John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And Joshua said, alas! O Lord God , etc.] What a miserable and distressed condition are we in! have pity and compassion on us; who could have thought it, that this would have been our case? wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us : who are mentioned either for the whole people of the land of Canaan; or rather, because the people of Israel were now in that part of the country which they inhabited: these words discover much weakness, diffidence, and distrust, and bear some likeness to the murmurs of the children of Israel in the wilderness; but not proceeding from that malignity of spirit theirs did, but from a concern for the good of the people and the glory of God, they are not resented by him: would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan ; in which he seems to cast the blame, not upon the Lord but upon himself and the people, who were not content to dwell on the other side, but were desirous of a larger and better country; and now ruin seemed to be the consequent of that covetous disposition and discontented mind.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-9 - Joshua's concern for the honour of God, more than even for the fate of Israel, was the language of the Spirit of adoption. He pleaded with God. He laments their defeat, as he feared it would reflect on God' wisdom and power, his goodness and faithfulness. We cannot at any tim urge a better plea than this, Lord, what wilt thou do for thy grea name? Let God be glorified in all, and then welcome his whole will.
Original Hebrew ויאמר559 יהושׁע3091 אהה162 אדני136 יהוה3069 למה4100 העברת5674 העביר5674 את853 העם5971 הזה2088 את853 הירדן3383 לתת5414 אתנו853 ביד3027 האמרי567 להאבידנו6 ולו3863 הואלנו2974 ונשׁב3427 בעבר5676 הירדן׃3383
