Joshua 7:21

Green's Literal Translation

When I saw among the spoil a goodly robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold, one of fifty shekels in weight, then I lusted after them, and took them. And behold, they of my tent, and the silver under it.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

Update Bible Version
when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonian mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, look, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

English Revised Version
when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, beheld, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

New Century Version
Among the things I saw was a beautiful coat from Babylonia and about five pounds of silver and more than one and one-fourth pounds of gold. I wanted these things very much for myself, so I took them. You will find them buried in the ground under my tent, with the silver underneath."

New English Translation
I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, two hundred silver pieces, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath."

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonian mantle, 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.

Amplified Bible
when I saw among the spoils [in Jericho] a beautiful robe from Shinar (southern Babylon) and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I wanted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for among the spuylis Y siy a reed mentil ful good, and two hundrid siclis of siluer, and a goldun reule of fifti siclis; and Y coueytide, and took awei, and hidde in the erthe, ayens the myddis of my tabernacle; and Y hilide the siluer with erthe doluun.

Young's Literal Translation
and I see among the spoil a goodly robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and one wedge of gold, whose weight [is] fifty shekels, and I desire them, and take them; and lo, they [are] hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.'

Berean Standard Bible
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

Contemporary English Version
While we were in Jericho, I saw a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred pieces of silver, and a gold bar that weighed the same as fifty pieces of gold. I wanted them for myself, so I took them. I dug a hole under my tent and hid the silver, the gold, and the robe." Joshua had some people run to Achan's tent, where they found the silver, the gold, and the robe.

American Standard Version
when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, 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.

Bible in Basic English
When I saw among their goods a fair robe of Babylon and two hundred shekels of silver, and a mass of gold, fifty shekels in weight, I was overcome by desire and took them; and they are put away in the earth in my tent, and the silver is under it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
I sawe among the spoyles a goodly babilonishe garment, and two hundred sicles of siluer, and a tonge of golde of fiftie sicles wayghte, and I coueted them, and toke them: and beholde they lye hyd in the earth in the middest of my tent, and the siluer is ther vnder.

Complete Jewish Bible
when I saw there with the spoil a beautiful robe from Shin‘ar, five pounds of silver shekels and a one-and-a-quarter-pound wedge of gold, I really wanted them. So I took them. You will find them hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

Darby Translation
I saw among the spoils a beautiful mantle of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a golden bar of fifty shekels weight, and 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.

Easy-to-Read Version
In Jericho, I saw a beautiful coat from Babylonia, about 5 pounds of silver, and about a pound of gold. I wanted these things for myself, so I took them. You will find them buried in the ground under my tent. The silver is under the coat."

JPS Old Testament (1917)
When I saw among the spoil a goodly Shinar mantle, 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.'

King James Version (1611)
When I saw among the spoiles a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of siluer, and a wedge of gold of fiftie shekels weight, then I coueted them, and tooke them, and behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the siluer vnder it.

New Life Bible
I saw among what was left of the city a beautiful coat from Shinar. I saw 200 pieces of silver, and a large piece of gold as heavy as fifty pieces of silver. I had a desire for them and took them. See, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under it."

New Revised Standard
when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. They now lie hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When I saw among the spoil a certain goodly mantle of Babylonia and two hundred shekels of silver and a certain wedge of gold - fifty shekels the weight thereof, then I coveted them, then I took them, - and, there they are, hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Geneva Bible (1587)
I sawe among the spoyle a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundreth shekels of siluer, and a wedge of golde of fiftie shekels weight, and I coueted them, and tooke them: and behold, they lye hid in the earth in the mids of my tent, and the siluer vnder it.

George Lamsa Translation
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian tapestry and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them; and, behold, they are hidden in the earth inside of my tent, and the silver under it.

Good News Translation
Among the things we seized I saw a beautiful Babylonian cloak, about five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing over one pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. You will find them buried inside my tent, with the silver at the bottom."

Douay-Rheims Bible
For I saw among the spoils a scarlet garment, exceeding good, and two hundred sicles of silver, and a golden rule of fifty sicles: and I coveted them, and I took them away, and hid them in the ground in the midst of my tent, and the silver I covered with the earth that I dug up.

Revised Standard Version
when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them, and took them; and behold, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I saw in the spoil an embroidered mantle, and two hundred didrachms of silver, and one golden wedge of fifty didrachms, and I desired them and took them; and, behold, they are hid in my tent, and the silver is hid under them.

Christian Standard Bible®
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon, five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing a pound and a quarter, I coveted them and took them. You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under the cloak.”

Hebrew Names Version
when I saw among the spoil a goodly mantle of Shin`ar, 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 eretz in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
I saw among the spoil a beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and one bar of gold that weighed fifty shekels; I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, and the silver is under it."

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I sawe amoge ye spoiles a costly Babilonish garment, and two hudreth Sycles of syluer and a tunge of golde, worth fiftye Sycles in weight, vnto the which I had a lust, and toke it: and beholde, it is hyd in the grounde in my tente, and the syluer vnder it.

