Paragraph 7:6–9

Joshua asked Yahweh why he allowed the people of Ai to defeat the Israelites.

7:6a

Then: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then introduces the next event in the storyline. There is some implied information here. The Israelite soldiers returned to their camp and told Joshua what happened in the battle. In some languages it may be clearer to make this information explicit. For example:

⌊When the soldiers returned to camp and reported to⌋ Joshua, he tore his clothes

Joshua: In the Hebrew text Joshua is mentioned alone as the subject of the sentence. Later in the verse, the elders of Israel also acted along with Joshua. This is a way to emphasize Joshua because he was the leader, and his reaction was the most important.

In some languages it may be more natural to include the elders of Israel as part of the subject. For example:

Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothes

tore his clothes: The phrase tore his clothes means that Joshua intentionally tore his clothes open. This dramatic action was a way to express grief or sorrow. Joshua ripped open his upper and under garment in front of his chest, as a symbol of the pain in his heart.

It may be helpful to make the reason for this action explicit. For example:

tore their clothes in grief (Good News Translation)

7:6b

and fell facedown: Joshua lay down on the ground with his face downward. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fell means that Joshua deliberately lay down on the ground. This was one of the ways that he showed his humility and sorrow.

7:6c

before: The word before indicates “in front of” the ark.

the ark of the LORD: the ark of the LORD was a wooden box that represented the presence of Yahweh among the people. You should use the same word for ark as you did in 3:3.

until evening: Joshua lay this way until the sun set.

7:6d

as did the elders of Israel: The Hebrew is an ellipsis. In many languages it may be necessary to express it in a different way. For example:

he and the elders of Israel ⌊all did this⌋
-or-
The leaders of Israel did the same thing. (New Century Version)
-or-
The elders of Israel also did these things along with Joshua.

The Hebrew text puts this reference to the elders at an unusual place in the verse. In some languages it may not be natural to keep the order of the Hebrew text. Some English versions include the elders, along with Joshua, as the subject of the sentence in 7:6a. For example:

6a Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief (Good News Translation)

Express this in a way that is natural in your language.

the elders of Israel: The elders of Israel were older men who were the leaders of Israel.

7:6e

and they all sprinkled dust on their heads: It was the custom for people to put dust on their heads to show sorrow. In some languages the reason for this action must be made explicit. For example:

with dust on their heads to show their sorrow (Good News Translation)

sprinkled: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sprinkled is more literally “to cause to go up.” The precise action that the people used is not clear. Some English versions translate this word as “threw” (Revised English Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible). Choose a word that seems natural in your language.

dust: The word dust can also be translated as “dirt.”

General Comment on 7:6

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some of the information in this verse. There is more than one way to do this. Here are two examples:

6a Joshua 6d and the leaders of Israel 6a tore their clothing in dismay, 6e threw dust on their heads, 6b and bowed down 6c facing the Ark of the Lord until evening. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

6a Then Joshua 6d and the leaders of Israel 6c went to Yahweh’s Covenant Box. 6a They tore their clothes 6e and put dirt on their heads to show their grief. 6b Then they threw themselves down 6c in front of the Covenant Box and lay there with their faces to the ground until sunset.

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