Josue 7:3
And returning they said to him: Let not all the people go up, but let two or three thousand men go and destroy the city: why should all the people be troubled in vain against enemies that are very few?
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et reversi dixerunt ei : Non ascendat omnis populus, sed duo vel tria millia virorum pergant, et deleant civitatem : quare omnis populus frustra vexabitur contra hostes paucissimos ?
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ ἄνδρες καὶ κατεσκέψαντο τὴν Γαί, καὶ ἀνέστρεψαν πρὸς Ἰησοῦν καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν Μὴ ἀναβήτω πᾶς ὁ λαός, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς δισχίλιοι ἢ τρισχίλιοι ἄνδρες ἀναβήτωσαν καὶ ἐκπολιορκησάτωσαν τὴν πόλιν· μὴ ἀναγάγῃς ἐκεῖ τὸν λαὸν πάντα, ὀλίγοι γάρ εἰσιν.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָיו֮ אַל יַ֣עַל כָּל הָעָם֒ כְּאַלְפַּ֣יִם אִ֗ישׁ א֚וֹ כִּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֣ים אִ֔ישׁ יַעֲל֖וּ וְיַכּ֣וּ אֶת הָעָ֑י אַל תְּיַגַּע שָׁ֨מָּה֙ אֶת כָּל הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י מְעַ֖ט הֵֽמָּה
Haydock's commentary
Few. It appears, however, that the city contained 12,000 fighting men; so that these spies must have formed a false notion of its strength, chap. viii. 25.
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and Ephesians, Ephesians 2:17-22
Where then there is such impiety as this going on, what dreadful calamity must we not expect? And to be assured how sore vengeance they incur who are guilty of such sins as these, consider the examples of old. One single man, a common soldier, stole the sacred property, and all were smitten. Ye know, doubtless, the history I mean? I am speaking of Acham the son of Carmi, the man who stole the consecrated spoil. ( Joshua vii. 1-26 .) The time too when the Prophet spoke, was a time when their country was full of soothsayers, like that of the Philistines. ( Isa. ii. 6 .) Whereas now there are evils out of number at the full, and not one fears. Oh, henceforth let us take the alarm. …