Joshua 8:7

7 ye shall rise from the ambushments, and shall waste the city; and your Lord God shall betake it into your hands. (ye shall rise up from ambush, or from lying in wait, and shall destroy the city; and the Lord your God shall deliver it into your hands.)

Joshua 8:7 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 8:7

Then ye shall rise up from the ambush
When they should see a signal made, that in ( Joshua 8:18 Joshua 8:19 ) ; and when their watch, they might set in a proper place, should see Israel flee, and the men of Ai at a distance from their city, pursuing, and give notice of it to the ambush:

and seize upon the city;
enter into it, and take possession of it, its fortresses, and secure its passes:

for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand;
Joshua expresses himself with great confidence, having the promise of God, and relying on it.

Joshua 8:7 In-Context

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,
7 ye shall rise from the ambushments, and shall waste the city; and your Lord God shall betake it into your hands. (ye shall rise up from ambush, or from lying in wait, and shall destroy the city; and the Lord your God shall deliver it into your hands.)
8 And when ye have taken it, burn ye it; (yea,) do ye all things, as I have commanded to you.
9 And Joshua let go them, and they went to the place of [the] ambushments, and sat betwixt Bethel and Ai, at the west coast of the city of Ai. Forsooth Joshua dwelled in that night in the midst of the people. (And Joshua let them go, and they went to the place of ambush, and sat between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city of Ai. But Joshua stayed that night in the midst of his people.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.