Bible Strands
Joshua 7:6
Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua and the elders of Israel act immediately after the defeat at Ai and the melting hearts of the people. They position themselves before the ark of the LORD to perform a ritual of mourning.
The words — The Hebrew וַיִּקְרַע (va-yiqrāʿ) literally means "and he tore," describing the ripping of garments. The phrase עַל־פָּנָיו אַרְצָה (ʿal-pānāyw ʾarṣâ) translates to "on his face toward the ground," denoting a prostrate posture.
The thread — This physical response to crisis appears in Genesis 37:29 when Reuben finds Joseph missing, Genesis 37:34 as Jacob mourns his son, and Numbers 14:6 when Joshua and Caleb react to the spies' report.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that covenant failure requires immediate, public acknowledgment of grief and humility before God's presence. It asks the reader to identify with the posture of those who confront divine judgment through tangible acts of contrition.
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
King James Version
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
Cross-references
- Genesis 37:29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
- Genesis 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
- Numbers 14:6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes
- 2 Samuel 13:31 Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground. And all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
- Lamentations 2:10 The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
- Revelation 18:19 Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”
- Esther 4:1 When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.
- Job 1:20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
- Job 2:12 When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head.
- Acts 14:14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting,