Joshua 7:6 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

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. Joshua rent his clothes, and fell ... before the ark ... he and the elders, х lipneey (H6440) 'ªrown (H727)] - before or toward the ark. From the circumstance of God's being represented as dwelling between the cherubim over the ark of the covenant, and manifesting His glory on extraordinary occasions in an outward visible form (cf. Leviticus 9:24; Leviticus 16:2; 1 Samuel 4:4; 1 Chronicles 13:6; Psalms 80:2), the ark was sometimes designated "the footstool" of God (1 Chronicles 28:2; Psalms 99:5; Psalms 132:7; Lamentations 2:1); whence prayers in distress, as well as thanks for deliverance, were offered before the ark of the covenant (cf. 2 Samuel 15:32; 1 Kings 3:15: see for this Hengstenberg, 'Christology,' vol. 2: p. 387). It is evident, from these tokens of humiliation and sorrow, that a solemn fast was observed on this occasion. The language of Joshua's prayer is thought by many to savour of human infirmity, and to be wanting in that reverence and submission he owed to God. But, although apparently breathing a spirit of bold remonstrance and complaint, it was in reality the effusion of a deeply-humbled and afflicted mind, expressing his belief that God could not, after having so miraculously brought His people over Jordan into the promised land, intend to destroy them, to expose them to the insults of their triumphant enemies, and bring reproach upon His own name for inconstancy or unkindness to His people, or inability to resist their enemies. Unable to understand the cause of the present calamity, he owned the hand of God.