Joshua 8 commentary

JOSHUA 8 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
Ai Destroyed
1 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be
afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole
army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I
have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his
people, his city and his land.
BAR ES, "God rouses Joshua from his dejection Jos_7:6, and bids him lmarch
against Ai with the main body. Though Ai was but a small city (compare Jos_8:25 and
Jos_7:3), yet the discouragement of the people rendered it inexpedient to send a second
time a mere detachment against it; and the people of Ai had, as appears from Jos_8:17,
help from Bethel, and possibly from other places also. It was fitting too that all the
people should witness with their own eyes the happy consequences of having faithfully
put away the sin which had separated them from God.
CLARKE, "Fear not - The iniquity being now purged away, because of which God
had turned his hand against Israel, there was now no cause to dread any other disaster,
and therefore Joshua is ordered to take courage.
Take all the people of war with thee - From the letter of this verse it appears that
all that were capable of carrying arms were to march out of the camp on this occasion:
thirty thousand chosen men formed an ambuscade in one place; five thousand he placed
in another, who had all gained their positions in the night season: with the rest of the
army he appeared the next morning before Ai, which the men of that city would
naturally suppose were the whole of the Israelitish forces; and consequently be the more
emboldened to come out and attack them. But some think that thirty thousand men
were the whole that were employed on this occasion; five thousand of whom were placed
as an ambuscade on the west side of the city between Beth-el and Ai, Jos_8:12, and with
the rest he appeared before the city in the morning. The king of Ai seeing but about
twenty-five thousand coming against him, and being determined to defend his city and
crown to the last extremity, though he had but twelve thousand persons in the whole

city, Jos_8:25, scarcely one half of whom we can suppose to be effective men, he was
determined to risk a battle; and accordingly issued out, and was defeated by the
stratagem mentioned in the preceding part of this chapter. Several eminent
commentators are of opinion that the whole Israelitish force was employed on this
occasion, because of what is said in the first verse; but this is not at all likely.
1. It appears that but thirty thousand were chosen out of the whole camp for this
expedition, the rest being drawn up in readiness should their co-operation be
necessary. See Jos_8:3, Jos_8:10.
2. That all the people were mustered in order to make this selection, Jos_8:1.
3. That these thirty thousand were sent off by night, Jos_8:3, Joshua himself
continuing in the camp a part of that night, Jos_8:9, with the design of putting
himself at the head of the army next morning.
4. That of the thirty thousand men five thousand were directed to lie in ambush
between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city, Jos_8:12; the twenty-five
thousand having taken a position on the north side of the city, Jos_8:11.
5. That the whole of the troops employed against Ai on this occasion were those on
the north and west, Jos_8:13, which we know from the preceding verses were
composed of thirty thousand chosen men.
6. That Joshua went in the course of the night, probably before daybreak, into the
valley between Beth-el and Ai, where the ambuscade of five thousand men was
placed, Jos_8:13, and gave them the proper directions how they were to proceed,
and agreed on the sign he was to give them at the moment he wished them to act,
see Jos_8:18 : and that, after having done so, he put himself at the head of the
twenty-five thousand men on the north side of the city: for we find him among
them when the men of Ai issued out, Jos_8:15, though he was the night before in
the valley on the west side, where the ambuscade lay, Jos_8:13.
7. That as Ai was but a small city, containing only twelve thousand inhabitants, it
would have been absurd to have employed an army of several hundred thousand
men against them.
8. This is confirmed by the opinion of the spies, Jos_7:3, who, from the smallness of
the place, the fewness of its inhabitants, and the panic-struck state in which they
found them, judged that three thousand troops would be quite sufficient to reduce
the place.
9. That it appears this judgment was correctly enough formed, as the whole
population of the place amounted only to twelve thousand persons, as we have
already seen, Jos_8:25.
10. That even a less force might have been sufficient for the reduction of this place,
had they been supplied with battering-rams, and such like instruments, which it
does not appear the Israelites possessed.
11. That this is the reason why Joshua employed the stratagems detailed in this
chapter: having no proper instruments or machines by means of which he might
hope to take the city by assault, (and to reduce it by famine, which was quite
possible, would have consumed too much time), he used the feigned flight, Jos_
8:19, to draw the inhabitants from the city, that the ambush, Jos_8:12, Jos_8:15,
might then enter, and take possession of it.
12. That had he advanced with a greater force against the city the inhabitants would
have had no confidence in risking a battle, and consequently would have kept

within their walls, which would have defeated the design of the Israelites, which
was to get them to issue from their city.
13. That, all these circumstances considered thirty thousand men, disposed as above,
were amply sufficient for the reduction of the city, and were the whole of the
Israelitish troops which were employed on the occasion.
GILL, "And the Lord said unto Joshua,.... Immediately after the execution of
Achan, the fierceness of his anger being turned away:
fear not, neither be thou dismayed; on account of the defeat of his troops he had
sent to take Ai:
take all the people of war with thee; all above twenty years of age, which, with the
forty thousand of the tribes on the other side Jordan he brought over with him, must
make an arm, five hundred thousand men; these Joshua was to take with so much to
animate and encourage him, or to terrify the enemy, nor because such a number was
necessary for the reduction of Ai, which was but a small city; but that all might have a
part in the spoil and plunder of it, which they were denied at Jericho, and chiefly to draw
all the men out of the city, seeing such a numerous host approaching:
and arise, go up to Ai; which lay high, and Joshua being now in the plains of Jericho;
see Gill on Jos_7:2,
see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city,
and his land; this city, though a small one, had a king over it, as most cities in the land
of Canaan had; the number of his people in it were twelve thousand, and his land were
the fields about it; all which were given to Joshua by the Lord, and were as sure as if he
had them already in his hand.
HE RY 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 should be in the camp another Achan; then God spoke to him, either by vision, as
before (Jos_5:1-15), or by the breastplate of judgment. Note, When we have faithfully
put away sin, that accursed thing, which separates between us and God, then, and not
till then, we may expect to hear from God to our comfort; and God's directing us how to
go on in our Christian work and warfare is a good evidence of his being reconciled to us.
Observe here,
I. The encouragement God gives to Joshua to proceed: Fear not, neither be thou
dismayed, Jos_8:1. This intimates that the sin of Achan, and the consequences of it, had
been a very great discouragement to Joshua, and made his heart almost ready to fail.
Corruptions within the church weaken the hands, and damp the spirits, of her guides
and helpers, more than oppositions from without; treacherous Israelites are to be
dreaded more than malicious Canaanites. But God bids Joshua not be dismayed; the

same power that keeps Israel from being ruined by their enemies shall keep them from
ruining themselves. To animate him, 1. He assures him of success against Ai, tells him it
is all his own; but he must take it as god's gift: I have given it into thy hands, which
secured him both title and possession, and obliged him to give God the glory of both,
Psa_44:3. 2. He allows the people to take the spoil to themselves. Here the spoil was not
consecrated to God as that of Jericho, and therefore there was no danger of the people's
committing such a trespass as they had committed there. Observe, How Achan who
caught at forbidden spoil lost that, and life, and all, but the rest of the people who had
conscientiously refrained from the accursed thing were quickly recompensed for their
obedience with the spoil of Ai. the way to have the comfort of what God allows us is to
forbear what he forbids us. No man shall lose by his self-denial; let God have his dues
first, and then all will be clean to us and sure, 1Ki_17:13. God did not bring them to these
goodly cities, and houses filled with all good things, to tantalize them with the sight of
that which they might not touch; but, having received the first-fruits from Jericho, the
spoil of Ai, and of all the cities which thenceforward came into their hands, they might
take for a prey to themselves.
II. The direction he gives him in attacking Ai. It must not be such a work of time as the
taking of Jericho was; this would have prolonged the war too much. Those that had
patiently waited seven days for Jericho shall have Ai given them in one day. Nor was it,
as that, to be taken by miracle, and purely by the act of God, but now their own conduct
and courage must be exercised; having seen God work for them, they must now bestir
themselves. God directs him, 1. to take all the people, that they might all be spectators of
the action and sharers in the spoil. Hereby God gave him a tacit rebuke for sending so
small a detachment against Ai in the former attempt upon it, Jos_7:4. 2. To lay an
ambush behind the city; this was a method which perhaps Joshua would not have
thought of at this time, if God had not directed him to it; and though now we are not to
expect direction, as here, by visions, voices, or oracles, yet, whenever those who are
entrusted with public councils take prudent measures for the public good, it must be
acknowledged that god puts it into their hears; he that teaches the husbandman
discretion no doubt teaches statesman and general.
JAMISO , "Jos_8:1-28. God encourages Joshua.
The Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not — By the execution of justice on Achan, the
divine wrath was averted, the Israelites were reassured, defeat was succeeded by victory;
and thus the case of Ai affords a striking example of God’s disciplinary government, in
which chastisements for sin are often made to pave the way for the bestowment of those
temporal benefits, which, on account of sin, have been withdrawn, or withheld for a
time. Joshua, who had been greatly dispirited, was encouraged by a special
communication promising him (see Jos_1:6; Deu_31:6-8) success in the next attempt,
which, however, was to be conducted on different principles.
take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai — The number of
fighting men amounted to six hundred thousand, and the whole force was ordered on
this occasion, partly because the spies, in their self-confidence, had said that a few were
sufficient to attack the place (Jos_7:3), partly to dispel any misgivings which the
memory of the late disaster might have created, and partly that the circumstance of the
first spoil obtained in Canaan being shared among all, might operate both as a reward
for obedience in refraining from the booty of Jericho, and as an incentive to future
exertions (Deu_6:10). The rest of the people, including the women and children,
remained in the camp at Gilgal. Being in the plains of Jericho, it was an ascent to Ai,
which was on a hill.

I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and
his land ... lay thee an ambush for the city — God assured Joshua of Ai’s capture,
but allowed him to follow his own tactics in obtaining the possession.
K&D, "Conquest and Burning of Ai. - Jos_8:1, Jos_8:2. After the ban which rested
upon the people had been wiped away, the Lord encouraged Joshua to make war upon
Ai, promising him that the city should be taken, and giving him instructions what to do
to ensure the success of his undertaking. With evident allusion to Joshua's despair after
the failure of the first attack, the Lord commences with these words, “Fear not, neither
be thou dismayed” (as in Deu_1:21; Deu_31:8), and then commands him to go against
Ai with all the people of war. By “all the people of war” we are hardly to understand all
the men out of the whole nation who were capable of bearing arms; but as only a third of
these were contributed by the two tribes and a half to cross over into Canaan and take
part in the war, the other tribes also are not likely to have levied more than a third, say
about 160,000, which would form altogether an army of about 200,000 men. But even
such an army as this seems out of all proportion to the size of Ai, with its 12,000
inhabitants (Jos_8:25). On the other hand, however, we must bear in mind that the
expression “all the people of war” simply denotes the whole army, in contrast with the
advice of the spies that only a portion of the army should be sent (Jos_7:3), so that we
are not warranted in pressing the word “all” to absolutely;
(Note: “As we have just before seen how their hearts melted, God consulted their
weakness, by putting no heavier burden upon them than they were able to bear, until
they had recovered from their alarm, and hearkened readily to His commands.” -
Calvin.)
and also that this command of God was not given with reference to the conquest of Ai
alone, but applied at the same time to the conquest of the whole land, which Joshua was
not to attempt by sending out detachments only, but was to carry out with the whole of
the force at his command. ‫ה‬ ָ‫ל‬ ָ‫,ע‬ to go up, is applied to the advance of an army against a
hostile town, independently of the question whether the town was situated upon an
eminence or not, as every town that had to be taken was looked upon as a height to be
scaled, though as a fact in this instance the army had really to ascend from Jericho to Ai,
which was situated up in the mountains (On Jos_8:1, see Jos_6:2.) “His land” is the
country round, which belonged to the town and was under its king.
TRAPP, "Joshua 8:1 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:
Ver. 1. Fear not, neither be thou dismayed.] For I have found an atonement, as Job
33:24. And as a bone once broken is stronger after setting: as lovers are never greater
friends than after a falling out: so is it betwixt God and his offending servants.
Take all the people.] That all may partake of the spoil.
See, I have given it into thine hand.] Thine it is assuredly; but by my free gift, not by

thine own prowess or policy.
BI 1-2, "Fear not . . . I have given into thy hand the king Of Ai.
The use of failure
“Fear not.” How much of our misery arises from fear! How many a beating heart, how
many a shaking nerve, how many a sleepless night have come, not from evil experienced,
but from evil apprehended! To save one from the apprehension of evil is sometimes
more important, as it is usually far more difficult, than to save one from evil itself. An
affectionate father finds that one of his most needed services to his children is to allay
their fears. Never is he doing them a greater kindness than when he uses his larger
experience of life to assure them, in some anxiety, that there is no cause for fear. Our
heavenly Father finds much occasion for a similar course. Virtually the command to
Joshua is to “try again.” Success, though denied to the first effort, often comes to the
next, or at least to a subsequent one. Even apart from spiritual considerations, it is those
who try oftenest who succeed best. There is little good in a man who abandons an
undertaking simply because he has tried once and failed. Who does not recall in this
connection the story of Alfred the Great? Or of Robert the Bruce watching the spider in
the barn that at last reached the roof after sixteen failures? Or, looking to what has a
more immediate bearing on the kingdom of God, who has not admired the perseverance
of Livingstone, undaunted by fever and famine and the ferocity of savage chiefs;
unmoved by his longings for home and dreams of plenty and comfort that mocked him
when he awoke to physical wretchedness and want? Such perseverance gives a man the
stamp of true nobility. To Christian men especially failure brings very valuable lessons.
There is always something to be learned from it. In our first attempt we were too self-
confident. We went too carelessly about the matter, and did not sufficiently realise the
need of Divine support. In the case of Joshua and his people, one of the chief lessons
derived from their failure before Ai was the evil of covering sin. Alas, this policy is the
cause of failures innumerable in the spiritual life! In numberless ways it interrupts
Divine fellowship, withdraws the Divine blessing, and grieves the Holy Spirit. Joshua is
instructed to go up again against Ai, but in order to interest and encourage the people he
resorts to a new plan of attack. A stratagem is to be put in operation. (W. G. Blaikie, D.
D.)
The right policy
I. These words were spoken to give encouragment. God began His address with the
exhortation, “Fear not.” This indeed constitutes the burden of comfort which it contains.
God would renew Joshua’s confidence; for this is always essential to success in the work
of the Lord. Without holy confidence there can be no good hopes, no wise plans, no
buoyant energy, no patient endurance, no successful campaign. The fact that this was an
old exhortation made it doubly dear. Israel’s sins had been confessed, acknowledged,
judged, therefore God is faithful and just to forgive it, thoroughly, absolutely. These
words of God also contain a promise. “Ai is thine”; this is the pledge given. It was sure,
for God’s Word is never broken. And it was as sweet as it was sure. It was the
encouragement of a perfect love that had long been experienced and enjoyed; a new
outpouring of its glory most grateful and precious.
II. But God thus addressed Joshua in order to reprove an error. The spies had said, “Let
not all the people go up,” &c. Here God says, “Take all the people with thee, and arise, go

up to Ai.” Here God points out the error of division in His work, the error of thinking
that part can do the work designed for the whole. The policy of the spies was a policy of
pride. They were elated with their marvellous success at Jericho, with that brilliant
victory so easily won; and therefore when they came to look at Ai their hearts were filled
with contempt. And the feelings which influenced them still possess the human heart.
How dangerous is success to the individual, to the congregation, to the Church I The
policy of the spies was also one of ignorance and disobedience. It was opposed to the
Divine design and command. So is it now. God has never said to any of His children,
“Son, go to church, enjoy the services, criticise the sermons, bury yourself in business
and pleasure from Monday till Saturday.” No, but He does say, “Son, go work.” And He
says that to every son whom He acknowledges. No Christian can shake off his
responsibility for personal service. And no one can buy himself off, for the conscription
is universal. We must each put our hand to this work as we have opportunity, and if we
do not, we show ourselves ignorant or prove ourselves disobedient. Moreover, this policy
of the spies was a policy of inconsistency. In adopting it Joshua fell from his own model.
He had begun in the spirit and was continuing in the flesh. The taking of Jericho was the
pattern for faith to follow. What is the model set by God before His Church in the
prosecution of the campaign of salvation? Without dispute, the Day of Pentecost. And
what were the characteristics of that day? Unity of spirit, unity of labour. Likewise, this
policy sprang from presumption. Joshua in listening to the advice of the spies acted
according to the dictates of carnal wisdom. If all the people go against Ai they will tread
on each other and be a hindrance rather than a help. If all the people quit the camp there
will be a useless expenditure of energy. It is absurd to use 50,000 men when 5,000 are
quite capable of doing the work. So they argued; and so the modern descendants of these
wise spies say, “Not all the people.” If all are engaged in this work, many mistakes will be
made, much energy will be wasted, much folly will be wrought, much injury to the good
cause will be done. What! Has not God ordained that all are to take part in this
campaign? Let us take heed, then, lest in our wisdom we perchance become guilty of
presumptuously opposing God, who has ordained by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe. Certainly it is delightful to see zeal well directed, but any zeal for the
good of souls is better than lethargy, indifference, death. Still further, this policy of the
spies was a policy of infatuation. That Joshua entertained this proposal and acted on it
was a sign that for the while he was left to himself on account of that sin which had
defiled all Israel. Its unanimous adoption by the people (for both those who went to Ai
and those who stayed in the camp signified their approval of it) was a clear token of the
Divine displeasure, and brought its own punishment in the universal disgrace which
followed. Thus does God often deal with men when they will not hearken to His voice.
He makes them eat of the fruit of their own ways. May we ever be saved from such
infatuation. Let us fall every one into the ranks of this great army of salvation. Let us
buckle on the sword of the Spirit. Let us march to the attack on Satan’s citadels with
united front; and we also, like Israel, will divide the spoil and share the glory of the
victory.
III. God gave this command to Joshua in order to teach a lesson. Jericho was taken in
one way, Ai in another: therefore methods may vary; they are not stereotyped, cast-iron
rules, which cannot be altered. There are essential and there are non-essential elements
in the mode of conducting the Divine work. It is essential that all God’s people should
take part in the work. All were employed at Jericho; all were to be employed at Ai. It is
essential that there be organisation and arrangement. It was an army, not a rabble,
which did the work at Jericho; so was it at Ai. But there are non-essentials also. There
are great diversities of operation in this army of the Cross. God does not always act

