Who was the Captain of the Lord’s Host that Joshua Saw?

Joshua 5:13-15

13 ¶ And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a aman• over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the ahost• of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

15 And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy ashoe• from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is bholy•. And Joshua did so.

—–Notes taken from the Old Testament Student Manual.—–

Although there is a noticeable lack of detail in this account, what is recorded suggests a miraculous vision shown to Joshua and Israel as they prepared for their first battle.

Two things, however, suggest that Joshua may actually have seen Jehova, the premortal Jesus Christ. First, when Joshua fell down to worship him, no attempt was made to stop him. Yet the mortal servants of God are quick to prevent others from worshipping them, even when they have demonstrated great power (see Acts 10:25-26, 14:8-18; Alma 18:15-17). The same thing is true of angels, for twice, when he was awed at the presence of angels and fell at their feet to worship them, John the Revelator was told the same thing, "See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of they bretheren the prophets" (Revelation 22:9, see also 19:10). The angel who appeared to Samson’s parents clearly taught them that any offerings were to be to the Lord (see Judges 13:16). But no attempt was made to prevent Joshua from falling down to worship this being.

Second, the personage commanded Joshua to remove his shoes because he was standing on holy ground – the same instructions Jehova gave to Moses on Mount Sinai (see Exodus 3:5). But, since this account in Deuteronomy is very scant on details, it can only be surmised that the being may have been the Lord." Joshua 5:13-15