Joshua
Chapter
8
1-2~~And
the Jehovah/God said unto Joshua,
"Fear
not, neither be you dismayed.
Take
all the people of war with you, and arise,
go
up to Ai
{Ai is NOT cherem/accursed (like Jericho was in the previous
chapter) so it does not have to be destroyed
Achan did NOT wait on the Lord so he suffered and died}.
See,
I have given into your hand the king of Ai,
and
his people, and his city, and his land. 2~~
And
you shall do to Ai and her king
as
you did unto Jericho and her king
only
the spoil thereof,
and
the cattle thereof,
shall
you take for a prey unto yourselves
{all in the city is yours - just destroy the people}.
You
all lay an ambush for the city behind it
{tough fighters - must ambush them}."
{1st
of 3 forces - 30,000 Men - Force E (Enveloping force)}
3~~So
Joshua arose,
and
all the people of war,
to
go up against Ai.
And
Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor,
and
sent them away by night.
{Note:
Force L and Force M are the other two forces. Force M (Main body)
under Joshua will retreat. Force L (liaison) will protect the flanks
from the town of Bethel that is hostile but close. Then Force E will
hide and ambush and burn the city when the men leave the city to
chase the retreating force thinking they were cowards like in the
first battle. When the soldiers go back to save their city, they will
be caught between all three merging forces.}
{Verses
4-8: Details of Attack}
4~~And
he commanded them, saying,
"Behold,
you shall lie in wait against the city,
even
behind the city.
Go
not very far from the city,
but
be you all ready."
5-8~~"And
I, and all the people who are with me,
will
approach unto the city
and
it shall come to pass,
when
they come out against us,
as
at the first {in the first losing battle},
that
we will flee before them. 6~~
For
they will come out after us -
till
we have drawn them from the city;
for
they will say,
'They
flee before us,
as
at the first.
Therefore
we will tear after them'
{Ai soldiers will be overconfident and think they can catch them
this time since they only killed 36 last time}. 7~~
Then
you shall rise up from the ambush,
and
seize upon the city
for
the Jehovah/God your 'Elohiym/Godhead
will
deliver it into your hand. 8~~
And
it shall be,
when
you have taken the city,
that
you shall set the city on fire
according
to the commandment of the Jehovah/God
shall
you do.
So,
I have commanded you."
9~~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 {at Gilgal}.
10~~And
Joshua rose up early in the morning,
and
numbered the people,
and
went up,
he
and the elders of Israel {commanders of the army},
before
the people to Ai.
11~~
And all the people,
even
the people of war
who
were with him, went up,
and
drew near,
and
came before the city,
and
pitched on the north side of Ai.
Now
there was a valley between them and Ai.
12~~And
he took about five thousand men
{Force L - liaison force to protect the flanks},
and
set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai,
on
the west side of the city.
13~~And
when they had set the people,
even
all the army/host that was on the north of the city,
and
those lying in wait on the west of the city,
Joshua
went that night into the middle of the valley.
14~~And
it came to pass,
when
the king of Ai saw it,
that
they hurried 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 was not aware that there were
those
lying {in wait} in ambush against him
behind
the city.
15~~And
Joshua and all Israel
made
{pretended} as if they were beaten before them,
and
fled by the way of the wilderness.
16~~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.
17~~And
there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel,
that
went not out after Israel.
And
they left the city open,
and
pursued after Israel.
18~~And
Jehovah/God said unto Joshua,
"Stretch
out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai
for
I will give it into your hand.
And
Joshua stretched out the spear
that
he had in his hand toward the city.
{Meanwhile
back at the City}
19~~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
hurriedly and set the city on fire.
20~~And
when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw,
and,
behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven,
and
they had no power to flee this way or that way
and
the people who fled to the wilderness
turned
back upon the pursuers
{Joshua and Force M - the main body turned back on
the pursuers}.
21~~And
when Joshua and all Israel
saw
that the ambush had taken the city,
and
that the smoke of the city ascended,
then
they turned again,
and
slew the men of Ai.
22~~And
the other issued out of the city against them
{Force E came out and hit them - they were surrounded}
so
they were in the middle of Israel,
some
on this side, and some on that side
and
they smote them,
so
that they let none of them remain or escape.
23~~And
the king of Ai they took alive,
and
brought him to Joshua.
24~~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 the sword.
{Ai
was a Small Town Compared to Jericho - only 12,000 compared to
Jericho's over 100,000}
25~~And
so it was, that all that fell that day,
both
of men and women,
were
twelve thousand,
even
all the men of Ai.
26~~For
Joshua drew not his hand back,
wherewith
he stretched out the spear,
until
he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
27~~Only
the cattle and the spoil of that city
Israel
took for a prey unto themselves,
according
unto the Word/'doctrinal communication'
of
the Jehovah/God
which
He commanded Joshua.
28~~And
Joshua burnt Ai,
and
made it an heap for ever,
even
a desolation unto this day.
29~~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 carcass 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
remains unto this day.
30-31~~Then
Joshua built an altar unto
Jehovah/God
'Elohiym/Godhead of Israel
on
mount Ebal {mount of cursing}, 31~~
as
Moses the servant of the Jehovah/God
commanded
the children of Israel {Deuteronomy 27},
as
it is written in the book of the law of Moses,
an
altar of whole stones,
over
which no man has lift up any iron
and
they offered thereon burnt offerings
unto
the Jehovah/God,
and
sacrificed peace offerings.
{Note:
Mount Ebal is the mountain of the curse. See Deuteronomy 27 for this
story. Gerizim is the mount of blessing. Certain tribes were on the
blessing side and certain ones on the cursing side. They were to then
write the first 5 books of the law and }
32~~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.
{Verses
33-36: Who Should Hear the Word?}
33~~And
all Israel {EVERYONE},
and
their elders, and officers, and their judges
{categories of leaders},
stood
on this side the Ark
and
on that side before the priests - the Levites,
who
bare the Ark of the Covenant of the Jehovah/God,
as
well the stranger {RBT says is a reference to Rahab},
as
he who was born among them
half
of them over against mount Gerizim {mount of blessing},
and
half of them over against mount Ebal {mount of cursing}
{In-between was the valley of Shechem - strength};
as
Moses the servant of the Jehovah/God
had
commanded before,
that
they should bless the people of Israel. 34~~
And
afterward he read
all
the words/'doctrinal communication' {dabar} of the law,
the
blessings and cursings,
according
to all that is written in the book of the law. 35~~
There
was not a word of all that Moses commanded,
which
Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel,
with
the women {the women also need to listen to the Word},
and
the little ones {and the children were to be taught!!!},
and
the strangers who were living among them
{and all with whom they associate should listen also - in other
words everyone}.
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