Joshua 5:1 · Bible study
Joshua 5:1 Commentary: When Fear Fails to Produce Faith
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did the Canaanite kings' terror at the dried-up Jordan not lead to repentance? A verse-by-verse study of fear, faith, and God's victory.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's power terrifies Israel's enemies, disabling their resistance and creating a safe window for covenant renewal.
- Key words: Heart melted (leebab masas), courage dissolved; spirit (ruach), vitality, fighting spirit; dried up (hobish), causal, divine action.
- Main debate: Whether the original Hebrew read “we passed over” (eyewitness, possibly Joshua) or “they passed over” (a later scribal smoothing).
- Theological theme: Fear of God that does not lead to repentance leaves a person hardened and helpless; divine sovereignty works even through the terror of the wicked to accomplish salvation.
- Best use: As a warning that seeing God’s power is not enough, the heart must respond in faith; also as a comfort that God can disarm opposition before we even fight.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
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 waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.
WEB World English Bible 2000
When all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel.
KJV King James Version 1769
And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, that were by the sea, heard how that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And it cometh to pass when all the kings of the Amorite which are beyond the Jordan, towards the sea, and all the kings of the Canaanite which are by the sea, hear how that Jehovah hath dried up the waters of the Jordan at the presence of the sons of Israel till their passing over, that their heart is melted, and there hath not been in them any more spirit because of the presence of the sons of Israel.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel, until they had passed over, that their heart melted, and there was no spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Now when all the kings of the Amorrhites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan, westward, and all the kings of Chanaan, who possessed the places near the great sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel, till they passed over, their heart failed them, and there remained no spirit in them, fearing the coming in of the children of Israel.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y CUANDO todos los reyes de los Amorrheos, que estaban de la otra parte del Jordán al occidente, y todos los reyes de los Cananeos, que estaban cerca de la mar, oyeron como Jehová había secado las aguas del Jordán delante de los hijos de Israel hasta que hubieron pasado|strong="H5674, H5676", desfalleció su corazón, y no hubo más espíritu en ellos delante de los hijos de Israel.
E quando todos os reis dos amorreus, que estavam da outra parte do Jordão ao ocidente, e todos os reis dos cananeus, que estavam próximos do mar, ouviram como o SENHOR havia secado as águas do Jordão diante dos filhos de Israel até que passaram, desfaleceu seu coração, e não houve mais espírito neles diante dos filhos de Israel.
Lorsque tous les rois des Amoréens à l’ occident du Jourdain et tous les rois des Cananéens près de la mer apprirent que l’ Éternel avait mis à sec les eaux du Jourdain devant les enfants d’ Israël jusqu’ à ce que nous eussions passé, ils perdirent courage et furent consternés à l’ aspect des enfants d’ Israël.
Da nun alle Könige der Amoriter, die jenseit des Jordans gegen Abend wohnten, und alle Könige der Kanaaniter am Meer hörten, wie der HERR das Wasser des Jordans hatte ausgetrocknet vor den Kindern Israel, bis sie hinübergingen, verzagte ihr Herz, und war kein Mut mehr in ihnen vor den Kindern Israel.
En het geschiedde, toen al de koningen der Amorieten, die aan deze zijde van de Jordaan westwaarts, en al de koningen der Kanaanieten, die aan de zee waren, hoorden, dat de HEERE de wateren van de Jordaan had uitgedroogd, voor het aangezicht der kinderen Israels, totdat wij daardoor gegaan waren; zo versmolt hun hart, en er was geen moed meer in hen, voor het aangezicht der kinderen Israels.
Or come tutti i re degli Amorei che erano di là dal Giordano verso occidente e tutti i re dei Cananei che erano presso il mare udirono che l’Eterno aveva asciugate le acque del Giordano davanti ai figliuoli d’Israele finché fossero passati, il loro cuore si strusse e non rimase più in loro alcun coraggio di fronte ai figliuoli d’Israele.
