The Meaning of Joshua 7:13 Explained

Joshua 7:13

KJV: 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.

YLT: Rise, sanctify the people, and thou hast said, Sanctify yourselves for to-morrow; for thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, A devoted thing is in thy midst, O Israel, thou art not able to stand before thine enemies till your turning aside of the devoted thing out of your midst;

Darby: Rise up, hallow the people, and say, Hallow yourselves for to-morrow; for thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, Israel: thou shalt not be able to stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from your midst.

ASV: Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the devoted thing from among you.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Joshua 7:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 7:1-15 - The First Defeat And Its Cause
Israel was taught that victory is possible only where there are exact obedience and sincere consecration. We cannot cope with our foes, unless we live in unclouded fellowship with God. See 2 Chronicles 15:2. Our spiritual allies in the heavenly places cannot co-operate while evil is harbored. Canaan was a gift to faith, and a strong spiritual life was peremptory. The gold and silver of Jericho were consecrated to God, so that Achan committed sacrilege as well as theft.
Ai (see Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3) lay two miles north of Jericho, and was a comparatively small place; but without God the smallest opposition is too great for us. Joshua seemed more concerned for the disgrace brought on the divine name than for the disaster to his men. Let us always look at our failures from God's side! We must not lie too long in the dust of despair, but arise to detect and put away the hidden cause of our defeat, Hosea 5:15; Hosea 6:1-2. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 7

1  The Israelites are smitten at Ai
6  Joshua's complaint
10  God instructs him what to do
16  Achan is taken by the lot
19  His confession
24  He and all he had are destroyed in the valley of Achor

What do the individual words in Joshua 7:13 mean?

Get up sanctify - the people and say Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow because thus says Yahweh God of Israel [There is] an accursed thing in your midst Israel Not you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you
קֻ֚ם קַדֵּ֣שׁ אֶת־ הָעָ֔ם וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּ לְמָחָ֑ר כִּ֣י כֹה֩ אָמַ֨ר יְהוָ֜ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל חֵ֤רֶם בְּקִרְבְּךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֣א תוּכַ֗ל לָקוּם֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֹיְבֶ֔יךָ עַד־ הֲסִירְכֶ֥ם הַחֵ֖רֶם מִֽקִּרְבְּכֶֽם

קֻ֚ם  Get  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
קַדֵּ֣שׁ  sanctify 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: קָדַשׁ  
Sense: to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָעָ֔ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
וְאָמַרְתָּ֖  and  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּ  Sanctify  yourselves 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: קָדַשׁ  
Sense: to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate.
לְמָחָ֑ר  for  tomorrow 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adverb
Root: מָחָר  
Sense: tomorrow, in time to come, in the future.
כִּ֣י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
כֹה֩  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֨ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֜ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
חֵ֤רֶם  [There  is]  an  accursed  thing 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵרֶם 
Sense: a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion.
בְּקִרְבְּךָ֙  in  your  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
תוּכַ֗ל  you  cannot 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
לָקוּם֙  stand 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
לִפְנֵ֣י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֹיְבֶ֔יךָ  your  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
עַד־  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
הֲסִירְכֶ֥ם  you  take  away 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, second person masculine plural
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
הַחֵ֖רֶם  the  accursed  thing 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵרֶם 
Sense: a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion.
מִֽקִּרְבְּכֶֽם  from  among  you 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.