Joshua 8:1-10

The Conquest of Ai

1 Now the LORD said to Joshua, "¹Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai; see, ²I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

2 "You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall ³take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind * it."

3 So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose 30,000 * men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night.

4 He commanded them, saying, "See, you are ⁴going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

5 "Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out to meet us as at the first, ⁵we will flee before them.

6 "They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are fleeing before us as at the first.' So we will flee before them.

7 "And you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

8 "Then it will be when you have seized the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do it ⁶according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you."

9 So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people.

10 Now Joshua ⁷rose early in the morning and mustered the people, and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.

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Joshua 8:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 8

Joshua is encouraged to go up and take Ai, and is directed what method to make use of, Jos 8:1,2; accordingly he set an ambush on the west side of it, and, he and the rest of the army went up before it, Jos 8:3-13; which, when the king of Ai saw, he and all his forces came cut against them, and the Israelites making a feint as if they were beaten, drew on the men of Ai to pursue them, upon which the ambush arose and entered the city and set fire to it, Jos 8:14-19; the smoke of which being observed by Joshua and Israel, they turned back upon the pursuers, and the ambush sallying out of the city behind them, made an entire destruction of them, then slew all the inhabitants, took the spoil, burnt the city, and hanged the king of it, Jos 8:20-29; after this Joshua built an altar at Ebal, wrote the law on stones, and read the blessings and curses in it before all Israel, Jos 8:30-35.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 7

1. Joshua 1:9; Joshua 10:8
2. Joshua 6:2
3. Deuteronomy 20:14; Joshua 8:27
4. Judges 20:29
5. Judges 20:32
6. Deuteronomy 20:16-18; Joshua 8:2
7. Genesis 22:3

Footnotes 2

[a]. Lit "Set for yourself"
[b]. Lit "the city"