I stało się, gdy usłyszeli wszyscy królowie Amorejscy, którzy mieszkali za Jordanem ku zachodowi, i wszyscy królowie Chananejscy, którzy mieszkali nad morzem, że wysuszył Pan wody Jordańskie przed syny Izraelskimi, aż się przeprawili, upadło serce ich, tak iż nie został więcej w nich duch przed oblicznością synów Izraelskich.
Когда все цари Аморрейские, которые жили по эту сторону Иордана к морю, и все цари Ханаанские, которые при море, услышали, что Господь [Бог] иссушил воды Иордана пред сынами Израилевыми, доколе переходили они, тогда ослабело сердце их, [они ужаснулись] и не стало уже в них духа против сынов Израилевых.
約旦河 西 亞摩利人 的諸 王 和靠 海 迦南人 的諸 王，聽見 耶和華 在以色列 人 前面 使 約旦河 的水 乾了，等到 我們過去，他們的心因 以色列 人 的緣故就消化了，不 再 有 膽氣。
Now when the news came to all the kings of the Amorites on the west side of Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites living by the sea, how the Lord had made the waters of Jordan dry before the children of Israel, till they had gone across, their hearts became like water, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Joshua 5:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse records a deliberate act of God: striking the Canaanite rulers with disabling terror. The Cambridge Bible describes it as “a first example” of the nations coming to know the Name of the Lord. Calvin argues that the kings’ fear did not soften them toward penitent submission; they remained “as hard-hearted as before.” Matthew Henry, Wesley, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown each note that the news of the Jordan’s drying up triggered a complete loss of military resolve, the Hebrew verb masas (melt) and the noun ruach (spirit) together picture an army that had no fight left. Keil and Delitzsch add that the timing was providential: the Canaanites’ paralysis allowed Israel to observe circumcision and Passover without threat. Gill and Keil highlight the first-person pronoun “we” as evidence of an eyewitness. The consensus holds that God secured a psychological victory before any sword was raised, showing that the conquest truly began in the hearts of the enemy.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God caused the Canaanite kings to lose all courage and resolve, demonstrating His sovereign power over Israel's enemies and providing a safe period for covenant renewal.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the Amorites and Canaanites | All traditions recognize these as the two main categories of peoples in Canaan, the Amorites as highlanders, the Canaanites as lowlanders and coastal dwellers. | Some scholars (e.g., Gill) think the Amorites mentioned here include only those west of the Jordan, while others (Clarke) suggest they may also include refugees from the defeated eastern kings. The geographical boundaries are not fully agreed. |
| The nature of the kings' fear | All agree this was a supernatural terror sent by God that paralyzed the kings and incapacitated their military response. | Calvin and the Reformed tradition see this fear as utterly without saving effect, the kings remained willfully hostile. Arminian-leaning readings (Clarke, Wesley) leave open that the fear could have been a genuine opportunity for repentance, though the kings did not take it. |
| Textual person (we vs they) | The Masoretic Text as written (Ketiv) has the first-person plural “we” (עָבְרָם is ambiguous but read as first person by the Jewish tradition; the pronoun suffix could be parsed as “we passed over”). | Some later manuscripts and the Septuagint read “they passed over.” Conservative commentators (Gill, Keil) defend the first person as original and evidence of Joshua’s authorship. Others (Barnes) note the change of person is not decisive. |
| Purpose in the narrative | All agree that this terror served to demoralize the enemy and give Israel a window to circumcise and keep the Passover without attack. | The extent to which this spiritual/psychological defeat constituted the beginning of the actual conquest is debated: Matthew Henry sees it as a clear sign that victory was certain, while others (Cambridge) treat it more as a preliminary morale boost. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Joshua 5:1 sits at a hinge in the narrative. Israel has just crossed the Jordan at flood stage (Joshua 3:15), a miracle that echoed the Red Sea crossing. The verse names two groups: the Amorites, who controlled the hill country of inland Canaan (Genesis 10:16, 15:21), and the Canaanites, who dwelt along the Mediterranean coast (Genesis 10:19). The phrase “beyond the Jordan westward” is written from the standpoint of the eastern side of the river (Keil & Delitzsch). The kings heard (Hebrew shama) the report of Yahweh drying up the waters; the verb “dried up” (hobish, Hiphil of yabesh) emphasizes God’s active agency.
