Joshua 5:14

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

He replied, "Neither," he said. "I am the commander of the LORD’s army. Now I have come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence and asked, "What message does my Lord have for His servant?"

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ לֹ֗א כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י שַׂר־צְבָֽא־יְהוָ֖ה עַתָּ֣ה בָ֑אתִי וַיִּפֹּל֩ יְהוֹשֻׁ֨עַ אֶל־פָּנָ֥יו אַ֙רְצָה֙ וַיִּשְׁתָּ֔חוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מָ֥ה אֲדֹנִ֖י מְדַבֵּ֥ר אֶל־עַבְדּֽוֹ׃

Transliteration

And wayyōʾmer, "No, for I am śar-ṣəḇāʾ-YHWH, now bāʾṯî." And wayyippōl yəhôšuaʿ to his face ʾarṣâ and wayyištāḥû and wayyōʾmer to him, "What ʾăḏōnî mədabbēr to his servant?"

Grammar Details

• *wayyōʾmer*: waw-consecutive + 3rd masculine singular qal imperfect - and he said
• *śar*: noun masculine singular construct - commander of
• *ṣəḇāʾ*: noun masculine singular construct - army of
• *YHWH*: divine name - LORD/Yahweh
• *bāʾṯî*: 1st common singular qal perfect - I have come
• *wayyippōl*: waw-consecutive + 3rd masculine singular qal imperfect - and he fell
• *yəhôšuaʿ*: proper noun - Joshua
• *pānāyw*: noun masculine plural with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his face
• *ʾarṣâ*: noun feminine singular with directional suffix - to the ground
• *wayyištāḥû*: waw-consecutive + 3rd masculine singular hishtaphel imperfect - and he bowed down
• *ʾăḏōnî*: noun masculine singular with 1st common singular suffix - my lord
• *mədabbēr*: piel participle masculine singular - speaking
• *ʿaḇdô*: noun masculine singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his servant

Word Meanings

• *wayyōʾmer*: and he said/spoke/replied
• *śar*: commander/captain/prince/chief
• *ṣəḇāʾ*: army/host/troops
• *bāʾṯî*: I have come/arrived/entered
• *wayyippōl*: and he fell/dropped down/prostrated
• *pānāyw*: his face/presence/countenance
• *ʾarṣâ*: to the ground/earthward/to the earth
• *wayyištāḥû*: and he bowed down/worshiped/prostrated himself
• *ʾăḏōnî*: my lord/master/superior
• *mədabbēr*: speaking/saying/commanding
• *ʿaḇdô*: his servant/slave/subordinate

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And hua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And he said, No; but as captain of the army of the LORD have I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to him, What does my lord say to his servant?

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said, Nay; but [as] prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  He sayde: No, but I am the prynce of the LORDES hoost, and now am I come. Then fell Iosua downe to the earth vpon his face, & worshipped him, and sayde vnto him: What sayeth my LORDE vnto his seruaunt?

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And he said, Nay, but as a captaine of the host of the Lorde am I nowe come: then Ioshua fel on his face to the earth, and did worship, & saide vnto him, What sayth my Lorde vnto his seruant?

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And he sayde, Naie: but as a captaine of the hoast of the Lord am I nowe come. And Iosuah fell on his face to ye earth, and did worship, and sayde vnto him: What saith my Lord vnto his seruaunt?

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  He said, No; but [as] prince of the host of Yahweh am I now come. Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said to him, What says my lord to his servant?

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And He saith, `No, for I `am' Prince of Jehovah's host; now I have come;' and Joshua falleth on his face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and saith to Him, `What is my Lord speaking unto His servant?'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said, Nay; but `as' prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said, Nay; but [as] prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he said, No; but I have come as captain of the armies of the Lord. Then Joshua, falling down with his face to the earth in worship, said, What has my lord to say to his servant?

• World English Bible (2000)

  He said, "No; but I have come now as commander of Yahweh's army." Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshipped, and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?"

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  He answered,“Truly I am the commander of the LORD’s army. Now I have arrived!” Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground and asked,“What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Referenced Verses

• Gen 17:3 : 3 Abram fell facedown, and God spoke with him, saying,
• Isa 55:4 : 4 See, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.
• Dan 10:13 : 13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia resisted me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was delayed there with the kings of Persia.
• Dan 10:21 : 21 But first, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one supports me against these forces except Michael, your prince.
• Dan 12:1 : 1 At that time, Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of trouble such as has never occurred since nations first existed until that time. But at that time, your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
• Matt 8:2 : 2 And behold, a man with leprosy approached and knelt before Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.'
• Matt 22:44 : 44 'The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”'
• Luke 1:43 : 43 And how has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
• Luke 5:12 : 12 While He was in one of the towns, a man full of leprosy came and saw Jesus. He fell facedown and begged Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."
• Luke 20:42 : 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms: "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand
• John 20:28 : 28 Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!'
• Acts 9:6 : 6 Trembling and astonished, he said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" The Lord said to him, "Get up and go into the city, and it will be told to you what you must do."
• Acts 10:25-26 : 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up and said, 'Stand up! I myself am also a man.'
• Phil 3:8 : 8 Indeed, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them garbage, in order that I may gain Christ,
• Isa 6:8 : 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?" And I said, "Here I am. Send me!"
• Gen 17:17 : 17 Abraham fell facedown and laughed, saying to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"
• Exod 4:10 : 10 Moses said to the LORD, 'Pardon me, Lord, but I am not eloquent—neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.'
• Exod 4:13 : 13 But Moses said, 'Pardon me, Lord. Please send someone else.'
• Exod 23:20-22 : 20 See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your rebellion, since my name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and oppose those who oppose you.
• Lev 9:24 : 24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
• Num 16:22 : 22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"
• 1 Sam 3:9-9 : 9 So Eli said to Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came, stood there, and called as he had before: "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
• Ps 110:1 : 1 The Lord said to my lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."
• Heb 2:10 : 10 For it was fitting for Him—for whom and through whom everything exists—to bring many sons to glory by making the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
• Rev 12:7 : 7 Then there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
• Rev 19:10-14 : 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. 13 He was clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
• Rev 22:8-9 : 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. 9 But he said to me, "See that you don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"