Joshua 5:13 describes Joshua’s first encounter with a mysterious figure standing outside Jericho, sword drawn. Joshua asks him a blunt question: whose side is he on, Israel’s or Israel’s enemies’? The verse is a narrative moment, not a teaching, and it is spoken by Joshua, Moses’ successor, as Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land. The answer that follows reshapes the whole question.
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?”
Joshua 5:13 (WEB)
What Joshua 5:13 Means
The verse opens with a practical image: Joshua is near Jericho, the fortified city that blocks Israel’s way into Canaan. He looks up and sees a man standing in front of him, sword already drawn. Nothing about the scene is peaceful. A soldier with a naked blade is a sign of readiness for battle, and Joshua responds the way a commander would, by demanding to know which side this stranger belongs to.
The question itself, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?”, assumes that a person either stands with Israel or against it. Joshua wants a clear answer because his people’s survival depends on knowing who they are facing. The verse does not promise that God will always take Israel’s side in a simple sense. It shows a leader wanting certainty in a moment of danger, and it sets up the surprising reply that comes next.
What the verse does not do is tell us everything about the man. It leaves his identity open until the next verses reveal something unexpected. Readers should not read this single verse as a full doctrine of divine partisanship. It is the opening move in a short exchange that changes the terms of the question.
The Context of Joshua 5:13
The book of Joshua records Israel’s entry into Canaan after the death of Moses, and it is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, though its final form likely came later. Its first audience would have been the Israelites who had grown up in the wilderness and were now crossing the Jordan into the land God had promised their ancestors. The chapters before this moment record the crossing, the circumcision of the new generation, and the Passover celebrated at Gilgal.
The verses just before and after frame the encounter well. The manna stops, and Israel begins eating the produce of the land, a sign that a new season has begun. Then, just after the question, the stranger identifies himself as “commander of the LORD’s army” and tells Joshua to take off his sandals because the ground is holy. Read in this setting, the question about sides gives way to a deeper point: the issue is not whose side the stranger is on, but whose side Joshua is on, and what it means to stand on holy ground.
Key Phrases in Joshua 5:13
Joshua 5:14
He said, “No; but I have come now as commander of the LORD’s army.” Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and asked him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
(WEB)
The very next verse gives the stranger’s reply: he is the commander of the LORD’s army, not simply a side in the conflict. Reading it immediately after Joshua 5:13 shows how the question is reframed, moving from “whose side is he on?” to “whose army does he lead?”
Joshua 1:9
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
(WEB)
Earlier in the book, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. That promise sets the background for the encounter at Jericho, where Joshua’s courage is tested and his question reveals how he thinks about God’s presence in battle.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 5:13
Lord, I look up and see the threats in front of me, and I want to know whose side I can count on. Help me to ask honest questions without assuming I already have the answers. When I am tempted to size up the people and problems around me as friend or enemy, remind me that you are the commander, not one party among many. Teach me to stand on holy ground with humility, and let my first response be worship rather than fear. Amen.
