And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? (Joshua 5:13)
Or, near Jericho. The Syriac reads, “in the plains of Jericho.” Joshua directed his attention to his next great task, the taking of Jericho, and he left the camp to meditate and to pray for divine guidance in the accomplishment of this task.
His sword drawn.
The Lord had appeared to Moses at Horeb (Ex. 3:2) as he was about to take up the task of delivering Israel from the house of bondage. Now, as Joshua began the conquest of Canaan, the Lord appeared to the new leader of His people, to assure him of victory and success. “The iniquity of the Amorites” was now “full,” and as the Lord had solemnly promised Abraham four centuries earlier, his “seed” had now “come hither again” (Gen. 15:13-16). Israel entered upon the conquest of the nations of Canaan with divine approval. The witness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and news of the manner in which God had, upon repeated occasions, interposed in behalf of His people— all this was known in Canaan. But these heathen nations followed ways of their own choosing rather than submit to God.