_AND THE LORD SAID UNTO JOSHUA, FEAR NOT, NEITHER BE THOU DISMAYED: TAKE ALL THE PEOPLE OF WAR WITH THEE, AND ARISE, GO UP TO AI: SEE, I HAVE GIVEN INTO THY HAND THE KING OF AI, AND HIS PEOPLE, AND HIS CITY, AND HIS LAND:_ The Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not. By the execution of justice on Achan, t... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THOU SHALT DO TO AI AND HER KING AS THOU DIDST UNTO JERICHO AND HER KING: ONLY THE SPOIL THEREOF, AND THE CATTLE THEREOF, SHALL YE TAKE FOR A PREY UNTO YOURSELVES: LAY THEE AN AMBUSH FOR THE CITY BEHIND IT._ Lay thee an ambush for the city. God assured him of its capture, but allowed him to fo... [ Continue Reading ]
_SO JOSHUA AROSE, AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF WAR, TO GO UP AGAINST AI: AND JOSHUA CHOSE OUT THIRTY THOUSAND MIGHTY MEN OF VALOUR, AND SENT THEM AWAY BY NIGHT._ So Joshua ... chose out thirty thousand men of valour - Joshua despatched 30,000 men, under covert of night, to station themselves at the place... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE COMMANDED THEM, SAYING, BEHOLD, YE SHALL LIE IN WAIT AGAINST THE CITY, EVEN BEHIND THE CITY: GO NOT VERY FAR FROM THE CITY, BUT BE YE ALL READY:_ Behind the city - is rendered, Joshua 8:9, "on the west of Ai.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND I, AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WITH ME, WILL APPROACH UNTO THE CITY: AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, WHEN THEY COME OUT AGAINST US, AS AT THE FIRST, THAT WE WILL FLEE BEFORE THEM,_ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_JOSHUA THEREFORE SENT THEM FORTH: AND THEY WENT TO LIE IN AMBUSH, AND ABODE BETWEEN BETHEL AND AI, ON THE WEST SIDE OF AI: BUT JOSHUA LODGED THAT NIGHT AMONG THE PEOPLE._ Between Beth-el and Al. Beth-el, though lying quite near, in the direction of west by north, cannot be seen from Tell-el-bajar,... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JOSHUA ROSE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING, AND NUMBERED THE PEOPLE, AND WENT UP, HE AND THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL, BEFORE THE PEOPLE TO AI._ Joshua ... numbered the people - i:e., the detachment of liers-in-wait; he did this, to be furnished with clear evidence afterward, that the work had been done with... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ALL THE PEOPLE, EVEN THE PEOPLE OF WAR THAT WERE WITH HIM, WENT UP, AND DREW NIGH, AND CAME BEFORE THE CITY, AND PITCHED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF AI: NOW THERE WAS A VALLEY BETWEEN THEM AND AI._ All the people. [The Septuagint translation gives a different and somewhat ambiguous idea of the mode o... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE TOOK ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND MEN, AND SET THEM TO LIE IN AMBUSH BETWEEN BETHEL AND AI, ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE CITY._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WHEN THEY HAD SET THE PEOPLE, EVEN ALL THE HOST THAT WAS ON THE NORTH OF THE CITY, AND THEIR LIERS IN WAIT ON THE WEST OF THE CITY, JOSHUA WENT THAT NIGHT INTO THE MIDST OF THE VALLEY._ Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. The deep and steep-sided glen to the north of Tell-el-h... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THE KING OF AI SAW IT, THAT THEY HASTED AND ROSE UP EARLY, AND THE MEN OF THE CITY_ _ WENT OUT AGAINST ISRAEL TO BATTLE, HE AND ALL HIS PEOPLE, AT A TIME APPOINTED, BEFORE THE PLAIN; BUT HE WIST NOT THAT THERE WERE LIERS IN AMBUSH AGAINST HIM BEHIND THE CITY._ At a time a... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JOSHUA AND ALL ISRAEL MADE AS IF THEY WERE BEATEN BEFORE THEM, AND FLED BY THE WAY OF THE WILDERNESS._ Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them. The pretended flight in the direction of the wilderness - i:e., southeast, into the Ghor, the desert valley of the Jordan-decoye... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE IN AI WERE CALLED TOGETHER TO PURSUE AFTER THEM: AND THEY PURSUED AFTER JOSHUA, AND WERE DRAWN AWAY FROM THE CITY._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE LORD SAID UNTO JOSHUA, STRETCH OUT THE SPEAR THAT IS IN THY HAND TOWARD AI; FOR I WILL GIVE IT INTO_ _ THINE HAND. AND JOSHUA STRETCHED OUT THE SPEAR THAT HE HAD IN HIS HAND TOWARD THE CITY._ Joshua stretched out the spear. The uplifted spear had probably a flag or streamer on it, like the... