Joshua 8:11

11 {All the fighting men} who [were] with him {went up and drew near before the city} and camped north of Ai; [there was] a valley between him and Ai.

Joshua 8:11 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 8:11

And all the people, [even the people] of war that [were] with
him, and went up, and drew nigh
To the city of Ai:

and came before the city;
as if they intended to besiege it, storm it, or force an entrance into it:

and pitched on the north side of Ai;
which was judged fittest for the purpose:

now [there was] a valley between them and Ai;
which the Rabbins call the valley of Halacah, as Jarchi says; so that they were upon a hill, at least on rising ground, and might the more easily be seen by the inhabitants of Ai, whom they wanted to draw out of their city.

Joshua 8:11 In-Context

9 So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the [place of the] ambush, and they sat between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai; but Joshua spent the night {with the people}.

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

11 {All the fighting men} who [were] with him {went up and drew near before the city} and camped north of Ai; [there was] a valley between him and Ai.

12 And he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.

13 So they stationed the forces; all the army [was] north of the city while {the rear guard was west}. But Joshua went that night to the middle of the valley.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "All the people of war"
• [b]. Literally "went up, drew near, and came before the city"