Joshua 8:4

4 with these orders: "Look sharp now. Lie in ambush behind the city. Get as close as you can. Stay alert.

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 "Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. Only this time you may plunder its stuff and cattle to your heart's content. Set an ambush behind the city."

3 Joshua and all his soldiers got ready to march on Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand men, tough, seasoned fighters, and sent them off at night

4 with these orders: "Look sharp now. Lie in ambush behind the city. Get as close as you can. Stay alert.

5 I and the troops with me will approach the city head-on. When they come out to meet us just as before, we'll turn and run.

6 They'll come after us, leaving the city. As we are off and running, they'll say, 'They're running away just like the first time.'