Eli of the discomfiture of the armies of Israel by the Philistines; again, in the case of Tamar, 2 Sa 13:19, and in Ne 9:1, when a whole nation, "assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them." See also the case of Mordecai, Es 4:1, and Job 2:12, where his friends abased themselves to comfort him; refer also to Eze 27:30. Jon 3:6. Mic 1:10. In each of these instances it is worthy of remark, that putting dust on the head generally follows rending of the clothes, and was the usual mode of evincing poignant sorrow.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Joshua 7:5

    And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

  • Joshua 7:6

    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.

  • Joshua 7:7

    And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

Read all of Joshua 7

Joshua 7:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces Josué rompió sus vestidos, y postróse en tierra sobre su rostro delante del arca de Jehová hasta la tarde, él y los ancianos de Israel; y echaron polvo sobre sus cabezas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Josué déchira ses vêtements, et tomba sur sa face contre terre, devant l’arche de l’ Éternel, jusqu’au soir, lui et les anciens d’Israël, et ils jetèrent de la poussière sur leurs têtes.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Josua zerriß seine Kleider und fiel vor der Lade Jehovas auf sein Angesicht zur Erde bis an den Abend, er und die Ältesten von Israel, und sie warfen Staub auf ihre Häupter.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Josue vero scidit vestimenta sua, et pronus cecidit in terram coram arca Domini usque ad vesperam, tam ipse quam omnes senes Israël: miseruntque pulverem super capita sua,