Joshua 7:21 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Joshua 7:21
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
probably a weight · noun, common masculine plural absolute
weight
מִשְׁקָל֔וֹmish.ka.Lo
H4948
weight (numerically estimated) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
coveted
וָֽאֶחְמְדֵ֖םva.'ech.me.Dem
H2530
to delight in · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
took
וָֽאֶקָּחֵ֑םva.'e.ka.Chem
H3947
to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
hid
טְמוּנִ֥יםte.mu.Nim
H2934
to hide (by covering over) · verb, qal passive participle, masculine plural absolute
earth
בָּאָ֛רֶץba.'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
midst
בְּת֥וֹךְbe.Tokh
H8432
a bisection · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
tent
הָאָֽהֳלִ֖יha.'o.ho.Li
H168
a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
silver
וְהַכֶּ֥סֶףve.ha.Ke.sef
H3701
silver (from its pale color) · conjunction + definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Psalms 119:37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he posses…
1 John 2:15-16 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Deuteronomy 7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, le…
2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness…
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she…
Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Joshua 7:16–end
We have in these verses,
I. The discovery of Achan by the lot, which proved a perfect lot, though it proceeded gradually. Though we may suppose that Joshua slept the better, and with more ease and satisfaction, when he knew the worst of the disease of that body of which, under God, he was the head, and was put into a certain method of cure, yet he rose up early in the morning (Jos 7:16), so much was his heart upon it, to put away the accursed thing. We have found Joshua upon other occasions an early riser; here it shows his zeal and vehement desire to see Israel restored to the divine favour. In the scrutiny observe, 1. That the guilty tribe was that of Judah, which was, and was to be, of al…
a goodly Babylonish garment--literally, "a mantle of Shinar." The plain of Shinar was in early times celebrated for its gorgeous robes, which were of brilliant and various colors, generally arranged in figured patterns, probably resembling those of modern Turkish carpets, and the colors were either interwoven in the loom or embroidered with the needle.
two hundred shekels of silver--equivalent to £22 10s. sterling, according to the old Mosaic shekel, or the half of that sum, reckoning by the common shekel.
a wedge of gold--literally, an ingot or bar in the shape of a tongue.
Adam Clarke on Joshua 7:21
A goodly Babylonish garment - אדרת שנער addereth shinar, a splendid or costly robe of Shinar; but as Babylon or Babel was built in the plain of Shinar, the word has in general been translated Babylon in this place. It is very probable that this was the robe of the king of Jericho, for the same word is used, Jon 3:6, to express the royal robe, of the king of Nineveh which he laid aside in order to humble himself before God. Bochart and Calmet have shown at large that Babylonish robes were very splendid, and in high reputation. "They are," says Calmet, "generally allowed to have been of various colors, though some suppose they were woven thus; others, that they were embroidered with the needle…
But let us also see what his very sin was: "he stole," it says, "a tongue of gold, and placed it in his tent." I do not think that in that theft of a little gold there was such force of sin that it could stain so innumerable a church of the Lord. But let us see whether perhaps, in the inner understanding, the bitterness of this sin is so great and so grave. There is much beauty in words, and much loveliness in the discourses of the philosophers or the rhetoricians, who are all from the city of Jericho, that is, men of this world. If, then, you find among the philosophers perverse doctrines adorned with the assertions of brilliant speech, this is "the tongue of gold." But see that the splendor of the work does not deceive you, that the beauty of golden speech does not carry you away; remember that Jesus commanded all the gold that should be found in Jericho to be "accursed." If you read a poet weaving gods and goddesses in measured verses and in resplendent song, do not be delighted by the sweetness of eloquence: for it is a tongue of gold; if you take it up and place it in your tent, if you bring into your heart the things that are asserted by them, you will defile the whole church of the Lord. This the wretched Valentinus did, and Basilides; this Marcion also did. These men stole "tongues of gold" from Jericho and attempted to introduce into the churches the not-upright sects of the philosophers and to defile the whole church of the Lord. But let us follow the preceding example of the fathers; let us examine more diligently, lest anyone should have a Jerichoan "tongue" hidden in his tent, and let us cast away the evil from our very selves, because, even if we hold back, God will convict him, so that he himself will spontaneously confess and say: "I stole a tongue of gold and pure bracelets." Do you see of what sort was the theft he stole? He steals "a tongue" and "pure bracelets." Now "pure bracelets" are works in which nothing divine is mixed, but the whole is carried out according to man. Indeed, in our disputations too it is customary to say that we do not call Christ a mere man, but confess him God and man. But that which is stolen from Jericho is said to be "pure," that is, without God — which, for the one stealing it, was surely the cause of sin. And therefore let us perceive nothing pure and human concerning Christ, but let us confess him God and…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Achan — Called also Achar, i.e., one who troubles (1 Chr. 2:7), in commemoration of his crime, which brought upon him an awful destruction (Josh. 7:1). On the occasion of the fall of Jericho, he seized,…
Babylonish garment — A robe of rich colours fabricated at Babylon, and hence of great value (Josh. 7:21).