exactly in the same way. He has different modes of reaching the human heart and
conscience in different ages, in different countries, and among different classes. What is
suitable in one set of circumstances may be very unsuitable in another. (A. B. Mackay.)
The taking of Ai Spiritualised
1. It appears, in the first place, that in going out to battle with anything that is
doomed we must have a right character and a right cause. The Lord would not allow
a blow to be struck at the city by a wicked hand; He will have judgment executed by
righteousness; He will have the law proclaimed by lips that have been circumcised
and anointed. The first great inquiry of man is a moral inquiry, not an inquest about
numbers, places: and possible issues—but, “Is this thing right? and am I right who
attempt to do the work?” That being the case, go forward.
2. The next great lesson of this incident is that we must all advance upon the doomed
institution. When the idea of taking Ai was first broached, there were clever men in
Israel who said, “Let two or three thousand of us go up and take the city.” “I, and all
the people that are with me, will approach unto the city” (Jos_8:5). That must be the
rule of the Church in all its great moral wars. The battle is not to be handed over to a
few persons, however skilful and zealous. The work of teaching the world and saving
the world is a work committed to the whole Christian body. The living Church of the
living God is one. When the Church realises its totality, when every man is part of an
army and not an isolated warrior, then every Ai doomed of Heaven shall reel under
the battering-ram which the Church will employ. There are to be no mere critics;
there are to be thousands of active soldiers.
3. This being so, the incident brings before us in a very suggestive and picturesque
manner the fact that we must excel the enemy in shrewdness. The Church is to be
shrewder than the world, believers are to be keener of mind and more active in every
energy than unbelievers. It is evident, moreover, that if we are to do any real work in
the world in the name of God and in the cause of Christ we must be about our
business night and day. In Jos_8:10 we read, “And Joshua rose up early in the
morning”; in verse 13 we read, “Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.”
How useful some men might be if they had the spirit of consecration: what time they
have on hand!
4. We should miss one great lesson of this story if we did not note that we are bound
to set fire to every devoted abomination. Ai was burned. We are not called to
compromise, to paltering, to arranging, to expediency where ignorance is concerned,
or slavery, or vice, or wrong. Things must be so burned down that they can never
grow again. And after destruction, what then? Positive religion comes next: “Then
Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal” (verse 30). It is no
use building your altar until you have burned the abomination. A great destructive
work is to be done first, and in the doing of it, there will be great outcry about
change, and novelty, and reprisal, and revolution. If you have not been faithful in the
work of destruction, you cannot be faithful in the work of construction. It is lying
unto the Holy Ghost to build an altar upon the basis of a rotten life. So we are called
to thoroughness of work. There is to be no superficial action here. And after the altar,
what? The law—the law of righteousness, the law of God. Verse 32 reads, “And
Joshua wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the
presence of the children of Israel.” This is complete work-destruction, the erected

altar, the inscribed law. This is healthy work. (J. Parker, D. D.)
CALVI , "1.And the Lord said unto Joshua, etc It was of great consequence to
Joshua, as well as the people, to inspire new courage, that they might prepare with
confidence to assault the city of Ai, from which they had lately been repulsed with
loss and greater disgrace. God, therefore, to inspire them with intrepidity on this
expedition, promises that he will give them the city. With the same view he enjoins
them to fight by stratagem more than open war, to entice the enemy out, and to
select a secret place for an ambuscade which might take them by surprise. A few
thousands might without any difficulty have been overthrown by an immense host
attacking the city suddenly and unexpectedly. But as we formerly saw that the
hearts of all had melted away, God consulted for their weakness by laying no
greater burden upon them than they were able to bear, until they had recovered
from their excessive panic, and could execute his commands with alacrity.
It is true, indeed, that he now used their own exertion, partly that they might not
always keep looking for miracles, and so give themselves up to laziness, and partly
that in different and unequal modes of acting they might nevertheless recognize that
his power is the same. But care must be taken not to omit the special reason, namely,
that not having yet recovered from their terror, they could scarcely have been
induced to engage in an open conflict, had they not seen stratagem employed as a
subsidiary aid. The first place, however, is due to the promise, Fear not, for I have
delivered it into thy hands: for although it is verbally directed to Joshua, it belongs
in common to the whole people, as it was most necessary that all to a man should be
freed from anxiety and furnished with new confidence. The order to burn the city
like Jericho, appears to be a concession to the popular feeling, the vengeance thus
taken serving to wipe out the remembrance of their disgrace. At the same time that
they may engage in the expedition more willingly, the spoils are left to them as the
reward of victory.
BE SO , ". And the Lord said unto Joshua — Who, it is probable, now consulted
God about the progress of the war, which he had omitted to do before, thinking
himself, it seems, sufficiently authorised to proceed according to his own judgment,
by what God had often said to him, and his success against Jericho. Take all the
people of war with thee — This order may seem strange, since the people themselves
thought that two or three thousand men would be sufficient, if God were with and
not against them. But God would have them all to share in the spoil of Ai, the first
spoil of the country, that they might be encouraged to go on with the work, and that
they, who had obeyed him in abstaining from taking any thing in Jericho, might
now be rewarded by the prey of the city.
ELLICOTT, "(1) Fear not, neither be thou dismayed.—See Joshua 1:9; Joshua
10:25. In Joshua 1:9, “For the Lord thy God is with thee.” These words indicate the
return of Jehovah to the host of Israel, for the prosecution of the war.
Take all the people.— ot merely “two or three thousand,” as before.

Ai.—In Hebrew, Hâ-ai. Ai is intended for one syllable, not two as often sounded in
English. It means “the heap” (of ruins apparently). In Joshua 8:28 we read that
Joshua made it “an heap for ever” (Tel-ôlâm in Hebrew). Thus its first and last
names agree. It is remarked that whereas Palestine is full of “Tels” with other
names appended to them (as Tell-es Sultan, and some ten others near Jericho alone),
the place called et-Tel by Bethel has no other appendage. It is not the heap of
anything, but simply the heap, to this day; and this fact, which is apparently without
parallel, seems to fix the site of Ai at et-Tel. (See ote on Joshua 7:2.)
And his land.—The capture of Ai was not simply the capture of a town or fortress,
but of the chief town of a territory, the extent of which we are not told. If we knew
the circumstances of the time more precisely, we might apprehend the strategical
reasons which made it desirable to obtain possession of Ai in particular at this stage
of the campaign.
COFFMA , "Verse 1
CAPTURE OF AI
The shameful failure of Israel to capture Ai, as related in the previous chapter,
having at this time been discovered as due to the treachery of Achan, and that sin
having now been punished by the death of the offender, the people of Israel at this
point in time are again considered to be in full favor with God as His covenant
children. The disastrous failure at Ai had surely taught the whole nation an effective
lesson, that, if they obeyed God, He would bless them, and that, if they did not obey
Him, they would suffer.
Every student of this chapter is at once confronted with what is alleged to be a
contradiction between the number of 30,000 chosen for the ambush in Joshua 8:3,
and the number 5,000 mentioned allegedly for the same ambush in Joshua 8:12. We
have read several explanations of this: (1) Keil and other very dependable scholars
affirm that a scribal error is responsible, and that the number 5,000 is correct.[1] It
is evident that the expedient of finding a scribal error here does not solve the
problem, for Cook asserted that, "The error would have been in writing 30,000
instead of 5,000,"[2] but Holmes said, "the error would have been in writing 30,000
for 3,000."[3] (2) Woudstra mentioned the possibility that the 30,000 included the
5,000 later detached for the ambush, but mentioned earlier in Joshua 8:3, as the
principal feature of the attack.[4] Holmes, and nearly all critical assailants against
the Bible declare unequivocally, "That two accounts have been combined is
obvious."[5] Of course, in this explanation, the great hoax of all allegedly higher
criticism, the ubiquitous "editor," or the ever-ready "redactor," is identified as
responsible for "combining" these allegedly different accounts! But, if any such
person combined two accounts to give us this record, what an incredibly stupid,
egregious person he must have been! The impossibility of even imagining such a
character outlaws this explanation as absolutely untenable! We shall refrain from
comment on those "scholars" who are constantly appealing to this very class of
"editors" and "redactors." Could anyone in his right mind mention a group of

people as being 30,000 in number, and then ten seconds later state that they
numbered 5,000?
We do not pretend to know the proper solution of this obvious difficulty, but, in all
probability, the difficulty itself lies in the complexity and weakness of the Hebrew
style of narrative, with the problem of the Hebrew tenses making it virtually
impossible, at times, to determine the chronology of several parallel actions
occurring simultaneously. Aside from this one tiny problem, the grand action of this
chapter is as clear as broad, open daylight.
We might summarize as follows:
(1) God commanded the deployment of a very large force, "all the people," against
Ai.
(2) There was to be an ambush set behind the city.
(3) Another detachment was to protect against any assistance that Bethel might give
Ai.
(4) The main body of Israel would make a feint of frontal assault against Ai.
(5) They would, at first, fall back, pretending to flee, before the king of Ai's attack.
(6) Joshua, with his javelin, or spear, situated strategically, would signal for the
ambush to enter and burn Ai.
(7) All Israel would at that point turn and crush the men of Ai. ow, the Lord has
not given us any detailed report of the orders that went out to the various
detachments, nor any of the remainder of the devices by which this complicated
strategy successfully destroyed Ai, but nobody can miss the main points of it, which
we may be sure include all that Christians of the 20th century need to know about
it!
"And Jehovah 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; 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: set thee an ambush for the city
behind it."
"Fear not, neither be thou dismayed ..." Joshua indeed had much to fear, as
Matthew Henry said, "The treacherous Israelites were more to be dreaded than the
malicious Canaanites!"[6] As for the reason why God commanded so many to be
involved in the capture of Ai, Calvin thought it was to give all the people a chance to
view the struggle as their own, and "to reassure the people"[7] by giving them a
close-up view of the coming victory. As Blair put it, "In order that the morale of all

