Joshua 7:13 tells Israel to consecrate themselves before the next day, because there is a devoted thing hidden in their camp that blocks them from standing against their enemies. In plain terms, sin within the community has cut off the help God promised, and the people must deal with it before they can move forward. The LORD speaks these words through Joshua, the leader who has just watched Israel flee from the small city of Ai. Joshua is the one told to get up and prepare the people.
“Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for the LORD, the God of Israel, says, “There is a devoted thing among you, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.”
Joshua 7:13 (WEB)
What Joshua 7:13 Means
The command “Get up!” comes right after Joshua has fallen on his face in grief. God does not leave him lying there. He tells Joshua to stop mourning and act. The word “sanctify” means to set apart, to make ready and clean for a holy purpose. So the people are called to prepare themselves, to examine their hearts and actions, and to be ready for God to reveal what has gone wrong.
The phrase “a devoted thing among you” refers to items that were set aside for the LORD and were not to be kept for personal gain. Achan has taken some of them, and God treats that as a breach of the whole covenant. The verse says the nation cannot stand before its enemies until the devoted thing is removed. It does not promise that obedience will bring easy victories, but it does show that God’s presence and power depend on the people’s faithfulness.
The Context of Joshua 7:13
The book of Joshua records Israel’s entry into the land of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. Tradition holds that Joshua himself is the main figure, though the book’s final form likely came later. The first audience was the Israelite nation, who needed to understand why their first attempt at Ai ended in humiliation after the great victory at Jericho.
Just before verse 13, verses 10 to 12 explain that Israel has sinned by taking devoted items and then hiding them. Verses 14 to 15 that follow describe how the guilty person will be discovered by lot, moving from tribe to family to household to individual. Read in that setting, verse 13 is the hinge between diagnosis and discovery. It shows that God is giving the people time and a method to uncover the hidden sin.
Key Phrases in Joshua 7:13
Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. 24 See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
(WEB)
This psalm asks God to search the heart and reveal any offensive way, which echoes the call in Joshua 7:13 to uncover hidden sin. It shows that inviting God’s examination is a healthy response to the presence of sin among us. Both passages place the search for truth within a relationship of trust.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(WEB)
This verse offers the assurance that confession leads to forgiveness and cleansing. Where Joshua 7:13 calls the people to remove the devoted thing, this passage shows how that removal is made possible through God’s faithfulness. Together they describe both the need and the grace of dealing honestly with sin.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 7:13
Lord, you see what I cannot always see in my own heart. Search me and show me anything that has drawn me away from you or wounded those around me. Help me to set myself apart for your purposes and to be honest about what needs to be removed. Give me courage to bring it into the light and trust in your forgiveness and strength. Thank you that you desire my good and call me back to you. Amen.
