Joshua 8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:15

And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them ,.... Or smitten, as some of them might be in the pursuit: and fled by the way of the wilderness ; not a barren desert, but, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, a place for the pasture of cattle; though perhaps it is the same with the wilderness of Bethaven, Joshua 18:12 . Epiphanius F23 Contr. Haeres. l. 1. tom. 2. makes mention of the wilderness of Bethel and Ephraim as near Jericho. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:16

And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them ,.... Because the host of Israel was very numerous, it was judged proper that all the people in Ai should assist in pursuing them, not only to kill the more in the pursuit, but to carry off the spoil and prisoners they should take; or rather the sense is, that all the people in Ai, which were come out with the king to battle, when they saw Israel flee, "cried" F24 וזעקו "vociferantes", V. L. "vociferati... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:17

And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that went not out after Israel ,.... For as these two places were very near to each other, but a mile apart, they were in confederacy, and acted together, and could easily be called to the help of each other when required: though there is a difficulty how the men of Bethel could join those of Ai, when the ambush lay between them both, Joshua 8:12 ; they either went another way, or the ambush purposely let them pass, for fear of a discovery by a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:18

And the Lord said unto Joshua, stretch out the spear that is in thy hand towards Ai ,.... On which was a flag, as Abarbinel and Ben Melech think; and which is not improbable, and served for a signal for the ambush to come out and seize the city, as both they and Jarchi observe, as well as a signal also to the army of Israel to prepare to turn and face about, and engage with the enemy; though they did not actually do this until they saw the smoke of the city, Joshua 8:21 , for I will... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:19

And the ambush arose quickly out of their place ,.... As soon as the sentinels set in proper places observed the signal, and gave them notice of it, which was the stretching out of the spear, as appears by what follows: and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand ; and the spear in his hand; from whence it is plain, that though the Lord is said to bid Joshua do this now, he had orders from him for it before and the ambush must have been made acquainted with it before they were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:20

And when the men of Ai looked behind them ,.... On some account or another, perhaps observing that the army of Israel made a full stop and was gazing at the city: they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven ; from whence they concluded an enemy was there, and had set fire to it: and they had no power to flee this way or that way ; for if they turned back to their city there was an enemy, how powerful they knew not, possessed of it, and whom they might expect... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:21

And when Joshua ,.... Or "for Joshua" F26 ויהושע "et enim Josua", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Masius. : and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city ; which they knew by the smoke, as follows: and that the smoke of the city ascended ; in large columns, which sufficiently indicated that the whole city was taken and fired by the ambush: then , or, "and": they turned again and slew the men of Ai ; great numbers of them. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:22

And the other issued out of the city against them ,.... That is, the ambush, or at least a part of them: so that they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side ; or, as we commonly say, they were between two fires, the ambush on one side, the army of Israel on the other: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape ; not one was saved alive, excepting their king, as in Joshua 8:23 ; no quarter was given them, nor any suffered to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:23

And the king of Ai they took alive ,.... They spared him, and reserved him for a more shameful death: and brought him to Joshua ; their general; delivering him into his hands as his prisoner, to do will, him as seemed good in his sight. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:24

And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai ,.... That came out against them: in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them ; both in the arable lands that were sown with corn, and now clothed with it, the wheat especially, not being gathered in, as not yet ripe, and in the pasture ground, designed by the wilderness, see Joshua 8:15 ; so Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it: and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword ;... read more

Group of Brands