the people could be restored."[8]
"Take all the people of war with thee ..." Keil stated that this merely means "the
whole army,"[9] but even that limitation indicated a tremendous number of people.
The armed men of Israel at this point numbered over "600,000 fighting men."[10]
With such a vast force under his command, whatever number might have been
needed in a given task would have been available.
EBC, "THE CAPTURE OF AI.
Joshua 8:1-29.
JOSHUA, having dealt faithfully with the case of Achan, whose sin had intercepted
the favour of God, is again encouraged, and directed to renew, but more carefully,
his attack on Ai. That word is addressed to him which has always such significance
when coming from the Divine lips - "Fear not." How much of our misery arises
from fear! How many a beating heart, how many a shaking nerve, how many a
sleepless night have come, not from evil experienced, but from evil apprehended! To
save one from the apprehension of evil is sometimes more important, as it is usually
far more difficult, than to save one from evil itself. An affectionate father finds that
one of his most needed services to his children is to allay their fears. ever is he
doing them a greater kindness than when he uses his larger experience of life to
assure them, in some anxiety, that there is no cause for fear. Our heavenly Father
finds much occasion for a similar course. He has indeed got a very timid family. It is
most interesting to mark how the Bible is studded with "fear nots," from Genesis to
Revelation; from that early word to Abraham - ''Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy
exceeding great reward" - to that most comforting assurance to the beloved disciple,
''Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of hades and of death." If
only God's children could hear Him uttering that one word, from how much anxiety
and misery would it set them free!
Virtually the command to Joshua is to ''try again." Success, though denied to the
first effort, often comes to the next, or at least to a subsequent one. Even apart from
spiritual considerations, it is those who try oftenest who succeed best. There is little
good in a man who abandons an undertaking simply because he has tried once and
failed. Who does not recall in this connection the story of Alfred the Great? Or of
Robert the Bruce watching the spider in the barn that at last reached the roof after
sixteen failures? Or, looking to what has a more immediate bearing on the kingdom
of God, who has not admired the perseverance of Livingstone, undaunted by fever
and famine, and the ferocity of savage chiefs; unmoved by his longings for home and
dreams of plenty and comfort that mocked him when he awoke to physical
wretchedness and want? Such perseverance gives a man the stamp of true nobility;
we are almost tempted to fall down and worship. If failure be humiliating, it is
redeemed by the very act and attitude of perseverance, and the self-denial and scorn

of ease which it involves. In the Christian warfare no man is promised victory at the
first. "Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint
not."
To Christian men especially, failure brings very valuable lessons. There is always
something to be learned from it. In our first attempt we were too self-confident. We
went too carelessly about the matter, and did not sufficiently realize the need of
Divine support. ever was there a servant of God who learned more from his
failures than St. Peter. othing could have been more humiliating than his thrice-
repeated denial of his Lord. But when Peter came to himself, he saw on what a
bruised reed he had been leaning when he said, ''Though I should die with Thee yet
will I not deny Thee." How miserably misplaced that self-confidence had been! But
it had the effect of startling him, of showing him his danger, and of leading him to
lift up his eyes to the hills from whence came his help. It might have seemed a risky,
nay reckless thing for our Lord to commit the task of steering His infant Church
over the stormy seas of her first voyage to a man who, six weeks before, had proved
so weak and treacherous. But Peter was a genuine man, and it was that first failure
that afterwards made him so strong. It is no longer Peter, but Christ in Peter that
directs the movement. And thus it came to pass that, during the critical period of the
Church's birth, no carnal drawback diminished his strength or diluted his faith; all
his natural rapidity of movement, all his natural outspokenness, boldness, and
directness were brought to bear without abatement on the advancement of the
young cause. He conducted himself during this most delicate and vital period with a
nobility beyond all praise. He took the ship out into the open sea amid raging storms
without touching a single rock. And it was all owing to the fact that by God's grace
he profited by his failure!
In the case of Joshua and his people, one of the chief lessons derived from their
failure before Ai was the evil of covering sin. Alas, this policy is the cause of failures
innumerable in the spiritual life! In numberless ways it interrupts Divine fellowship,
withdraws the Divine blessing, and grieves the Holy Spirit. We have not courage to
cut off a right hand and pluck out a right eye. We leave besetting sins in a corner of
our hearts, instead of trying to exterminate them, and determining not to allow them
a foothold there. The acknowledgment of sin, the giving up of all leniency towards
it, the determination, by God's grace, to be done with it, always go before true
revivals, before a true return of God to us in all His graciousness and power.
Rather, we should say, they are the beginning of revival. In Israel of old the land
had to be purged of every vestige of idolatry under Hezekiah and other godly kings,
before the light of God's countenance was again lifted upon it. "To this man will I
look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at My
word."
Joshua is instructed to go up again against Ai, but in order to interest and
encourage the people, he resorts to a new plan of attack. A stratagem is to be put in
operation. An ambuscade is to be stationed on the west side of the city, while the
main body of the assaulting force is to approach it, as formerly, from the east. There
is some obscurity and apparent confusion in the narrative, confined, however, to one

point, the number composing the ambuscade and the main body respectively. Some
error in the text appears to have crept in. From the statement in Joshua 8:3 we
might suppose that the men who were to lie in ambush amounted to thirty thousand;
but in Joshua 8:12 it is expressly stated that only five thousand were employed in
this way. There can be little doubt (though it is not according to the letter of the
narrative) that the whole force employed amounted to thirty thousand, and that, of
these, five thousand formed the ambush. Indeed, in such a valley, it would not have
been possible for thirty thousand men to conceal themselves so as to be invisible
from the city. It would appear (Joshua 8:17) that the people of Bethel had left their
own village and gone into Ai. Bethel, as we have said, was situated higher up; in
fact, it was on the very ridge of the plateau of Western Palestine. It must have been
but a little place, and its people seem to have deemed it better to join those of Ai,
knowing that if the Israelites were repulsed from the lower city, the upper was safe.
The ruse was that the ambush should be concealed behind the city; that Ai, as
before, should be attacked from the east by the main-body of troops; that on
receiving the onslaught from the city they should seem to be defeated as before; that
Joshua, probably standing on some commanding height, should give a signal to the
men in ambush by raising his spear; whereupon these men should rush down on the
now deserted place and set it on fire. On seeing the flames, the pursuers would
naturally turn and rush back to extinguish them; then the main body of Israel
would turn likewise, and thus the enemy would be caught as in a trap from which
there was no escape, and fall a victim to the two sections of Israel.
To plots of this kind, the main objection in a strategical sense lies in the risk of
detection. For the five thousand who went to station themselves in the west it was a
somewhat perilous thing to separate themselves from the host, and place themselves
in the heart of enemies both in front and in rear. It needed strong faith to expose
themselves in such a situation. Suppose they had been detected as they went stealing
along past Ai in the darkness of the night; suppose they had come on some house or
hamlet, and wakened the people, so that the alarm should have been carried to Ai,
what would have been the result? It was well for Israel that no such mishap
occurred, and that they were able in silence to reach a place where they might lie
concealed. The ground is so broken by rocks and ravines that this would not have
been very difficult; the people of Ai suspected nothing; probably the force on the
east were at pains, by camp-fires and otherwise, to engage their attention, and
whenever that force began to move, as if for the attack, every eye in the city would
be fixed intently upon it.
The plot was entirely successful; everything fell out precisely as Joshua had desired.
A terrible slaughter of the men of Ai took place, caught as they were on the east of
the city between the two sections of Joshua's troops, for the Israelites gave no
quarter either to age or sex. The whole number of the slain amounted to twelve
thousand, and that probably included the people of Bethel too. We see from this
what an insignificant place Ai must have been, and how very humiliating was the
defeat it inflicted at first. With reference to the spoil of the city, the rigid law
prescribed at Jericho was not repeated; the people got it for themselves. Jericho was

an exceptional case; it was the first fruits of the conquest, therefore holy to the Lord.
If Achan had but waited a little, he would have had his share of the spoil of Ai or
some other place. He would have got legitimately what he purloined unlawfully. In
the slaughter, the king, or chief of the place, suffered a more ignominious doom than
his soldiers; instead of being slain with the sword, he was hanged, and his body was
exposed on a tree till sunset. Joshua did not want some drops of Oriental blood; he
had the stern pleasure of the Eastern warrior in humbling those who were highest in
honour. What remained of the city was burned; it continued thereafter a heap of
ruins, with a great cairn of stones at its gate, erected over the dead body of the king.
We see that already light begins to be thrown on what at the time must have seemed
the very severe and rigid order about the spoil of Jericho. Although Achan was the
only offender, he was probably far from being the only complainer on that occasion.
Many another Israelite with a covetous heart must have felt bitterly that it was very
hard to be prevented from taking even an atom to oneself. "Were not our fathers
allowed to spoil the Egyptians - why, then, should we be absolutely prevented from
having a share of the spoil of Jericho?" It might have been enough to answer that
God claimed the first fruits of the land for Himself; or to say that God designed at
the very entrance of His people into Canaan to show that they were not a
tumultuous rabble, rushing greedily on all they could lay their hands on, but a well-
trained, well-mannered family, in whom self-restraint was one of the noblest virtues.
But to all this it might have been added, that the people's day was not far off. It is
not God's method to muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And so to all who
rush tumultuously upon the good things of this life. He says, "Seek first the kingdom
of heaven and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Let
God arrange the order in which His gifts are distributed. ever hurry Providence,
as Sarah did when she gave Hagar to Abraham. Sarah had good cause to repent of
her impetuosity; it brought her many a bitter hour. Whereas God was really kinder
to her than she had thought, and in due time He gave her Isaac, not the son of the
bondwoman, but her own. A question has been raised respecting the legitimacy of
the stratagem employed by Joshua in order to capture Ai. Was it right to deceive the
people; to pretend to be defeated while in reality he was only executing a ruse, and
thus draw on the poor men of Ai to a terrible death? Calvin and other
commentators make short work of this objection. If war is lawful, stratagem is
lawful. Stratagem indeed, as war used to be conducted, was a principal part of it;
and even now the term "strategic," derived from it, is often used to denote
operations designed for a different purpose from that which at first appears. It is
needless to discuss here the lawfulness of war, for the Israelites were waging war at
the express command of the Almighty. And if it be said that when once you allow
the principle that it is lawful in war to mislead the enemy, you virtually allow
perfidy, inasmuch as it would be lawful for you, after pledging your word under a
flag of truce, to disregard your promise, the answer to that is, that to mislead in
such circumstances would be infamous. A distinction is to be drawn between acts
where the enemy has no right to expect that you will make known your intention,
and acts where they have such a right. In the ordinary run of strategic movements,
you are under no obligation to tell the foe what you are about. It is part of their
business to watch you, to scrutinize your every movement, and in spite of

appearances to divine your real purpose. If they are too careless to watch, or too
stupid to discern between a professed and a real plan, they must bear the
consequences. But when a flag of truce is displayed, when a meeting takes place
under its protection, and when conditions are agreed to on both sides, the case is
very different. The enemy is entitled now to expect that you will not mislead them.
Your word of honour has been passed to that effect. And to disregard that pledge,
and deem it smart to mislead thereby, is a proceeding worthy only of the most
barbarous, the most perfidious, the most shameless of men.
Thus far we may defend the usages of war; but at best it is a barbarous mode of
operations. Very memorable was the observation of the Duke of Wellington, that
next to the calamity of suffering a defeat was that of gaining a victory. To look over
a great battlefield, fresh from the clash of arms; to survey the trampled crops, the
ruined houses, the universal desolation; to gaze on all the manly forms lying cold in
death, and the many besides wounded, bleeding, groaning, perhaps dying; to think
of the illimitable treasure that has been lavished on this work of destruction and the
comforts of which it has robbed the countries engaged; to remember in what a
multitude of cases, death must carry desolation and anguish to the poor widow, and
turn the remainder of life into a lonely pilgrimage, is enough surely to rob war of
the glory associated with it, and to make good the position that on the part of
civilized and Christian men it should only be the last desperate resort, after every
other means of effecting its object has failed. We are not forgetful of the manly self-
sacrifice of those who expose themselves so readily to the risk of mutilation and
death, wherever the rulers of their country require it, for it is the redeeming feature
of war that it brings out so much of this high patriotic devotion; but surely they are
right who deem arbitration the better method of settling national differences; who
call for a great disarmament of the European nations, and would put a stop to the
attitude of every great country shaking its fist in the face of its neighbours. What
has become of the prophecy "They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and
their spears into pruning hooks"? Or the beautiful vision of Milton on the birth of
the Saviour? -
" o war, or battle's sound Was heard the world around; The idle spear and shield
were high uphung; The hooked chariot stood Unstained with hostile blood, The
trumpet spake not to the armed throng; And kings sat still with awful eye As if they
surely knew their sovran Lord was by."
One lesson comes to us with pre-eminent force from the operations of war. The
activity displayed by every good commander is a splendid example for all of us in
spiritual warfare. "Joshua arose"; "Joshua lodged that night among the people";
''Joshua rose up early in the morning"; "Joshua went that night into the middle of
the valley"; "Joshua drew not his hand back wherewith he stretched out the spear,
until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai." Such expressions show how
intensely in earnest he was, how unsparing of himself, how vigilant and
indefatigable in all that bore upon his enterprise. And generally we still see that,
wherever military expeditions are undertaken, they are pushed forward with
untiring energy, and the sinews of war are supplied in unstinted abundance,

whatever grumbling there may be afterwards when the bill comes to be paid. Has
the Christian Church ever girded herself for the great enterprise of conquering the
world for Christ with the same zeal and determination? What are all the sums of
money contributed for Christian missions, compared to those spent annually on
military and naval forces, and multiplied indefinitely when active war goes on! Alas,
this question brings out but one result of a painful comparison - the contrast
between the ardour with which secular results are pursued by secular men, and
spiritual results by spiritual men. Let the rumour spread that gold or diamonds
have been found at some remote region of the globe, what multitudes flock to them
in the hope of possessing themselves of a share of the spoil! ot even the prospect of
spending many days and nights in barbarism, amid the misery of dirt and heat and
insects, and with company so rude and rough and reckless that they have hardly the
appearance of humanity, can overcome the impetuous desire to possess themselves
of the precious material, and come home rich. What crowds rush in when the
prospectus of a profitable brewery promises an abundant dividend, earned too often
by the manufactory of drunkards! What eager eyes scan the advertisements that tell
you that if persons bearing a certain name, or related to one of that name, would
apply at a certain address, they would hear of something to their advantage! Once
we knew of a young man who had not even seen such an advertisement, but had
been told that it had appeared. There was a vague tradition in his family that in
certain circumstances a property would fall to them. The mere rumour that an
advertisement had appeared in which he was interested set him to institute a search
for it. He procured a file of the Times newspaper, reaching over a series of years,
and eagerly scanned its advertisements. Failing to find there what he was in search
of, he procured sets of other daily newspapers and subjected them to the same
process. And thus he went on and on in his unwearied search, till first he lost his
situation, then he lost his reason, and then he lost his life. What will men not do to
obtain a corruptible crown? Could it be supposed from our attitude and ardour that
we are striving for the incorruptible? Could it be thought that the riches which we
are striving to accumulate are not those which moth and rust do corrupt, but the
treasures that endure for evermore? Surely "it is high time for us to awake out of
sleep." Surely we ought to lay to heart that "the things which are seen are temporal,
but the things which are not seen are eternal." Memorable are the poet's words
respecting the great objects of human desire: -
"The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe
itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve: And like this unsubstantial pageant
faded, Leave not a rack behind."
PETT, "Verse 1
Chapter 8. The Defeat of Ai and Bethel.
Joshua was now encouraged to go up and take Ai, and was directed as to what
method he should use. Accordingly he set an ambush on the west side of it, and he
and the rest of the army then advanced upwards towards its gates. When the king of
Ai saw them, he sallied out against them, and the Israelites, pretending that they
were beaten, withdrew, with the men of Ai pursuing them. On this occurring the

ambush rose and entered the city and set fire to it. As soon as the smoke was
observed by Joshua and Israel, they turned back on their pursuers, and with the
ambush sallying out of the city in their rear, they destroyed them. Then they slew all
the inhabitants, took the spoil, burnt the city, and hanged its king. After this Joshua
built an altar at Ebal, where he wrote the law on stones, and read the blessings and
the curses in it before all Israel.
Joshua 8:1
‘And YHWH said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed. Take all the
people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the
king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.” ’
We have in this chapter the record of the capture of Ai and the defeat of the
combined forces of Ai and Bethel (Joshua 8:17). At this stage the capture of Ai was
seen as a most vital element in the campaign. It barred the way to the hill country.
The importance given to it and the way it was seen suggests that the account was
recorded not long after the event itself before things were viewed from a wider
perspective. It was their second victory and opened up the hill country.
Being aware of YHWH speaking to him again must have been a great relief to
Joshua. Things were now back to normal and they could go ahead aware that
YHWH was with them. His anger was no longer directed at them. We may tend to
assume that YHWH spoke to Joshua constantly but this was not the case. Such
revelations were spared for special occasions.
“See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his
land.” God spoke in terms of Joshua’s understanding at this point. God knew that
Bethel was the more important city. At this stage Joshua did not. Joshua did not
need a history and geography lesson. He needed assurance in terms of what he
knew.
Again we have echoes of Deuteronomy (just as we previously had echoes of Exodus).
See Deuteronomy 1:21; Deuteronomy 31:8; Deuteronomy 2:14; Deuteronomy 2:16;
Deuteronomy 2:24; Deuteronomy 3:2. Joshua was soaked in the language of the
Scriptures.
2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to

Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off
their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an
ambush behind the city.”
GILL, "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.
K&D, "Jos_8:2
Joshua was to do the same to Ai and her king as he had already done to Jericho and
her king, except that in this case the conquerors were to be allowed to appropriate the
booty and the cattle to themselves. In order to conquer the town, he was to lay an
ambush behind it.
(Note: The much agitated question, whether it could be worthy of God to employ
stratagem in war, to which different replies have been given, has been answered
quite correctly by Calvin. “Surely,” he says, “wars are not carried on by striking
alone; but they are considered the best generals who succeed through art and
counsel more than by force ... . Therefore, if war is lawful at all, it is beyond all
controversy that the way is perfectly clear for the use of the customary arts of
warfare, provided there is no breach of faith in the violation of treaty or truce, or in
any other way.”)
‫ב‬ ֵ‫ּר‬‫א‬, a collective noun, signifying the persons concealed in ambush; ‫ב‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫א‬ ַ‫מ‬ (Jos_8:9), the
place of ambush. “Behind it,” i.e., on the west of the town.
BE SO ,"Joshua 8:2. Thou shalt do to Ai — as thou didst unto Jericho — That is,
overcome and destroy the city and people. This was enjoined to chastise their last
insolence, and the triumphs and blasphemies which doubtless their success had
produced: and to revive the dread and terror which had been impressed upon the
Canaanites by Jericho’s ruin, and had been much abated by the late success of Ai.
The spoil thereof — shall ye take for a prey — either the silver nor gold, nor any
thing else, was separated to the use of the tabernacle, nor ordered to be destroyed,
but the people were to enjoy it entirely themselves.

Lay thee an ambush for the city behind it — Ai was not to be taken by miracle, as
Jericho had been; now they must exercise their own wisdom. Having seen God work
for them, whereby they might learn to depend on him, and give him the glory of all
their success, they must now exert themselves, and be inured to self-denial and
diligence, and to labour, toil, and hardship. And they must learn to outwit as well as
to overpower their enemies. God himself commands them to take the town by
stratagem; and therefore we may be sure that to do the like is lawful in other wars.
But it must be well observed that no treaty was here violated, no oath or promise
broken, no untruth told: to do any thing of this kind cannot be allowable or
excusable in any war or case whatsoever. ay, nothing was here concealed by the
Israelites but their own counsels, which surely their enemies had no right to be
intrusted with; nothing was dissembled and nothing counterfeited but a retreat,
which was no necessary indication at all of their inability to maintain their attack,
or of a design not to renew it. Common prudence, had they been governed by it,
would have directed the men of Ai to have been upon their guard, and either to have
kept within their own walls, or at least not to have ventured forward rashly in
pursuit of an army which they saw to be very superior to them in number.
TRAPP, "Joshua 8:2 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.
Ver. 2. Lay thee an ambush behind it.] Dolus an virtus, quis in hoste requirat? If the
war be just, the use of stratagems is unquestionably warrantable. Of Decebalus,
king of Dacians, in Domitian’s time, a valiant and wise warrior, it is thus storied,
overat optime insidias faeere, proelium committere, optime uti victoria, et
acceptam cladem ferre moderate; He well knew how to lay an ambush, pitch a field,
use a victory, take a defeat. (a)
COKE, "Ver. 2. Lay thee an ambush for the city, behind it— That is, to the west;
for the camp of Gilgal was to the east of Ai. It is asked here, by some, "How happens
it that God, who, by his infinite power, could so easily destroy Ai and its inhabitants,
should make use of artifice and stratagem to procure victory to the Hebrews? The
pagans themselves (they add) judged such arts unworthy of men of courage; (see for
examples, Grotius de Jure B. & P. l. iii. c. 1. sect. 20.) and they seem beneath the
greatness of the Almighty." But how weak is this manner of talking? Is God always
obliged to work miracles, because he is able? And why does it seem more improper
for him to have ordered an ambuscade to encompass the men of Ai, than to have set
apart seven days for overturning the walls of Jericho, with so many ceremonies? He
could, without striking a blow, have suddenly mowed down all the Canaanites, and
opened to his people an entrance into Palestine, without their meeting the least
opposition: but, had he chosen this method, he would neither have displayed his
power by that vast number of miracles which he wrought, nor made the Israelites
pass through trials that were expedient to their holiness and happiness.
PETT, "Joshua 8:2 a

‘And you will do to Ai and her king what you did to Jericho and her king. Only its
spoil and its cattle you shall take for a prey for yourselves.’
The assurance was that it would be total victory. And the added assurance was that
they could now begin to accumulate wealth from the land. YHWH had received His
portion at Jericho, a token of what they owed to Him as their overlord. ow they
could retain spoils for themselves. Compare on this verse Deuteronomy 2:35;
Deuteronomy 3:6 on.
Joshua 8:2-4
‘ “Set up an ambush for the city, behind it.” So Joshua arose, and all the people of
war, to go up to Ai, and Joshua chose out thirty eleph men, the mighty men of
valour, and sent them out, and he commanded them, “Look, you shall lie in ambush
against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but be ready, all of
you.” ’
YHWH directed tactics. YHWH told him that they were to hide soldiers behind the
city, probably making their way there by night. These were to lie in hiding, not far
from the ‘city’, until after the frontal assault of the ‘city’. Then we are told that
Joshua commanded exactly what YHWH had commanded. The way of obedience
had also been restored.
“Thirty eleph men.” Ten times more than three eleph sent before. Complacency had
been replaced by common sense. This thirty military units was possibly about fifteen
hundred men sent to lie in ambush.
These were to go up prior to the main advance (note that ‘arose --- to go up’ rather
than ‘arose and went up’ signifies preparation preparatory to movement). This
would take some time. It was an upward climb of over twenty four kilometres
(fifteen miles).
Later he would set a further ambush of ‘about five eleph men’ to the west of the city
(Joshua 8:12). This may have been in order to strengthen the previous force, or in
order to give a further prong to the attack. It may have been in case something had
prevented the first contingent from taking up its position (no signal may have been
spotted). This time he was taking no chances. He was no longer overconfident in
their own prowess. And possibly at that stage he had become aware of Bethel
looming in the distance.
Some read the text as signifying that the thirty eleph were Israel’s total force of
which five eleph were put in ambush, but this does readily appear from the text, nor
does it tie in with the fact that they had forty eleph Transjordanian troops (Joshua
4:13). We may roughly measure this as indicating that Israel had about fifteen
thousand troops, of which fifteen hundred were in the first ambush, and five
hundred in the second. (It is to some extent guesswork as we do not really know
what an eleph would represent at this time).

3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to
attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best
fighting men and sent them out at night
BAR ES, "Thirty thousand men - comparing Jos_8:3 and Jos_8:12 (“five
thousand men”), there is probably a mistake in the numbers of this verse, where an early
copyist may have written the sign for 30,000 instead of that for 5,000.
Sent them away by night - The selected 5,000 would accordingly post themselves
in the main ravine between Ai and Bethel in the night and early morning. The
neighhorhood in which Ai was situated is described as “a wild entanglement of hill and
valley;” and amidst its recesses the detachment could easily shelter itself from
observation until Joshua’s other measures were taken.
GILL, "So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai,.... As
the Lord had commanded him:
and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour; out of all the men
of war; these were a select company, picked men, not the whole army, as some have
thought, for he was ordered to take all the people of war, as he did:
and sent them away by night; from the main army, that they might pass the city and
get behind it undiscovered, for they were sent for an ambush; and of these some were to
take the city, and be left in it to burn it, and some to smite the men of Ai, as Abarbinel
notes.
HE RY,"We have here an account of the taking of Ai by stratagem. The stratagem
here used, we are sure, was lawful and good; God himself appointed it, and we have no
reason to think but that the like is lawful and good in other wars. Here was no league
broken, no treaty of peace, that the advantage was gained; no, these are sacred things,
and not to be jested with, nor used to serve a turn; truth, when once it is plighted,

becomes a debt even to the enemy. But in this stratagem here was no untruth told;
nothing was concealed but their own counsels, which no enemy ever pretended a right to
be entrusted with; nothing was dissembled, nothing counterfeited but a retreat, which
was no natural or necessary indication at all of their inability to maintain their onset, or
of any design not to renew it. The enemy ought to have been upon their guard, and to
have kept within the defence of their own walls. Common prudence, had they been
governed by it, would have directed them not to venture on the pursuit of an army which
they saw was so far superior to them in numbers, and leave their city unguarded; but (si
populus vult decipi, decipiatur - if the people will be deceived, let them) if the
Canaanites will be so easily imposed upon, and in pursuit of God's Israel will break
through all the laws of policy and good management, the Israelites are not at all to be
blamed for taking advantage of their fury and thoughtlessness; nor is it any way
inconsistent with the character God is pleased to give of them, that they are children that
will not lie. Now in the account here given of this matter,
I. There is some difficulty in adjusting the numbers that were employed to effect it.
Mention is made (Jos_8:3) of 30,000 that were chosen and sent away by night, to
whom the charge was given to surprise the city as soon as ever they perceived it was
evacuated, Jos_8:4, Jos_8:7, Jos_8:8. And yet afterwards (Jos_8:12) it is said, Joshua
took 5000 men and set them to lie in ambush behind the city, and that ambush entered
the city, and set it on fire, Jos_8:19. Now, 1. Some think there were two parties sent out
to lie in ambush, 30,000 first, and afterwards 5000 to guard the roads, and to intercept
those that were first sent out; and that Joshua made his open attack upon the city with
all the thousands of Israel. So the learned bishop Patrick, insisting upon God's command
(Jos_8:1) to take all the people of war with him. But, 2. Others think that all the people
were taken only to encamp before the city, and that out of them Joshua chose out
30,000 men to be employed in the action, out of which he sent out 5000 to lie in
ambush, which were as many as could be supposed to march incognito - without being
discovered (more would have been seen, and thus the design would have been broken)
and that then with the other 25,000 he made the open attack, as Masius thinks, or with
the 30,000, which, as Calvin thinks, he kept entire for that purpose, having, besides
them, sent out 5000 for an ambuscade. And those 5000 (they think) must be meant by
those (Jos_8:3) whom he sent away by night, with orders to lie in wait behind the city,
though the particular number is not specified till Jos_8:12. If we admit such a seeming
disturbance in the order of the narrative (of which, perhaps, similar instances might be
cited from the other scripture histories), it seems most probable that there was but one
ambushment, which consisted only of 5000, enough for such a purpose.
JAMISO , "So Joshua ... chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour
— Joshua dispatched thirty thousand men under cover of night, to station themselves at
the place appointed for the ambuscade. Out of this number a detachment of five
thousand was sent forward to conceal themselves in the immediate precincts of the
town, in order to seize the first opportunity of throwing themselves into it [Jos_8:12].
K&D 3-9, "Jos_8:3-9
Accordingly Joshua set out with all the people of war against Ai, and selected 30,000
brave men, and sent them out in the night, with instructions to station themselves as an
ambuscade behind the town, and at no great distance from it. As the distance from
Gilgal to Ai was about fifteen miles, and the road runs pretty straight in a north-westerly
direction from Jericho through the Wady Faran, the detachment sent forward might

easily accomplish the distance in a night, so as to arrive on the western side of Ai before
the break of day. They were then to hold themselves in readiness to fight. He (Joshua)
himself would approach the town with the people of war that remained with him; and if
the inhabitants of Ai should come out against him as they did before, they would flee
before them till they had drawn them quite away from their town (Jos_8:5). This was to
be expected; “for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: and we will flee
before them” (Jos_8:6). When this was done, the warriors were to come forth from their
ambush, fall upon the town, and set it on fire (Jos_8:7, Jos_8:8). Having been sent away
with these instructions, the 30,000 men went into ambush, and posted themselves
“between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai” (Jos_8:9), i.e., according to Strauss, in
the Wady es Suweinit, to the north-west of Ai, where it forms almost a perpendicular
wall, near to which the ruins of Chai are to be found, though “not near enough to the
rocky wady for it to be possible to look down its almost perpendicular wall” (Ritter,
Erdk. xvi. p. 528). Joshua remained for the night in the midst of the people, i.e., in the
camp of that portion of the army that had gone with him towards Ai; not in Gilgal, as
Knobel supposes.
COFFMAN, "Verse 3
"So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai: and Joshua chose out 30,000
men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them forth by night. And he commanded them,
saying, Behold, ye shall lie in ambush, against the city; go not very far from the city, but
be ye all ready: 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; and they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city;
for they will say, They flee before us as at the first: so we will flee before them; and ye
shall rise up from ambush, and take possession of the city: for Jehovah your God will
deliver it into your hand. And it shall be, that when ye have seized upon the city, that ye
shall set the city on fire; according to the word of Jehovah shall ye do: see, I have
commanded you. And Joshua sent them forth; and they went to the ambushment, and
abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among
the people."
Due to Ai's location only two or three miles from Bethel, the commentators "have a fit"
about the IMPOSSIBILITY of hiding 30,000 men in an ambush between the towns.
Well, it is hard to imagine, but we do not know anything at all of the terrain, in fact not
even for sure WHERE these places were located. We admire the zeal by which scholars
have tried to get the Lord out of a difficulty like this, and perhaps the most plausible job
was done by Clarke, who found that, "The Hebrew word [~'eleph] means `chief' or
`mighty man of valor,' and which is here rendered thousands."[11] If this should be
allowed, then it would reduce the size of the ambush from 30,000 men to 30 men, who if
they were the equivalent of squad commanders, would also be accompanied by one
hundred or so others. The text itself favors this kind of an understanding, due to the fact
of Joshua's having "chosen out" these particular men, which seems unlikely enough with
regard to 30,000. If one needs help with this problem, we recommend this view as being
as good as any.
Pink's understanding of why so many Israelites were engaged in such various ways in the
reduction of Ai stressed the lesson that these events carry for Christians. "God's
predestination of an event does not render needless our use of means to bring it

about."[12] This principle has reinforcement in the N.T. in the event where Paul had
already been assured by the Lord that no lives were to be lost in the forthcoming
shipwreck, but when Paul noted the sailors about to abandon ship, he firmly stated that
without them many lives would be lost (Acts 27:22-31). Pink also pointed out that
Joshua's knowledge of the devices of the enemy were turned to good account in this
second effort to take Ai. Joshua knew that the men of Ai would come out and chase
them, as they did at first, and that proved to be the key to the winning strategy.
Concerning the Christian's war against Satan, "We are not ignorant of his devices" (2
Corinthians 2:11). Just as Joshua here turned the sure knowledge of what the king of Ai
would do into a victory for Israel, Christians should be forewarned and ready to frustrate
all of the devices of the Devil.
"Joshua lodged that night among the people ..." The critical scholars seize any pretext as
an excuse for "emending," changing, the Word of God. Sizoo thought Joshua 8:9
contradicts Joshua 8:13 and proposed "emending the text (adding one letter) to make it
harmonize with Joshua 8:13."[13] Blair stated that, "Such emendations are not
necessary, and they serve only to support the contention that here we have TWO parallel
accounts of the same incident.[14] Boling also refused suggestions that the text needs
emending, writing:
"That night means the night previously mentioned in Joshua 8:3. This is the first of two
nights. During this first night, the men who were in the ambush were sent on ahead so as
to be already in a concealed position when the main force arrived the next day. There is
NO contradiction between Joshua 8:9 and Joshua 8:13; they refer to TWO successive
nights. The first night, Joshua spent with the main force; the next night, he was in the
valley."[15]
ELLICOTT, "(3) And Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men.—Some difficulty
arises from the fact that thirty thousand men are mentioned as having been sent away
with general instructions to form an ambush in the first instance, while five thousand
were ultimately posted between Bethel and Ai. Were there two distinct bodies in
ambush, or only one? It does not seem possible to answer this question with absolute
certainty; but we ought to notice in the first place what the aim of Joshua was. He meant
to isolate the town of Ai, taking it in front and flank; but there was another town
immediately in the rear, less than two miles off. It was necessary, therefore, to employ a
sufficient body of men to close the communications between Bethel and Ai from the first.
COKE, "Verses 3-9
Ver. 3-9. So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, &c.— Joshua first detached from his
army thirty thousand men, and charged them to go in the night-time and lie in ambush
on the west side of Ai, at a convenient distance; while, on his part, by break of day, he
advanced with all his troops, and appeared before the town, in order to draw out from
thence the garrison, which, doubtless, had no idea that the whole army followed. He
then informed the officers who commanded the detachment, that, in this case, he would
flee, in order to mislead the king of Ai; that then they were to quit their ambush on the
signal which he should give them, (ver. 18.) enter Ai, set fire to some houses, to inform
him of their success; and in all things punctually obey these instructions as orders
delivered from God.

BI 3-29, "So Joshua arose, and all the people of war.
All the people at work for Jesus
I. Consider the advice of the spies which led to such a shameful defeat (Jos_7:3).
1. Here we shall have to deal with the error of supposing that a part only of the
Church will be sufficient to perform the work of the whole.
2. In Joshua’s day this error sprang up among the Israelites because, on account of
their sins, God was displeased with them. When God is in the midst of a Church He
guides its counsels and directs the hearts of men to go about His work in the wisest
manner. Even upon the Lord’s own people a measure of judicial blindness may come.
You may depend upon it that when it becomes a doctrine that only special classes of
men are to be expected to work in the Church there is some great wrong in the
background.
3. Furthermore, this evil policy arose out of presumption engendered by success.
The full sail needs much ballast, lest the boat be overset. We must be more sensible
of weakness, more mindful that the conversion of souls is the work of Omnipotence,
or we shall see but little done. We must ourselves believe more fully in the need of
earnest work for God, and put forth all our strength, and strain every sinew for Him,
knowing that it is His power that worketh in us mightily when we strive with all our
hearts.
4. Let us not forget that these children of Israel were forgetting their commission
and violating the command of God. As they all expected to have a dwelling-place in
Canaan, so they were all expected to conquer the territory by their own exertions.
They were all an enlisted host for God, and He never ordained that a part only should
go forth in His great controversy with the condemned Canaanites. If we ever neglect
to render universal service as a Church in the cause of Christ we shall depart from
our trust and call, for the Lord has sent all His disciples to testify of Him and
contend against sin.
5. These Israelites, in the new fashion which they were trying to set up, were
departing from their own model. That model was, doubtless, the siege of Jericho. In
that siege there was much dependence upon God, but there was no neglect of
instrumentality; and, though all they did was to go round the city and shout, yet in so
doing they were literally fulfilling orders, and doing all that was commanded. What,
then, is our model as a Church? Is it not Pentecost? In that day did they not break
bread from house to house, all of them? Did they not sell their lands and lay the price
of them at the apostles’ feet? Was there not a burning enthusiasm throughout the
entire company of disciples? I suppose there is not one person present who heard
that famous sermon by Matthew Wilks upon the universal service rendered by
idolaters to their false gods, from the text, “The children gathered wood, and the
fathers kindled the fire, and the women kneaded their dough to make cakes to the
queen of heaven.” The preacher’s argument on that occasion was that which I would
now press upon you, that all should take part in the work of the Lord. Distinct offices
but united aims; diverse operations but the same spirit; many and yet one—so let it
be.
6. Again, this error which we are carefully to avoid was no doubt the dictate of carnal

wisdom. Spies were norm” of much use to Israel—two only of the first twelve were
faithful—what did Israel want with spies? Better far had it been to walk by faith. To
Ai they must needs send spies instead of going up at once in the confidence of faith:
evil came of it, for these spies counselled that only part of the people need labour up
the hill. And the best ministers of Christ, worthy of all honour, would be the cause of
great mischief if once their carnal wisdom should make them think that they can
supersede primitive plans with wiser inventions.
7. These children of Israel, in sending to the war only part of the men were breaking
in upon the Divine design. The Lord never intended to have two peoples, but one;
and so we read that the Beubenites and the Gadites came over Jordan to the war,
although their portion was already conquered. It was the Divine intent that they
should be one army of the living God, each separate son of the seed of Abraham
belonging Go that army and fighting in it; He meant that not some only, but all
should see the mighty works of His hand, working with them to overthrow their
adversaries. I am sure it is so with the Church of God to-day. Our Lord means to
keep all His chosen ones as one army, and to instruct them a]l as one band. And
when are we most manifestly one? When we get to work.
II. The command that all israel should go forth to the fight: “Take all the men of war
with thee.” We must have all our Church members go to the war. We want to turn out
the drones, and we need an increase of true working bees. How is it to be done?
1. We must be ourselves deeply impressed with the evil brought upon idle Christians
by their idleness, and the evil which they bring upon the rest of the Church.
Indolence is temptation. Certain of our Churches are suffering from unsound
teaching, but they are suffering as much from want of work. The moss is growing
upon them, the rust is eating them up; the gold becomes dim, the silver is losing its
brightness, and all for want of use.
2. We need to be impressed with the mischief which idlers cause to others. One
sickly sheep infects the flock; one member who does nothing lowers the tone of the
whole body. The indolence of prominent professors is not merely the waste of their
own labour, but of that of scores of others. Every man in an army who is not efficient
and really serviceable is on the enemy’s side.
3. Moreover, we must hunt out the sin which leads to the evil against which we
contend, and I believe it is want of vital godliness in many cases. It is often the sin
which grows out of too much ease, self-indulgence, and luxurious living. It seems as
if the more God gives a man the less return he is inclined to offer. Whatever the
secret sin of the Church may be, let us try to discover it, and then by the aid of the
Holy Spirit endeavour to educate all our members to work for the Lord.
4. There must be a continual insisting upon the personal obligations of Christians.
“What art thou doing for Christ?” is a question to be asked of all. No one must
appear before the Lord empty, but either by active or passive service must prove his
gratitude to God. And then, while each is responsible, neglect by one is injurious to
the common service of the whole. I saw a cart standing this morning on the roadside
with one wheel chained; there was no fear of its moving with that one wheel fast.
Sometimes one chained wheel in a Church will hinder all.
5. Dwell upon the importance of the enterprise in which we are engaged; and so act
as to make others feel its importance. We must make men feel that to save a soul is
better than to possess all knowledge, or even to gain the whole world! While others

are making a new gospel let us labour to save souls by the old one.
6. Above all, let us pray for more grace. Napoleon used to say, “Conquest has made
me what I am, and conquest must maintain me”; and it is so with Christians. You
must advance; you must outdo the exploits of the past, and eclipse the deeds of your
sires, or you will show yourselves unworthy of them. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
United effort needed
In the days of chivalry a certain band of knights had never known defeat. In all battles
their name was terrible to the foe. On their banners was emblazoned a long list of
victories; but in an evil hour the leaders of the knights summoned them in chapter, and
he said: “My brethren, we cause ourselves too much toil. Let the champions go alone.
Yonder knight with his sword can cleave a man in twain at a single stroke, and his
comrade can break a bar of iron with his axe; others among us are equally powerful, each
one being a host in himself. With the terror of our name behind them, the chosen
champions can carry on the war while the rest divide the spoil.” The saying pleased the
warriors well, but from that hour the knell of their fame was rung, and defeat defiled
their standard. When they came together they complained of the champions because
they had not sustained the honour of the order, and they bade them exert themselves
more heroically. They did so, but with small success. Louder and louder were the notes
of discontent and the demands for new champions. Then one of the oldest of the knights
said: “Brethren, why do you blame us? The mistake lies here. In the old time, when the
enemy assailed us, a thousand men were up in arms, and we who led the van knew that a
gallant army followed at our heels. But now you have made us solitary champions, and
the adversary takes heart to defy us, finding us unsustained. Come you all with us to the
fray as aforetime, and none shall stand against us.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Work for God among the heathen
Let us each question his own heart as to the claims of the heathen: for my own part, I
dare not sleep till I have honestly considered whether I ought to go or not. We tell our
young men in the college that they must prove that they have not to go, or else their duty
is clear. If some of the men of Israel had said to Joshua, “We cannot go to At,” Joshua
would have replied, “You must prove that you cannot go or you may not be excused.” All
other things being equal, ministers should take it for granted that it is their duty to
invade new territory unless they can prove to the contrary. France is wanting the gospel.
See what one beloved brother in Paris has been able to do—are there none who can do
the like for other cities in that neigh bout-country? Here and there a good man can say,
“I have made a competency”—why not live and employ it where you can lay it out
personally for the spread of the Redeemer’s kingdom? Such a thing is being done by a
few, it is not therefore impossible, and you who follow the grand example shall have your
reward. See what Pastor Harms did in the village of Hermansburg, how he stirred up all
the people until they gave themselves and their property to the Lord, and built a ship for
the mission and went forth in it to Africa, company after company, to evangelise. Should
it not be the ambition of a minister to feel that if he stays at home he will at least, by the
Holy Spirit’s help, produce missionaries by scores in the village where he labours? (C. H.
Spurgeon.)

Ye shall lie in wait against the city.
Joshua’s address to the soldiers of the expedition
I. Joshua’s obedience.
II. Joshua’s prudence.
III. Joshua’s courage.
IV. Joshua’s faith.
V. Joshua’s authority.
1. The authority of all God-given words.
2. The authority of obedience. (F. G. Marchant.)
The victorious retreat
I. There is such a thing as victorious retreat. There are times in your life when the best
thing you can do is to run. You were once the victim of strong drink. The glass and the
decanter were your fierce foes. Your only safety is to get away from them. Your
dissipating companions will come around you for your overthrow. Run for your life!
Your retreat is your victory. Here is a converted infidel. He is so strong now in his faith
in the gospel, he says he can read anything. What are you reading? Bolingbroke?
Theodore Parker? Drop them and run. You will be an infidel before you die unless you
quit that. Fly before they cut you with their swords and transfix you with their javelins.
There are people who have been well-nigh ruined because they risked a foolhardy
expedition in the presence of mighty and overwhelming temptations, and the men of Ai
made a morning meal of them. So also there is such a thing as victorious defeat for the
Church. Thousands of times the kingdom of Christ has seemed to fall back. When the
Vaudois of France chose extermination rather than make an unchristian surrender,
when on St. Bartholomew’s day mounted assassins rode through the streets of Paris,
crying, “Kill! Blood-letting is good in August! Kill! Death to the Huguenots! Kill!” When
John Bunyan lay rotting in Bedford Jail, saying, “If God will help me, and my physical
life continues, I will stay here until the moss grows on my eyebrows rather than give up
my faith,” the days of retreat for the Church were days of victory. But there is a more
marked illustration of victorious retreat in the life of our Joshua, the Jesus of the ages.
First falling back from an appalling height to an appalling depth, falling from celestial
hills to terrestrial valleys, from throne to manger; yet that did not seem to suffice Him as
a retreat. Falling back still further from Bethlehem to Nazareth, from Nazareth to
Jerusalem, back from Jerusalem to Golgotha, back from Golgotha to the mausoleum in
the rock, back down over the precipices of perdition, until He walked amid the caverns
of the eternal captives and drank of the wine of the wrath of almighty God amid the
Ahabs and the Jezebels and the Belshazzars. Oh, men of the pulpit and men of the pew,
Christ’s descent from heaven to earth does not measure half the distance! It was from
glory to perdition. He descended into hell. All the records of earthly retreat are as
nothing compared with this falling back. Santa Anna with the fragments of his army
flying over the plateau of Mexico, and Napoleon and his army retreating from Moscow
into the awful snows of Russia, are not worthy to be mentioned with this retreat when all
the powers of darkness seem to be pursuing Christ as He fell back, until the body of Him
who came to do such wonderful things lay pulseless and stripped. But let not the powers

of darkness rejoice quite so soon. Do you hear that disturbance in the tomb of
Arimathea? I hear the sheet rending! What means that stone hurled down the side of the
hill? Who is this coming out? Push Him back! The dead must not stalk in this open
daylight. Oh, it is our Joshua! Let Him come out. He comes forth and starts for the city.
He takes the spear of the Roman guard and points that way. Church militant marches up
on one side and the Church triumphant marches down on the other side. And the
powers of darkness being caught between these ranks of celestial and terrestrial valour,
nothing is left of them save just enough to illustrate the direful overthrow of hell and our
Joshua’s eternal victory.
II. The triumph of the wicked is short. Did you ever see an army in a panic? There is
nothing so uncontrollable. If you had stood at Long Bridge, Washington, during the
opening of our unfortunate war, you would know what it is to see an army run. And
when those men of Ai looked out and saw those men of Joshua in a stampede, they
expected easy work. They would scatter them as the equinox the leaves. Oh, the gleeful
and jubilant descent of the men of Ai upon the men of Joshua! But their exhilaration was
brief, for the tide of battle turned, and these quondam conquerors left their miserable
bodies in the wilderness of Bethaven. So it always is. The triumph of the wicked is short.
Call over the roll of bad men who prospered, and see how short was their prosperity.
III. How much may be accomplished by lying in ambush for opportunities. Are you
hypercritical of Joshua’s manoeuvre? Do you say that it was cheating for him to take that
city by ambuscade? Was it wrong for Washington to kindle camp-fires on New Jersey
Heights, giving the impression to the opposing force that a great army was encamped
there when there was none at all? I answer, if the war was right then Joshua was right in
his stratagem. He violated no flag of truce. He broke no treaty, but by a lawful
ambuscade captured the city of Ai. Oh, that we all knew how to lie in ambush for
opportunities to serve God! The best opportunities do not lie on the surface, but are
secreted; by fact, by stratagem, by Christian ambuscade, you may take almost any castle
of sin for Christ. Come up towards men with a regular besiegement of argument, and you
will be defeated; but just wait until the door of their hearts is set ajar, or they are off
their guard, or their severe caution is away from home, and then drop in on them from a
Christian ambuscade. There has been many a man up to his chin in scientific portfolios
which proved there was no Christ and no Divine revelation, his pen a scimetar flung into
the heart of the theological opponents, who, nevertheless, has been discomfited and
captured for God by some little three-year-old child who has got up and put her snowy
arms around his sinewy neck and said, “Papa, why don’t you love Jesus?” Oh, make a
flank movement; steal a march on the devil; cheat that man into heaven! Do not rub a
man’s disposition the wrong way. Do not take the imperative mood when the subjunctive
mood will do just as well. You can take any man for Christ if you know how to get at him.
Do not send word to him that to-morrow at ten o’clock you propose to open your
batteries upon him, but come on him by a skilful, persevering, God-directed ambuscade.
IV. The importance of taking good aim. There must be some signal—a signal to stop the
one division and to start the other. Joshua, with a spear on which were ordinarily hung
the colours of battle, points towards the city. He stands in such a conspicuous position,
and there is so much of the morning light dripping from that spear-tip, that all around
the horizon they see it. It was as much as to say: “There is the city. Take it. Take it now.
Roll down from the west side. Surge up from the north side. It is ours, the city of Ai.”
God knows and we know that a great deal of Christian attack amounts to nothing simply
because we do not take good aim. Nobody knows, and we do not know ourselves, which
point we want to take, when we ought to make up our minds what God will have us to
do, and point our spear in that direction, and then hurl our body, mind, soul, time,

Joshua 8 commentary

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Joshua 8 commentary