Joshua 7:10-15 · Bible study
Joshua 7:10-15 Commentary: God's Call to Action After Defeat
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God interrupt Joshua's prayer? Exegetical analysis of God's response to Israel's sin, the cherem ban, and the call to corporate repentance.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God reveals that Israel’s defeat at Ai is caused by hidden sin (Achan’s theft of devoted items), and He commands a process of sanctification and identification to restore the covenant relationship.
- Key words: cherem (devoted thing/accursed), gam (also/indeed, repeated for emphasis), qadash (sanctify), lakad (capture/take by lot).
- Main debate: Whether God rebukes Joshua (Calvin, Keil) or merely redirects him without disapproval (Clarke, Gill).
- Theological theme: Corporate responsibility for sin, the holiness of God, and the necessity of removing defilement from the community.
- Best use: A passage for teaching on confession, community discipline, and the seriousness of hidden sin in the life of the church.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
10But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?
11Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.
12This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
13Get up and consecrate the people, saying, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are things devoted to destruction. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
14In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD selects shall come forward clan by clan, and the clan that the LORD selects shall come forward family by family, and the family that the LORD selects shall come forward man by man.
15The one who is caught with the things devoted to destruction must be burned, along with all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD and committed an outrage in Israel.’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
10Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face like that?
11Israel has sinned. Yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. Yes, they have even taken some of the devoted things, and have also stolen, and also deceived. They have even put it among their own stuff.
12Therefore the children of Israel can’t stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will not be with you any more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
13Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, “There is a devoted thing among you, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.”
14In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. It shall be that the tribe which Yahweh selects shall come near by families. The family which Yahweh selects shall come near by households. The household which Yahweh selects shall come near man by man.
15It shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed Yahweh’s covenant, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
10And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
11Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
13Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
14In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man.
15And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
10And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus fallen upon thy face?
11Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also; and they have even put it among their own stuff.
12Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you any more, except ye destroy the devoted thing from among you.
13Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow: for thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the devoted thing from among you.
14In the morning therefore ye shall be brought near by your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which Jehovah taketh shall come near by families; and the family which Jehovah shall take shall come near by households; and the household which Jehovah shall take shall come near man by man.
15And it shall be, that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath; because he hath transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
10And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, `Rise for thee, why is this? --thou art falling on thy face?
11Israel hath sinned, and also they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, and also taken of the devoted thing, and also stolen, and also deceived, and also put it among their vessels,
12and the sons of Israel have not been able to stand before their enemies; the neck they turn before their enemies, for they have become a devoted thing; I add not to be with you--if ye destroy not the devoted thing out of your midst.
13`Rise, sanctify the people, and thou hast said, Sanctify yourselves for to-morrow; for thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, A devoted thing is in thy midst, O Israel, thou art not able to stand before thine enemies till your turning aside of the devoted thing out of your midst;
14and ye have been brought near in the morning by your tribes, and it hath been, the tribe which Jehovah doth capture doth draw near by families, and the family which Jehovah doth capture doth draw near by households, and the household which Jehovah doth capture doth draw near by men;
15and it hath been, he who is captured with the devoted thing is burnt with fire, he and all that he hath, because he hath transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he hath done folly in Israel.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
10And Jehovah said to Joshua, Rise up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
11Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them, and they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it among their stuff.
12And the children of Israel shall not be able to stand before their enemies: they shall turn their backs before their enemies, for they have made themselves accursed. I will no more be with you, except ye destroy the accursed thing from your midst.
13Rise up, hallow the people, and say, Hallow yourselves for to-morrow; for thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, Israel: thou shalt not be able to stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from your midst.
14And ye shall be brought near in the morning according to your tribes; and it shall be, that the tribe which Jehovah taketh shall come forward by families, and the family which Jehovah taketh shall come forward by households; and the household which Jehovah taketh shall come forward man by man.
15And it shall be, that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he hath, because he hath transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he hath wrought wickedness in Israel.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
10And the Lord said to Joshua: Arise, why liest thou flat on the ground?
11Israel hath sinned, and transgressed my covenant: and they have taken of the anathema, and have stolen and lied, and have hid it among their goods.
12Neither can Israel stand before his enemies, but he shall flee from them: because he is defiled with the anathema. I will be no more with you, till you destroy him that is guilty of this wickedness.
13Arise, sanctify the people, and say to them: Be ye sanctified against tomorrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel: The curse is in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thy enemies, till he be destroyed out of thee, that is defiled with this wickedness.
14And you shall come in the morning, every one by your tribes: and what tribe soever the lot shall find, it shall come by its kindreds, and the kindred by its houses and tho house by the men.