New American Standard Bible
when I saw among the spoils a beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I wanted them and took them; and behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

New King James Version
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

New Living Translation
Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it."

Legacy Standard Bible
I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight; then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it."

Contextual Overview

¹⁶ And Joshua rose early in the morning, and brought Israel near by its tribes. And the tribe of Judah was taken. ¹⁷ And he brought the family of Judah near; and he took the family of the Zerahites. And he brought near the family of the Zerahites by men, and Zabdi was taken. ¹⁸ And he brought near his household by men, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. ¹⁹ And Joshua said to Achan, My son, now give glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and give thanks to Him, and please tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me. ²⁰ And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Truly I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and this I have done: ²¹ When I saw among the spoil a goodly robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold, one of fifty shekels in weight, then I lusted after them, and took them. And behold, they of my tent, and the silver under it. ²² And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent, and the silver under it. ²³ And they took them out of the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel, and laid them out before Jehovah. ²⁴ And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the robe, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his ass, and his flock, and his tent, and all that he had. And they madethem go up to the valley of Achor. ²⁵ And Joshua said, How you have troubled us! Jehovah shall trouble you today! And all Israel threw stones at him, and they burned them with fire, and they stoned them with stones.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I saw: Genesis 3:6, Genesis 6:2, 2 Samuel 11:2, Job 31:1, Psalms 119:37, Proverbs 23:31, Proverbs 28:22, Matthew 5:28, Matthew 5:29, 1 John 2:15, 1 John 2:16

Babylonish garment: Addereth shinâr, "a splendid or costly robe of Shinar," the plain in which Babylon stood. Bochart and Calmet have shewn at large, that Babylonish robes were very splendid, and in high reputation. Calmet says, they are generally allowed to have been of various colours, though some suppose they were woven thus; others, that they were embroidered with the needle; and others, that they were painted. Silius Italicus seems to think they were woven. Martial supposes them to have been embroidered with the needle; and Pliny and Apuleius speak of them as painted. Genesis 10:10, *marg.

wedge: Heb. tongue

I coveted: Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 7:25, 1 Kings 21:1, 1 Kings 21:2, 2 Kings 5:20-27, Habakkuk 2:9, Luke 12:15, Romans 7:7, Romans 7:8, Ephesians 5:3, Colossians 3:5, 1 Timothy 6:9, 1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5, 2 Peter 2:15

took them: Proverbs 4:23, Micah 2:1, Micah 2:2, James 1:15

they are hid: 2 Samuel 11:6-17, 2 Kings 5:24, 2 Kings 5:25, Isaiah 28:15, Isaiah 29:15, Luke 12:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 34:27 - they Leviticus 14:35 - a plague Joshua 7:1 - committed Joshua 7:11 - Israel Joshua 22:18 - he will be 1 Samuel 15:9 - the best 2 Kings 7:8 - hid it Ecclesiastes 5:11 - what Ecclesiastes 11:9 - in the sight Jeremiah 22:17 - thine eyes Jonah 1:12 - for Matthew 13:22 - the care Matthew 26:9 - General Acts 1:18 - with James 1:14 - when

Cross-References

Genesis 6:13
And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And behold, I will destroy them along with the earth.

Genesis 6:17
And behold, I, even I, am bringing a flood of waters on the earth in order to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heavens. Everything which is on the earth shall die.

Genesis 7:3
And take of the fowl of the heavens by sevens, male and female, to keep alive seed on the face of the earth.

Genesis 7:4
For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights and will wipe away every living substance that I have made from off the face of the earth.

Genesis 7:6
Noah was a son of six hundred years, and the flood of waters was on the earth.

Genesis 7:7
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

Genesis 7:15
And they went in to Noah and to the ark, two and two of all flesh, in which is the breath of life.

Genesis 7:17
And the flood was on the earth forty days. And the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.

Genesis 7:20
The waters prevailed, fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

Genesis 7:22
All died in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 Jewish writings e it is interpreted, a garment of Babylonian purple, as if it only respected the colour; and purple and scarlet are sometimes promiscuously used and put for the same, see Matthew 27:28; and were the colour worn by kings: and Josephus here calls it a royal garment, wholly interwoven with gold f; and some have thought it to be the garment of the king of Jericho, which is not unlikely; however, it is much more probable than that Jericho was subject to the king of Babylon, and that he had palaces in Jericho, and when he came thither was clothed with this robe, so Jarchi; as is elsewhere said g by others, that he had a deputy who resided in Jericho, who sent dates to the king of Babylon, and the king sent him gifts, among which was a garment of Shinar or Babylon:

and two hundred shekels of silver; which, if coined money, was near twenty five English pounds:

