Joshua 7:14 kjv
In 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.
Joshua 7:14 nkjv
In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man.
Joshua 7:14 niv
"?'In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the LORD chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the LORD chooses shall come forward man by man.
Joshua 7:14 esv
In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man.
Joshua 7:14 nlt
"In the morning you must present yourselves by tribes, and the LORD will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. That tribe must come forward with its clans, and the LORD will point out the guilty clan. That clan will then come forward, and the LORD will point out the guilty family. Finally, each member of the guilty family must come forward one by one.
Joshua 7 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Josh 7:1-5 | But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things... | Background: Achan's sin and Israel's defeat |
| Josh 7:10-12 | The Lord said to Joshua, "Get up!... I will not be with you anymore..." | God's instruction for dealing with the sin |
| Josh 7:16-18 | So Joshua rose early in the morning... brought near by households... | Execution of the divine process |
| Josh 7:25 | And Joshua said, "Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord bring... | Achan's ultimate judgment for his sin |
| Lev 10:3 | "Among those who are near me I will be sanctified..." | God's demand for holiness and reverence |
| Num 26:55 | But the land shall be divided by lot... by the names of the tribes... | Use of lots/divine selection for allocation |
| Num 27:21 | He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by... | Seeking God's will/direction through priestly means |
| Deut 29:18-21 | Lest there should be among you a man or woman... that will turn away... | Warnings against hidden individual sin corrupting the community |
| 1 Sam 10:19-21 | "Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes..." | Divine identification by lot for leadership |
| 1 Sam 14:41-42 | Therefore Saul said, "O Lord, God of Israel, why have you not answered..." | Divine identification of sin by lot (Jonathan) |
| Prov 16:33 | The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. | God's sovereignty over apparently random events |
| Psa 90:8 | You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light... | God sees and exposes hidden sins |
| Psa 139:11-12 | If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me..." even the darkness is... | God's omnipresence; no sin hidden from Him |
| Ecc 12:14 | For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing... | Future judgment includes secret actions |
| Isa 1:4 | Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers... | Corporate sin and its consequences |
| Jer 23:24 | "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?" says... | God's inability to be hidden from |
| Ezek 36:25 | I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all... | Need for cleansing and purification |
| Hos 8:1 | "Set the trumpet to your lips! He comes like an eagle against the house... | Consequences of breaking God's covenant |
| Zec 5:3 | Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the whole land.. | Corporate curse for specific transgressions |
| Acts 1:26 | And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was... | Use of lots in early church for divine guidance |
| Rom 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life... | The severe consequences of sin |
| Heb 4:13 | And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed... | God's absolute knowledge and transparency |
| 1 Pet 4:17 | For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God... | Judgment begins with God's own people |
Joshua 7 verses
Joshua 7 14 Meaning
This verse outlines the divine process for identifying the individual responsible for Israel's sin and subsequent defeat at Ai. It details a methodical, step-by-step procedure, initiated by God Himself, where the tribes, then families, then households, and finally individuals would be brought forth, with God unmistakably revealing ("choosing" or "seizing") the one who committed the transgression. This was a direct, undeniable method of exposing hidden sin to cleanse the community and restore God's favor.
Joshua 7 14 Context
Joshua chapter 7 describes the disastrous aftermath of Israel's defeat at Ai, which occurred directly after their miraculous victory at Jericho. The previous chapter detailed God's specific commands regarding the devoted things (herem) from Jericho – that everything was to be destroyed or brought into the Lord's treasury. Achan, however, secretly took some of these devoted items for himself. This act of disobedience provoked God's wrath, causing Him to withdraw His presence and power, leading to Israel's unexpected defeat and the loss of lives at Ai. God declared that His people had sinned and that He would not be with them until the accursed thing was removed from their midst. Joshua 7:14 specifically outlines the divinely ordained process, orchestrated by God Himself, to identify the transgressor, enabling the community to purify itself and restore its relationship with the Lord. It emphasizes that no sin, however secret, could be hidden from God, and the entire nation bore the corporate consequence until the sin was dealt with.
Joshua 7 14 Word analysis
- In the morning therefore: Signifies urgency and a decisive, immediate action. This purification process needed to happen quickly to restore God's favor and their military success.
- you shall be brought near (וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֣ם - vəhiqraḇtem): The Hebrew word implies drawing near for a specific purpose, often for an offering, judgment, or official appointment. Here, it denotes being summoned by divine authority for an inquest, emphasizing accountability.
- by your tribes; The first stage of identification. God initiates a methodical, orderly search, starting from the largest societal unit.
- and it shall be that the tribe which the Lord chooses (ילכד - yil·kaḏ): The Hebrew word yilkaḏ (from the root לכד - lakad) is significant. It literally means "to seize," "to catch," "to take," or "to apprehend." It's often used for catching an animal in a snare or net, or apprehending a criminal. It suggests an undeniable, almost forcible, divine identification rather than a simple selection, removing any ambiguity or human error from the process. God is actively pinpointing the transgressor with precision.
- it shall come near by families; The process of elimination continues, narrowing the search from the identified tribe to its constituent families.
- and the family which the Lord chooses shall come near by households; The search is further refined to specific households within the chosen family.
- and the household which the Lord chooses shall come near man by man. The final stage of pinpointing, isolating the individual perpetrator. This methodical progression demonstrates God's omniscience, meticulousness, and determination to ensure the precise identification of the guilty party.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "by your tribes...by families...by households...man by man": This repeated structure reveals God's orderly and thorough method. It wasn't a haphazard search but a precise, divinely guided step-by-step uncovering of the sin. It also gave multiple opportunities for Achan (or anyone knowing) to confess at an earlier stage, minimizing public shame.
- "the Lord chooses (seizes)": This phrase, repeated three times, underscores the divine initiative and unerring accuracy of the revelation. It signifies that the identification was not by human speculation or chance, but by God's direct and absolute intervention, affirming His sovereignty over His people's affairs and His commitment to justice and holiness. It demonstrates that the lot or method used was simply a means through which God communicated His verdict.
Joshua 7 14 Bonus section
The sequential nature of the identification process (tribe, family, household, individual) serves multiple purposes:
- It reinforces God's justice and patience, providing progressively narrower stages where a confession could have been made, lessening the communal burden of the initial identification.
- It demonstrated to the entire community that God truly knows all hidden things and is active in their midst, holding them accountable.
- This public exposure and execution of justice underscored the severe nature of violating the covenant, particularly regarding "devoted things," reinforcing the lesson for future generations and deterring similar sins.
- The selection method, likely involving the Urim and Thummim or a similar form of sacred lots directed by divine will, removed any suspicion of human bias or error, lending ultimate authority to the revelation.
Joshua 7 14 Commentary
Joshua 7:14 describes a remarkable display of divine justice and wisdom. Following Israel's corporate sin due to Achan's disobedience, God's holiness necessitated immediate action for purification. The verse lays out God's plan to identify the guilty party not by human investigation or mere casting of lots, but by an active, divinely guided revelation. The Hebrew term lakad for "chooses" implies a decisive "seizing" or "apprehension," making it clear that God Himself was meticulously singling out the individual. This tiered approach, from tribe down to the specific man, underscores God's thoroughness and desire for Israel's complete cleansing. It served as a stark lesson on the corporate consequences of individual sin and God's absolute demand for holiness within His covenant people, revealing that no transgression, however secret, could evade His sight or His judgment. This process publicly affirmed God's righteousness and commitment to maintaining purity in the camp.