Mantle — (1.) Heb. ‘addereth, a large over-garment. This word is used of Elijah’s mantle (1 Kings 19:13, 19; 2 Kings 2:8, 13, etc.), which was probably a sheepskin. It appears to have been his only garment, a…
Metals — The Hebrews, in common with other ancient nations, were acquainted with nearly all the metals known to modern metallurgy, whether as the products of their own soil or the results of intercourse with…
Armies Of Israel, The · Strict discipline observed in — Strict discipline observed in
Babylon · Remarkable for: Manufacture of garments — Remarkable for: Manufacture of garments
Covetousness · Leads to: Theft — Leads to: Theft
Discipline · Of armies, for di — Of armies, for di
Dishonesty · .Achan hi — .Achan hi
Evidence · SELF-CRIMINATING — SELF-CRIMINATING
Gold · Wedge of — Wedge of
Intercession · EXEMPLIFIED — EXEMPLIFIED
Nation · Involved in the sins of other individuals, as Achan
John Gill on Joshua 7:21
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment,.... One, as the Targum adds, for no more was taken; a garment made of Babylonish wool, as Jarchi; or a valuable garment made in Babylon, called "Shinar", for that is the word in the text, so Kimchi and Abarbinel; and Babylonian garments were in great esteem in other nations: Pliny says (c) Babylon was famous for garments interwoven with pictures of divers colours, and which gave name to them; and Plutarch (d) relates, that Cato in his great modesty, and being an enemy to luxury, having a Babylonish garment that came to him by inheritance, ordered it immediately to be sold: the Vulgate Latin version calls it a scarlet robe; and in some…
Joshua 7:19-26
19. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou has done; hide it not from me.
19. Tunc dixit Josue ad Achan, Fili mi, da nunc gloriam Jehovae Deo Israel, et ede ei confessionem, atque indica mihi quid feceris, ne abscondas a me.
20. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I:done:
20. Respondit Achan ad Josuam, et ait, Vere ego peccavi Jehovae Deo Israel, et sic et sic feci.
21. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shek…
Achan then acknowledge his sin, and confessed that he had appropriated to himself from among the booty a beautiful Babylonish cloak, 200 shekels of silver, and a tongue of gold of 50 shekels weight. The form ואראה is not to be abbreviated into וארא, according to the Keri, as the form is by no means rare in verbs ה.ל "A Babylonish cloak" (lit. a cloak of Shinar, or Babylon) is a costly cloak, artistically worked, such as were manufactured in Babylon, and distributed far and wide through the medium of commerce.
(Note: Plinius h. n. viii. 48: Colores diversos picturae vestium intexere Babylon maxime celebravit et nomen imposuit. (See Heeren Ideen. i. 2, pp. 205ff., and Movers Phnizier, ii. 3, p…
The robe should have been burned with the rest of Jericho’s goods. It was from Babylon, evidence that long-distance trade was a significant part of life in the ancient Near East. • 200 silver coins: Achan took pieces or lumps of silver that functioned as money; coinage per se was not invented until the 600s BC. • I wanted them so much is translated “covet” in the tenth commandment (Exod 20:17). Achan’s coveting had prompted his theft.
Rashi on Joshua 7:21
I saw amidst the spoils—I gave thought to what is written in the Torah,24Rashi understands וָאֵרֶה as referring to intellectual comprehension. ‘and you shall consume, [the booty] etc.’25Devorim 20:14. Ochan took this verse as a command to consume the booty captured from the enemy.
A Babylonian garment. This is translated according to the Targum. Any king who did not possess a palace in Eretz Yisroel, was not content with his kingship, as it is said, ‘And I will give you a desired land, and inheritance desired by many nations.’26Yirmiahu 3:19. The verse obviously refers to Eretz Yisroel, which is the land desired many kings. The king of Babylonia had a palace in Yericho, and when he visited…
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