and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight: or a "tongue of gold" h; a plate of gold in the shape of a tongue, as Kimchi and Abarbinel; a piece of unwrought gold which weighed fifty shekels, and worth of our money about seventy five pounds, according to Brererwood i: where he saw these, and from whence he took them, is not said; according to some Jewish writers, these belonged to one of their idols; it is said k, he saw the Teraphim and the silver they offered before it, and the garment which was spread before it, and the tongue or wedge of gold in its mouth; and he desired them in his heart, and went and took them, and hid them in the midst of his tent: and the Samaritan Chronicle l makes him confess that he went into a temple in Jericho and found the above things there: and Masius conjectures that the wedge of gold was a little golden sword, with which the men of Jericho had armed their god, since an ancient poet m calls a little sword a little tongue:

then I coveted them, and took them; he is very particular in the account, and gradually proceeds in relating the temptation he was under, and the prevalence of it; it began with his eyes, which were caught with the goodliness of the garments, and the riches he saw; these affected his heart and stirred up covetous desires, which influenced and directed his hands to take them:

and, behold, they are [hid] in the earth in the midst of my tent; Josephus n says, he dug a deep hole or ditch in his tent, and put them there, that is, the Babylonish garment and the wedge of gold; which, as Ben Gersom gathers from Joshua 7:25, was wrapped up and hid within the garment; which is not improbable, since otherwise no account is given of that:

and the silver under it; the two hundred shekels of silver lay under the garment in which was the wedge of gold, and so it lay under them both.

c Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 48. d In Vita Catonis. e Bereshit Rabba, sect. 85. fol. 75. 2. f Ut supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 48.) g Bereshit Rabba, ib. h לשון זהב "linguam auream", Montanus, Tigurine version, Masius; "lingulam auream", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. i De Ponder. &. Pret. Vet. Num. c. 5. k Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 38.) l Apud Hottinger, ut supra. (Smegm. Oriental. l. 1. c. 8. p. 505.) m Naevius apud A. Cell. Noct. Attic. l. 10. c. 25. n Ut supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 48.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A goodly Babylonian garment - literally, “a robe or cloak of Shinar,” the plain in which Babylon was situated Genesis 10:10. It was a long robe such as was worn by kings on state occasions Jonah 3:6, and by prophets 1 Kings 19:13; Zechariah 13:4. The Assyrians were in early times famous for the manufacture of beautiful dyed and richly embroidered robes (compare Ezekiel 23:15). That such a robe should be found in a Canaanite city is natural enough. The productions of the far East found their way through Palestine both southward toward Egypt and westward through Tyre to the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. (Compare Ezekiel 27:24 and the context.)

Wedge of gold - i. e. some implement or ornament of gold shaped like a wedge or tongue. The name lingula was given by the Romans to a spoon and to an oblong dagger made in shape of a tongue. The weight of this “wedge” was fifty shekels, i. e. about twenty-five ounces (see Exodus 38:24 note). The silver was under the rest of the stolen property. The mantle would naturally be placed uppermost, and be used to cover up the others.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 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, Jonah 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 colours, though some suppose they were woven thus; others, that they were embroidered with the needle; and others, that they were painted. SILIUS ITALICUS appears to think they were woven thus: -

Vestis spirantes referens subtemine vultus,

Quos radio caelat BABYLON.

Punic. lib. xiv., ver. 667.

MARTIAL seems to say they were embroidered with the needle: -

Non ego praetulerim BABYLONIA PICTA superbe

Textra, Semiramia quae variantur ACU.

Lib. viii., E. 28, ver. 17.

PLINY (lib. viii., c. 48) and APULEIUS (Florid. lib. i.) speak of them as if painted: "Colores diversos picturae intexere Babylon maxime celebravit, et nomen imposuit."

Thus far Calmet: but it may be observed that the clothes woven of divers colours at Babylon, which were so greatly celebrated, and hence called Babylonish garments, appear rather to have had the pictures woven or embroidered in them than painted on them, as Calmet supposes, though it is most likely the figures referred to were the work of the needle after the cloth came from the loom.

AQUILA translates the original, אדרת שנער addereth shinar, by στολην βαβυλονικην, a Babylonish robe; SYMMACHUS, ενδυμα συναρ, a robe of Synar; the SEPTUAGINT, ψιλην ποικιλην, a fine garment of different colours; and the VULGATE, pallium coccineum, a scarlet cloak. There is no doubt it was both beautiful and costly, and on these grounds it was coveted by Achan.

Two hundred shekels of silver — At three shillings per shekel, amount to about 30£. sterling.

A wedge of gold — A tongue of gold, לשון זהב leshon zahab what we commonly call an ingot of gold, a corruption of the word lingot, signifying a little tongue, of fifty shekels weight. These fifty shekels, in weight 29 oz. 15 15/31 gr., at 2£. 5s. 2½ 42/93d. per shekel, would be worth about 113£. Os. 10 3/4d.

This verse gives us a notable instance of the progress of sin. It

1. enters by the eye;

2. sinks into the heart;

3. actuates the hand; and,

4. leads to secrecy and dissimulation.

I saw, c, I coveted, &c. I took and hid them in the earth. Thus says St. James: "When lust (evil desire) is conceived it bringeth forth sin and when sin is finished it bringeth forth death," Joshua 1:15.