Joshua 8:4

4 and he commanded to them, and said, Set ye ambushments behind the city, and go ye not further; and all ye shall be ready (and all of ye be ready to fight);

Joshua 8:4 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 8:4

And he commanded them, saying
At the time he sent them away;

behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, [even] behind the city;
that is, on the west side of it, ( Joshua 8:9 ) ;

go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready;
to enter into it, as soon as the forces are drawn out eastward to meet the army of Israel.

Joshua 8:4 In-Context

2 And thou shalt do to the city of Ai, and to the king thereof, as thou didest to Jericho, and the king thereof; soothly ye shall take to you the prey (but this time ye can take the prey for yourselves), and all [the] living beasts; (and this time,) set thou ambushes, either ambushments, to the city behind it.

3 And Joshua rose, and all the host of fighting men with him, for to go up into Ai; and by night he sent (away) thirty chosen thousand of strong men; (And so Joshua, and all his army of fighters, rose up to go into Ai; and he chose thirty thousand strong men, and sent them away in the night;)

4 and he commanded to them, and said, Set ye ambushments behind the city, and go ye not further; and all ye shall be ready (and all of ye be ready to fight);

5 forsooth I, and the tother multitude which is with me, shall come on the contrary side against the city; and when they shall go out against us, as we did before, we shall flee, and turn the backs, (and I, and the other multitude who be with me, shall come on the opposite side toward the city; and when they shall go out against us, we shall turn our backs, and flee, as we did before,)

6 till they pursue us, and be drawn away further from the city; for they shall guess, that we shall flee them as we did before. Then while we shall flee, and while they pursue,