Joshua 7:13

Get 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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God commands Joshua to rise and instruct the Israelites to consecrate themselves for the next day. This directive follows God's declaration that Israel's defeat at Ai stems from hidden devoted items among them.

The words — The text uses קֻ֚ם (kum), meaning "arise," and קַדֵּ֣שׁ (ka.Desh), meaning "consecrate," to command immediate physical preparation and ritual separation.

The thread — The call to consecration and self-examination appears in Joshua 3:5 and Lamentations 3:40, while the requirement to remove hidden fault before addressing others is referenced in Matthew 7:5.

Why it lands — The verse demands the identification and removal of concealed disobedience before divine presence or military success can occur. It requires immediate, structured communal action rather than continued passive resistance.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

קֻ֚םkumarise קַדֵּ֣שׁka.Deshconsecrate אֶת־'et-<obj.>הָעָ֔םha./'Amthe/ people וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ve./'a.mar.Taand/ you will say הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּhit.ka.de.Shuconsecrate yourselves לְמָחָ֑רle./ma.Charfor/ tomorrow כִּ֣יkifor כֹה֩khohthus אָמַ֨ר'a.Marhe says יְהוָ֜הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[the] God of יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לYis.ra.'ElIsrael חֵ֤רֶםChe.remdevoted thing[s]בְּקִרְבְּךָ֙be./kir.be./Cha[are] in/ midst/ your יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElO Israel לֹ֣אlo'not תוּכַ֗לtu.Khalyou will be able לָקוּם֙la./Kumto/ stand לִפְנֵ֣יli/f.Nei<to>/ before אֹיְבֶ֔יךָ'o.ye.Vei./khaenemies/ your עַד־'ad-until הֲסִירְכֶ֥םha.sir./Khemremove/ you הַחֵ֖רֶםha./Che.remthe/ devoted thing[s]מִֽקִּרְבְּכֶֽם׃Mi./kir.be./Khemfrom/ midst/ your

King James Version

Up, 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.

Cross-references

Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
Joshua 3:5 Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
Joshua 6:18 But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.
Joshua 7:11 Israel 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.
Exodus 19:10 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes
2 Chronicles 28:10 And now you intend to reduce to slavery the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you not also guilty before the LORD your God?
Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves, gather together, O shameful nation,
1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.