The timing is not accidental. The kings’ terror unfolds just before Joshua receives the command to circumcise the people (v.2) and keep the Passover (v.10). Had the Canaanites remained aggressive, these vulnerable rituals might have been attacked. Instead, their hearts “melted” (masas, Niphal) and no spirit (ruach) of courage remained in them. This fulfills the pattern seen earlier: Rahab told the spies that fear of Israel had already fallen on the land (Joshua 2:9, 11), and the Song of Moses had sung that “all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away” (Exodus 15:15). What was song and report now becomes concrete. The Jordan’s drying up was not merely a logistical miracle; it was a stroke of psychological warfare, leaving Israel’s enemies disarmed before a single battle began.
Textual Notes
The primary textual issue in this verse is the person of the verb “passed over.” The Masoretic Text (Ketiv) reads ‘ovram, which traditional Jewish reading takes as first person plural: “until we were passed over.” The Keri (marginal reading) and many ancient versions (Septuagint, Vulgate, some Hebrew manuscripts) read the third person “they.” Barnes notes that the reading tradition “has the third person.” Keil and Delitzsch argue the Ketiv reading is original, and the Keri is an arbitrary correction driven by scribal discomfort with the sudden first person. They see the “we” as evidence of an eyewitness, likely Joshua himself. No other significant variants are noted in the consulted sources.
Reception History
In early Jewish interpretation, Joshua 5:1 was read as a fulfillment of the promises to Abraham regarding the dispossession of the Canaanites (Genesis 15:16, 21) and as a demonstration of God’s continued mighty acts. Early Christian fathers such as Origen and Augustine saw the drying up of the Jordan and the terror of the kings as a type of Christ’s victory over the powers of death and evil, the waters of judgment are parted, and the enemy’s courage dissolves. During the Reformation, Calvin used this verse to argue that even the most stubborn unbelievers are sometimes struck with a frightful awareness of God’s power, yet remain in rebellion, a distinction between what he called “temporary fear” and saving faith. In modern study, the verse is often examined for its psychological and strategic dimensions: God’s sovereignty over history includes the psychological disposition of armies.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The News That Declares God’s Power, The kings heard (shama) what Yahweh had done. The drying up of the Jordan at flood stage was a public, undeniable sign that the God of Israel was fighting for His people.
- The Reaction That Reveals Human Helplessness, Their heart melted; no spirit remained. The Hebrew words masas (melt) and ruach (spirit, courage) show a total collapse of resolve. Terror does not automatically produce repentance.
- The Outcome That Demonstrates God’s Victory, The kings were paralyzed, and Israel was free to worship. God gave His people a season of safety to renew covenant and celebrate Passover before the conquest began.
Five-point outline
- God’s mighty acts are witnessed by all, but not all respond in faith.
- Fear can be a gift from God to protect His people and prepare the way (Exodus 15:14, 16).
- Fear of God without trust in His mercy leads to despair, not salvation (Calvin).
- God’s timing creates space for worship and obedience, here, circumcision and Passover.
- The real conquest begins in the spiritual realm: hearts are turned to fear, faith, or hardness.
Illustration hooks
- A city receiving news of a coming hurricane: some board windows and prepare; others freeze in panic, unable to act. The same storm report, different outcomes.
- A patient hearing a cancer diagnosis: one person researches treatment and reaches out for support; another collapses into hopelessness. The news is the same; the response depends on what they trust.
- The difference between two people hearing bad news about a job or a legal case: one turns to God for help; the other just gives up. The fear that paralyzes is not the same as the fear that leads to faith.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If these kings were so terrified, why didn’t they just surrender to Israel? Was their fear real but still powerless?