15And whosoever he be that shall be found guilty of this fact, he shall be burnt with fire, with all his substance, because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and hath done wickedness in Israel.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Joshua 7:10
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that God's word to Joshua cuts through the confusion after Ai. The defeat has a cause, and it is not God's unfaithfulness. Clarke states plainly that Joshua's prayer contains nothing offensive; God's question is not a reprimand but a redirection: “this is no time for complaint.” Calvin and Keil detect a note of censure, arguing that Joshua had no reason to doubt God and should have sought the cause in the people's sin. Despite that difference, all concur that the crisis requires action, not prolonged lament. The sin is corporate even though committed by one man. Barnes draws attention to the accumulation of clauses in verse 11, “they have even transgressed … they have even taken … also stolen … also deceived”, as deliberate emphasis on the heinousness of the breach. The solution is equally clear: the devoted thing (cherem) must be removed, the people must sanctify themselves, and the guilty party must be identified by lot. Every major tradition reads this passage as a sobering lesson that hidden sin in the community breaks covenant and forfeits God's presence.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- God is rebuking Joshua: Calvin and Keil read the question 'Why have you fallen on your face?' as a mild censure; Joshua had no reason to doubt God, and the remedy required action, not further lament.
- God is not rebuking, just redirecting: Clarke and Gill insist Joshua’s prayer was not offensive, and God’s words are simply a call to get up and address the real issue — sin in the camp.
What is clear: Regardless of the tone, God clearly reveals that Israel’s defeat is due to covenant violation, and He commands a specific process of sanctification and judgment to restore His presence and victory.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God's tone toward Joshua | God stops Joshua's prayer and calls him to action, indicating a problem that must be addressed. | Some (Clarke, Gill) see no rebuke, only instruction. Others (Calvin, Keil) detect a reproof for excessive sorrow or misplaced doubt. |
| Corporate responsibility | The whole nation suffers for one man's sin, and the entire community must participate in the remedy (sanctification, lot). | How to understand this theologically: some emphasize covenant solidarity (God treats Israel as a single body), while others focus on the community's failure to prevent or detect the sin. |
| Method of detection (the lot) | The lot is the God-ordained means to identify the guilty party, moving from tribe to individual. | Whether the lot involved Urim and Thummim (Jewish tradition, most commentators) or another mechanism (some suggest casting marked stones). |
| Severity of punishment (burning) | Achan and all he has are burned because he violated the herem (see Joshua 6:24). | The justice of including his family and possessions: some see it as necessary corporate judgment in that cultural context; others struggle with it as a difficult Old Testament passage that points to the seriousness of sin but is not prescriptive for today. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This passage sits at a pivotal moment in the conquest narrative. In Joshua 6, Jericho fell under the ban: all living things were to be destroyed, and all precious metals and vessels were “holy to Yahweh … [to come] into Yahweh’s treasury” (Joshua 6:19). Achan violated that ban by taking some of the devoted items for himself. The Hebrew word cherem appears nine times in these verses. It combines the ideas of being set apart for God and being devoted to destruction. To take what was cherem meant becoming cherem oneself, a grim solidarity with the condemned city.
The method of detection, described in verses 14-15, uses the “lot.” The precise mechanism is not spelled out, but most scholars infer the Urim and Thummim or a similar procedure. The lot was understood as God’s direct decision: Proverbs 16:33 later says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from Yahweh.” The process moved from the largest social unit (tribe) to the smallest (man by man). This stepwise narrowing gave space for confession, a point Calvin highlights. The social organization of Israel, tribes (shevatim), clans (mishpachot), households (batim), and individual men (gevarim), structured both daily life and judicial proceedings.
The historical context also includes the covenant framework established at Sinai. Breaking the covenant (verse 11, 15) was not merely a legal infraction; it severed the relationship that made victory possible. The defeat at Ai was thus a direct consequence of covenant unfaithfulness, not a failure of military strategy. Understanding this background helps modern readers see why God’s response is so direct: the issue is not Joshua’s leadership but the people’s holiness.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this passage. The translations vary between “accursed thing” (KJV, ASV) and “devoted thing” (WEB, BSB), both render the same Hebrew noun cherem. The Cambridge Bible points out that the LXX uses a Greek word for “remove” in verse 12 that Paul echoes in 1 Corinthians 5:13 (“put away from among yourselves that wicked person”). This connection is noteworthy but does not affect the original text.
Reception History
Jewish tradition has read this passage as a foundational example of how hidden sin brings public calamity. The Mishnah (Sanhedrin) uses the method of lot-casting to illustrate divine providence in judicial procedures. In Christian history, the passage was cited by early church writers to support the practice of church discipline; Augustine and others saw in Achan a type of unconfessed sin that leavens the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). During the Reformation, commentators such as Calvin and Luther emphasized the corporate nature of sin and the urgency of purification before God. In modern preaching, Joshua 7:10-15 is often used to address issues of integrity, secret sin, and the need for corporate holiness in congregations. Wyclif’s English translation renders “sanctify” as “halwe” the puple, connecting the passage to the broader biblical theme of consecration.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The wrong question: Joshua asks “Why have you brought us here?” (verse 7). God redirects him to ask “What sin is among us?” The problem is not God’s plan but the people’s disobedience.
- The nature of hidden sin: Verse 11 lists five verbs, transgressed, taken, stolen, deceived, put among their own stuff. Sin is layered: it begins with one act, then multiplies through cover-up and rationalization.
- The path back: God gives clear steps, sanctify, identify, remove. Restoration requires corporate holiness and decisive action against what defiles the community.
