Joshua 7:4-12

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 7:1-5

The story of this chapter begins with a but. The Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was noised through all that country, so the foregoing chapter ends, and it left no room to doubt but that he would go on as he had begun conquering and to conquer. He did right, and observed his orders in every thing. But the children of Israel committed a trespass, and so set God against them; and then even Joshua's name and fame, his wisdom and courage, could do them no service. If we lose our God, we lose... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 7:6-9

We have here an account of the deep concern Joshua was in upon this sad occasion. He, as a public person, interested himself more than any other in this public loss, and is therein an example to princes and great men, and teaches them to lay much to heart the calamities that befal their people: he is also a type of Christ, to whom the blood of his subjects is precious, Ps. 72:14. Observe, I. How he grieved: He rent his clothes (Josh. 7:6), in token of great sorrow for this public disaster, and... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 7:10-15

We have here God's answer to Joshua's address, which, we may suppose, came from the oracle over the ark, before which Joshua had prostrated himself, Josh. 7:6. Those that desire to know the will of God must attend with their desires upon the lively oracles, and wait at wisdom's gates for wisdom's dictates, Prov. 8:34. And let those that find themselves under the tokens of God's displeasure never complain of him, but complain to him, and they shall receive an answer of peace. The answer came... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:4

So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men ,.... Joshua detached from the army the largest number proposed, that there might be strength enough to take the place; and those he sent under proper officers to Ai, who went up to the very gate of the city, as appears from Joshua 7:5 , and they fled before the men of Ai ; for upon their appearing at the gate of their city, they came out with all their forces against them, and as soon as they did, the children of Israel... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:5

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men ,.... In the pursuit of them, which were but few, but a sufficient rebuke of Providence; their loss was but small, but their shame and disgrace great: for they chased them from before the gate ; the gate of the city of Ai: even unto Shebarim ; not that there was a place of this name before, but it was so called from hence, because there they were broken, as Kimchi observes; and the Targum and Jarchi render it,"until they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:6

And Joshua rent his clothes ,.... As was usual in those ancient times, on hearing bad news, and as expressive of grief and trouble F18 "Tum pius", Aeneas, &c.; Virgil. Aeneid. l. 5. prope finem. ; see Genesis 37:29 , and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord, until the eventide ; in a posture of adoration and prayer, in which he continued till even; how long that was cannot be said, since the time is not mentioned when the army returned from Ai; very... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:7

And Joshua said, alas! O Lord God ,.... What a miserable and distressed condition are we in! have pity and compassion on us; who could have thought it, that this would have been our case? wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us : who are mentioned either for the whole people of the land of Canaan; or rather, because the people of Israel were now in that part of the country which they inhabited: these words... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:8

O Lord, what shall I say ,.... For the comfort and encouragement of the people of Israel, in vindication of thy power and faithfulness, and against the charge of weakness in thyself, unfaithfulness to thy promises, and unkindness to thy people, brought by our enemies: when Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies ? or after they have done it; what is to be said now, this being the case? he speaks as a man confounded, and at the utmost loss how to account for the power, the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:9

For the Canaanites ,.... Those that dwell on the east and on the west of the land, see Joshua 11:3 ; who were one of the seven nations: and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it ; of this defeat; not only the Amorites, among whom they now were, and the Canaanites before mentioned, but the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites: and shall environ us round ; come with all their forces from all parts of the land, and surround us, so that there will be no... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:10

And the Lord said unto Joshua, get thee up ,.... From the ground where he lay prostrate, with his face to it: this he said, not as refusing his supplication to him, but rather as encouraging and strengthening him; though chiefly he said this in order to instruct him, and that he might prepare for what he was to do: wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face ? in this manner, so distressed and dejected; or for this thing, as the Targum, for this defeat of the army; something else is to be... read more

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