- Is fear of God a bad thing? How do I know if I am afraid of Him like these kings or reverent in a way that draws me closer?
- How does God sometimes use the fear of others to protect His people, even today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows that the same news can produce opposite responses. The Canaanite kings heard about the God who dries up rivers and were paralyzed. In the next verses, Israel hears the same God and gathers for worship and circumcision. What makes the difference? It is the presence (or absence) of covenant faith.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What exactly do the kings hear? List the details from the verse.
- Observation: What happens inside the kings when they hear? What Hebrew words describe their condition?
- Interpretation: Why does the author mention both Amorites (highland) and Canaanites (coastal)? What groups do they stand for?
- Interpretation: Calvin says the kings’ fear did not lead to penitent submission because they remained “contumacious.” What does that mean, and how is it possible to fear God yet still rebel?
- Interpretation: Why is the timing of this terror important? What does it allow Israel to do next?
- Application: When have you experienced a fear of God that did not lead to change? What was missing?
- Application: How can we tell the difference between the kind of fear that hardens and the kind that softens the heart toward God?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 10:15 | Canaan became the father of Sidon (his firstborn), Heth, |
| Genesis 10:19 | The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon—as you go toward Gerar—to Gaza—as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim—to Lasha. |
| Genesis 12:6 | Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, Canaanites were in the land. |
| Genesis 15:18 | In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: |
| Genesis 15:21 | the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” |
| Genesis 48:22 | Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.” |
| Exodus 15:14 | The peoples have heard. They tremble. Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. |
| Exodus 15:15 | Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies the Amorites mentioned here as likely survivors from the east side of the Jordan who fled after the defeat of Og and Sihon. He notes that while Joshua had not yet fought those on the west, this group may have been remnants of the earlier wars, now taking refuge among their kin.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes clarifies that Amorites and Canaanites are geographic labels for highland and lowland kings, together covering all the tribes of the land. He then notes caution about the first-person pronoun "we" in the text, pointing out that Jewish authorities read the third person here and that such shifts in Hebrew do not necessarily imply an eyewitness account.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the terror God sent did not make the enemy repent or seek mercy. Instead, they remained stubborn and rushed recklessly ahead, even as their hearts melted. God used this dread to weaken them beforehand, making victory easier for His frightened people.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary notes that the terror gripping the Canaanite kings is the first concrete example of God's promise that all nations would come to know and fear His name. Their hearts melted completely when they heard of the miraculous crossing of the Jordan.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight that the miraculous drying of the Jordan left the Canaanite and Amorite kings completely demoralized, with no remaining courage. This demonstrates how God's power over nature strikes fear into Israel's enemies, rendering them powerless.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the Amorite kings listed are those west of the Jordan, distinct from the colony already defeated east of it. He also notes the Septuagint calls the Canaanite kings along the sea rulers of Phoenicia. Their utter loss of courage confirms Joshua wrote this, since he himself crossed the river.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the conquest had already begun in the complete collapse of spirit among the Canaanite kings, but their terror did not lead to faith or repentance. They had counted on the Jordan as a natural barrier, and its supernatural drying up left them paralyzed by the proof that God was with Israel.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that circumcision was omitted in the wilderness not from neglect but because God temporarily suspended the covenant with the rebellious exodus generation. The sign was withheld until that generation died off, then restored to their sons as the covenant was renewed for entry into Canaan.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry focuses on the meaning behind the circumcision. He sees it as God rolling away the shame of Egypt, both the literal disgrace of being uncircumcised like the Egyptians and the deeper reproach of their slavery and unbelief in the wilderness. With this act, Israel was renewed as a covenant people ready to enter the land.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights God's particular providence in making the Canaanites' hearts melt, so Israel could first receive the two great sacraments: circumcision and the passover. This quiet preparation was essential before entering the holy promised land, which would have been defiled by an uncircumcised people.