Joshua 8:28

28 Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, desolate to this day.

Joshua 8:28 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 8:28

And Joshua burnt Ai
The whole city, fire being only set before to a few houses, to make a smoke as a signal; he did with it as he had done with Jericho, for so he was ordered, ( Joshua 8:2 ) ;

and made it an heap for ever;
that is, for a long time, for it appears to have been rebuilt, and to have been inhabited by the Jews, after their return from their Babylonish captivity, ( Nehemiah 11:31 ) ;

[even] a desolation unto this day;
to the time of the writing of this book; and by what has been just observed, it appears that Ezra could not be the writer of it, since this city was inhabited in his time.

Joshua 8:28 In-Context

26 Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the sword until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed.

27 Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the Lord's command that He had given Joshua.

28 Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, desolate to this day.

29 He hung [the body of] the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.

30 At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel,