John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 8:2
And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst to Jericho and her king ,.... Burn the one and slay the other: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves ; which they were not allowed to do at Jericho: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it ; at the west side of it: some have called in question the lawfulness of the ambush, but, as this was appointed by the Lord, there is no room for it. read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 8:1-2
Israel were very happy in having such a commander as Joshua, but Joshua was more happy in having such a director as God himself; when any difficulty occurred, he needed not to call a council of war who had God so nigh unto him, not only to answer, but even to anticipate, his enquiries. It should seem, Joshua was now at a stand, had scarcely recovered the discomposure he was put into by the trouble Achan gave them, and could not think, without fear and trembling, of pushing forward, lest there... read more