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE AMBUSH AROSE QUICKLY OUT OF THEIR PLACE, AND THEY RAN AS SOON AS HE HAD STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND: AND THEY ENTERED INTO THE CITY, AND TOOK IT, AND HASTED AND SET THE CITY ON FIRE._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE KING OF AI THEY TOOK ALIVE, AND BROUGHT HIM TO JOSHUA._ The king of Ai they took alive - to be reserved for a more ignominious death, as a greater criminal in God's sight than his subjects. In the mingled attack from before and behind, the whole men of Ai were massacred.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN ISRAEL HAD MADE AN END OF SLAYING ALL THE INHABITANTS OF AI IN THE FIELD, IN THE WILDERNESS WHEREIN THEY CHASED THEM, AND WHEN THEY WERE ALL FALLEN ON THE EDGE OF THE SWORD, UNTIL THEY WERE CONSUMED, THAT ALL THE ISRAELITES RETURNED UNTO AI, AND SMOTE IT WITH THE EDGE OF T... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND SO IT WAS, THAT ALL THAT FELL THAT DAY, BOTH OF MEN AND WOMEN, WERE TWELVE THOUSAND, EVEN ALL THE MEN OF AI._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_FOR JOSHUA DREW NOT HIS HAND BACK, WHEREWITH HE STRETCHED OUT THE SPEAR, UNTIL HE HAD UTTERLY DESTROYED ALL THE INHABITANTS OF AI._ Joshua drew not his hand back. Perhaps, from the long continuance of the posture, it might have been a means appointed by God to animate the people, and kept up in th... [ Continue Reading ]
_ONLY THE CATTLE AND THE SPOIL OF THAT CITY ISRAEL TOOK FOR A PREY UNTO THEMSELVES, ACCORDING UNTO THE WORD OF THE LORD WHICH HE COMMANDED JOSHUA._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JOSHUA BURNT AI, AND MADE IT AN HEAP FOR EVER, EVEN A DESOLATION UNTO THIS DAY._ Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, х_ TEEL_ (H8510), heap of ruins]. "For ever" often signifies a long time (Genesis 6:3). One of the remarkable things with regard to the Tell we have identified with A... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE KING OF AI HE HANGED ON A TREE UNTIL EVENTIDE: AND AS SOON AS THE SUN WAS DOWN, JOSHUA COMMANDED THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE HIS CARCASE DOWN FROM THE TREE, AND CAST IT AT THE ENTERING OF THE GATE OF THE CITY, AND RAISE THEREON A GREAT HEAP OF STONES, THAT REMAINETH UNTO THIS DAY._ The king of A... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN JOSHUA BUILT AN ALTAR UNTO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL IN MOUNT EBAL,_ Then Joshua built an altar ... in mount Ebal - (see the note at Deuteronomy 27:1.) This spot was little short of twenty miles from Ai. The march through a hostile country, and the unmolested performance of the religious ceremon... [ Continue Reading ]
_AS MOSES THE SERVANT OF THE LORD COMMANDED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW OF MOSES, AN ALTAR OF WHOLE STONES, OVER WHICH NO MAN HATH LIFT UP ANY IRON: AND THEY OFFERED THEREON BURNT OFFERINGS UNTO THE LORD, AND SACRIFICED PEACE OFFERINGS._ Of whole stones - accordi... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE WROTE THERE UPON THE STONES A COPY OF THE LAW OF MOSES, WHICH HE WROTE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL._ He wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law х_ MISHNEEH_ (H4932), a copy, a duplicate (see the note at Deuteronomy 27:2) - i:e., the blessings and curses of the law]. It i... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ALL ISRAEL, AND THEIR ELDERS, AND OFFICERS, AND THEIR JUDGES, STOOD ON THIS SIDE THE ARK AND ON THAT SIDE BEFORE THE PRIESTS THE LEVITES, WHICH BARE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD, AS WELL THE STRANGER, AS HE THAT WAS BORN AMONG THEM; HALF OF THEM OVER AGAINST MOUNT GERIZIM, AND HALF OF TH... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND AFTERWARD HE READ ALL THE WORDS OF THE LAW, THE BLESSINGS AND CURSINGS, ACCORDING TO ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW._ Afterward he read ... the law - caused the priests or Levites to read it (Deuteronomy 27:14). Persons are often said in Scripture to do that which they only command... [ Continue Reading ]
_THERE WAS NOT A WORD OF ALL THAT MOSES COMMANDED, WHICH JOSHUA READ NOT BEFORE ALL THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL, WITH THE WOMEN, AND THE LITTLE ONES, AND THE STRANGERS THAT WERE CONVERSANT AMONG THEM._ There was not a word ... which Joshua read not. It appears that a much larger portion of the law w... [ Continue Reading ]