KJV ORIGINAL
And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
The commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, 'Take off your sandals, because the ground you are standing on is holy.' And Joshua obeyed.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
God's presence makes ordinary ground sacred, and the proper response is humble reverence and obedience.
📚 Historical Context
This encounter occurs just before Joshua leads Israel's conquest of the Promised Land, beginning with Jericho. The 'captain of the LORD's host' is widely understood to be a divine being, possibly a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, commanding heaven's armies. This scene mirrors Moses' experience at the burning bush, where God also commanded the removal of sandals on holy ground.
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