Five-Point Outline
- Why Joshua’s posture is inadequate (verse 10).
- The true diagnosis: covenant violation, not divine abandonment (verse 11).
- Corporate consequences of one person’s sin (verse 12).
- The call to sanctification and confrontation (verse 13).
- The method of exposure and the cost of unconfessed sin (verses 14-15).
Illustration Hooks
- A sports team where one player uses banned substances; the whole team loses its wins. The hidden action affects everyone.
- A church treasurer who quietly diverts funds; when discovered, the congregation’s trust and mission are shaken.
- A marriage where one partner hides debt; the secret poison erodes the relationship until it is brought into the open.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- “When bad things happen to me, is God punishing me for something specific?”
- “How do we handle sin in the church without becoming judgmental or gossipy?”
- “Does my private sin really affect anyone else in the community?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage challenges our individualism. Achan’s sin is named as “Israel has sinned,” and the whole nation suffers. The group should explore what this means for their own community, at church, at home, or among friends.
Discussion Questions
- Why does God tell Joshua to get up instead of continuing to pray (verse 10)? What does this teach about the relationship between prayer and action?
- Verse 11 lists five specific actions. Which of these do you find most surprising as part of the sin? Why do you think God emphasizes the act of “putting it among their own stuff”?
- Verse 12 says Israel “became devoted for destruction.” How does one person’s sin create that kind of solidarity? Is this fair? What does it tell us about God’s view of community?
- Why does God require the entire process of sanctification and lot-casting (verses 13-14)? Why not simply reveal Achan directly?
- The punishment in verse 15 is severe, burning with fire. How does this challenge our modern assumptions about justice and grace? What does it reveal about the seriousness of covenant-breaking?
- How might the church today apply the principle of “removing the devoted thing” when hidden sin is discovered? Where is the balance between discipline and restoration?
- What steps can you personally take this week to “sanctify yourselves” in your own life, that is, to identify and remove anything that breaks trust with God or others?
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)
| Exodus 14:15 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward. |
| I Samuel 15:22 | Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. |
| I Samuel 16:1 | Yahweh said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided a king for myself among his sons.” |
| I Chronicles 22:16 | of the gold, the silver, the bronze, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and may Yahweh be with you.” |
| Leviticus 5:15 | “If anyone commits a trespass, and sins unwittingly regarding Yahweh’s holy things, then he shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation in silver by shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering. |
| Deuteronomy 17:2 | If there is found among you, within any of your gates which Yahweh your God gives you, a man or woman who does that which is evil in Yahweh your God’s sight in transgressing his covenant, |
| Joshua 6:17 | The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. |
| Joshua 6:19 | But all the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.” |
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 emphasizes that God’s words to Joshua were not a rebuke but a redirection: now is the time for action, not mourning. He explains that taking the accursed thing brought the same curse upon the taker, making the penalty just, and that the guilty were discovered by lot, as in other biblical cases.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on the method of detection: God directed that the guilty party be discovered by lot, a practice in which small stones were drawn from a container, understood as divinely guided. He notes that the accumulation of clauses describing Israel's sin highlights its heinousness, especially the theft of consecrated property.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that Joshua’s immediate call to action, not remorse, is the right response to sin among the people. He draws a direct parallel to Paul’s instruction to remove the incestuous man from the Corinthian church. The method of detection by sacred lot was an appeal to God, free from human bias.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes stress that Israel's defeat comes from a single man's hidden sin, showing how one person's disobedience brings God's judgment on the whole community. God commands immediate action to purge the cursed thing from among them before He will remain with them. The severe punishment by fire underscores that breaking the covenant is treated as outright rebellion against God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that God does not rebuke Joshua for praying but instead calls him to action: sin in the camp must be exposed and removed before Israel can stand again before their enemies. The offense involved not just taking devoted things but also stealing and lying about it, requiring a public search by lot to identify the guilty party.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that God's answer to Joshua shifts the blame entirely onto Israel. The defeat is not divine failure but the people's sin: they violated the covenant by keeping plunder from Jericho. This "folly" makes them liable to destruction like the Canaanites themselves. Only by finding and punishing the trespasser can Israel be released from the ban and restored to prosperity.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that God spoke directly to Joshua, bypassing the high priest, to rebuke him for looking to God rather than to Israel's sin as the cause of defeat. The sin is described as a covenant breach, a grasping at what was banned, theft, concealment, and wrongful appropriation of what belonged to the Lord.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Achan's sin compromises the whole community because Israel is an organic unity, not a collection of isolated individuals. God's anger is not blind passion but holy displeasure against unrighteousness, and it falls on the entire nation until the devoted thing is removed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a pastoral distinction: those who feel the weight of God's displeasure should complain to Him, not of Him. He notes that God's answer came immediately while Joshua was still speaking, encouraging believers to bring their trouble directly to the Lord and expect a response of peace.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that Achan’s sin was not ordinary theft but outright sacrilege, taking what had been set apart for God. He points out the folly of committing such a crime within Israel, a people who had clear laws and a generous God, and notes that sin’s hardening power kept Achan from confessing even when called to purify himself.