Joshua 8:30-35

30 Then Joshua builded an altar to the Lord God of Israel in the hill of Ebal, (Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal,)
31 as Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded to the sons of Israel, and (as) it is written in the book of Moses? law, an altar of stones unpolished, that iron hath not touched. And he offered thereon burnt sacrifices to the Lord, and he offered also peaceable sacrifices; (as Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded to the Israelites, and as it is written in the Book of the Law by Moses, yea, an altar of unpolished stones that iron hath not touched. And he offered on it burnt sacrifices to the Lord, and also peace offerings;)
32 and he wrote on the stones the Deuteronomy of Moses? law, not all the book, but the ten behests only, which he had declared before the sons of Israel. (and he wrote on the stones the Deuteronomy of the Law by Moses, not all the book, but only the Ten Commandments, which he had declared before the Israelites.)
33 And all the people, and the greater men in birth, and dukes, and judges, stood on either side of the ark, in the sight of (the) priests and deacons, that bare the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord; as a comeling, so and a man born in the land; the half part of them stood beside the hill Gerizim, and the half part of them stood beside the hill Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded. And Joshua first blessed the people of Israel. (And all the people, and the men of great age, that is, the elders, and the leaders, and the judges, and the officers, stood on either side of the Ark, before the priests and the Levites, who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord; a stranger as well as someone born in the land; half of them stood facing Mount Gerizim, and half of them stood facing Mount Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded. And first Joshua blessed the people of Israel.)
34 And (then) after these things he read all the words of blessing and of cursing, and all things that were written in the book of (the) law.
35 Joshua left nothing untouched of these things that Moses commanded; but he declared all things before all the multitude of Israel, to women, and little children, and to comelings that dwelled among them. (Joshua left nothing untouched of those things that Moses commanded; yea, he declared everything before all the multitude of Israel, including the women, and the little children, and the newcomers, or the foreigners, who lived among them.)

Joshua 8:30-35 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 8

Joshua is encouraged to go up and take Ai, and is directed what method to make use of, Jos 8:1,2; accordingly he set an ambush on the west side of it, and, he and the rest of the army went up before it, Jos 8:3-13; which, when the king of Ai saw, he and all his forces came cut against them, and the Israelites making a feint as if they were beaten, drew on the men of Ai to pursue them, upon which the ambush arose and entered the city and set fire to it, Jos 8:14-19; the smoke of which being observed by Joshua and Israel, they turned back upon the pursuers, and the ambush sallying out of the city behind them, made an entire destruction of them, then slew all the inhabitants, took the spoil, burnt the city, and hanged the king of it, Jos 8:20-29; after this Joshua built an altar at Ebal, wrote the law on stones, and read the blessings and curses in it before all Israel, Jos 8:30-35.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.