Joshua 8:30-35

30 Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in ¹Mount Ebal,

31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, ²an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

32 He ³wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel.

33 ⁴All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both * sides * of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of ⁵Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel.

34 Then afterward * he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in ⁶the book of the law.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel ⁷with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.

Joshua 8:30-35 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.

Cross References

• 1. Deuteronomy 27:2-8
• 2. Exodus 20:25
• 3. Deut 27:2, 3, 8
• 4. Deuteronomy 27:11-14
• 5. Deuteronomy 11:29
• 6. Joshua 1:8
• 7. Exodus 12:38; Deuteronomy 31:12; Zechariah 8:23

Footnotes

• [a]. I.e. Moses
• [b]. Lit "walking"