Joshua 8:11

11 All the fighting men who were with Joshua marched in front of the town and camped on the north side of Ai, with a valley between them and the town.

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 they left and went to the place of ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai. But Joshua remained among the people in the camp that night.

10 Early the next morning Joshua roused his men and started toward Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel.

11 All the fighting men who were with Joshua marched in front of the town and camped on the north side of Ai, with a valley between them and the town.

12 That night Joshua sent about 5,000 men to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the town.

13 So they stationed the main army north of the town and the ambush west of the town. Joshua himself spent that night in the valley.