יהושע, פרק ז׳, פסוק ז׳

Following the sudden and painful defeat at the battle of Ai, Joshua experiences a profound crisis. He cries out to God in utter anguish, fundamentally questioning the purpose of their miraculous entry into the land. His cry of pain expresses a deep wish that the nation had simply remained where they were [מצודת ציון]. Joshua points out a painful contradiction between the massive miracles they just experienced and the current reality of God hiding His face. If God truly intended to remove His protection and abandon the Israelites to blind chance [אברבנאל], then the highly public miracle of splitting the Jordan River was completely pointless. It defies logic that God would perform such wonders and even command the creation of a stone monument to be remembered for generations, only to let the nation be destroyed immediately afterward [חומת אנך]. In fact, the recent events involved two back-to-back miracles: the crossing of the river and the conquest of Jericho [אלשיך].

Joshua presents a clear alternative, noting that the Israelites would have gladly stayed on the eastern side of the Jordan River. The primary approach among commentators is that the nation did not advance out of necessity or a lack of space. They could have happily settled in the already conquered territories of Sihon and Og [רש״י, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Their movement into Canaan happened entirely because God commanded them to make the journey [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Behind Joshua's difficult words lies a deep theological concern. Because he did not yet know about the hidden sin committed by Achan, Joshua assumed this military defeat was a delayed punishment for the nation's earlier sin with the Moabite women. Based on this assumption, he argues that it would have been better had the Israelites refused to cross the river and been punished for their rebellion right then and there. Had they been struck down on the other side of the river, the surrounding nations would have understood and justified God's judgment against a rebellious people. However, because this defeat occurred immediately following open miracles, the surrounding nations might mistakenly conclude that God lacks the power to defeat the Canaanite kings. This misunderstanding would result in a terrible desecration of God's name [אלשיך].

While Joshua's words sound like a harsh accusation against Heaven, they stem from immense sorrow. His pain is not solely for the fallen soldiers, but from the terrifying realization that divine protection has departed, despair has gripped the nation, and without God's help, they cannot possibly stand against their enemies [אברבנאל]. It is only out of a genuine, deep-seated fear for the honor of God's great name in the world that Joshua allows himself to speak with such raw pain and sharpness [אלשיך].