1Ug si Jehova miingon kang Josue: Ayaw kahadlok, dili ka magmaluya: dad-a ang tanan mo nga katawohan nga iggugubat, ug tumindog ka ug umadto sa Ai: tan-awa, gihatag ko sa imong kamot ang hari sa Ai, ug ang iyang katawohan, ug ang iyang ciudad, ug ang iyang yuta; 2Ug pagabuhaton mo sa Ai ug sa iyang hari ingon sa gibuhat mo sa Jerico ug sa iyang hari: mao lamang nga ang mga butang nga inyong maagaw ug ang panon sa mga vaca, inyong pagakuhaon alang kaninyo: Magbutang ka ug banhiganan sa luyo sa ciudad. 3Busa si Josue mibangon, ug ingon man ang tibook katawohan nga iggugubat, aron sa pag-adto sa Ai: ug si Josue nagpili ug katloan ka libo ka mga tawo, ang mga tawong maisug, ug iyang gipalakaw sila sa gabii. 4Ug iyang gisugo sila nga nagaingon: Ania karon, kamo magapasalipod sa banhiganan batok sa ciudad, sa luyo sa ciudad; ayaw pagpahalayo sa ciudad, kondili manag-andam kamo ngatanan; 5Ug ako, ug ang tibook katawohan nga ania uban kanako, moduol ngadto sa ciudad. Ug mahitabo, sa diha nga mogula sila sa pag-asdang kanato, ingon sa una, nga mangalagiw kita gikan sa ilang atubangan; 6Ug sila mogukod kanato, hangtud nga madala nato sila gikan sa ciudad; kay moingon unya sila: Nangalagiw sila gikan sa atong atubangan, sama sa una: busa mangalagiw kita gikan sa atubangan nila; 7Ug manindog kamo gikan sa inyong banhiganan, ug agawon ninyo ang ciudad: kay si Jehova nga inyong Dios, magahatag niana sa inyong kamot. 8Ug mamao kini, sa diha nga maagaw na ninyo ang ciudad, inyo kanang sunogon; pagabuhaton ninyo sumala sa pulong ni Jehova: matngoni, ako nagsugo kaninyo. 9Ug si Josue nagapaadto kanila; ug sila nangadto sa banhiganan, ug nanghunong sila sa taliwala sa Beth-el ug Ai, dapit sa kasadpan sa Ai: apan niadtong gabhiona, si Josue mipahulay ipon sa katawohan. 10Ug si Josue mibangon sayo sa buntag, ug gitapok ang katawohan ug mitungas, siya ug ang tanang mga anciano sa Israel, nga nanag-una sa katawohan padulong sa Ai. 11Ug ang tibook nga katawohan, bisan ang mga tawo nga iggugubat nga uban kaniya, nangadto ug miduol sa ciudad, ug nanghunong dapit sa Amihanan sa Ai: ug didto may usa ka walog sa taliwala niya ug sa Ai. 12Ug midala siya ug duolan sa lima ka libo ka tawo ug iyang gipabanhig sa taliwala sa Bethel ug sa Ai, dapit sa kasadpan sa ciudad. 13Busa ilang gipahaluna ang katawohan, bisan ang tibook nga pundok nga didto dapit sa amihanan sa ciudad, ug kadtong nanagbanhig dapit sa kasadpan sa ciudad; ug si Josue miadto niadtong gabhiona sa kinataliwad-an sa walog. 14Ug nahitabo, sa pagkakita sa hari sa Ai niini, nagdali-dali sila ug mibangon sa pagsayo, ug ang mga tawo sa ciudad miadto sa pagpakig-away batok sa Israel, siya ug ang tibook niyang katawohan, sa takna nga gikasabutan, sa atbang sa Arabah; apan wala mahibalo siya nga may nanagbanhig batok kaniya sa luyo sa ciudad. 15Ug si Josue ug ang tibook Israel naghimo ingon sa nadaug sila sa ilang atubangan ug nangalagiw nga miagi sa kamingawan. 16Ug ang tibook katawohan nga diha sa ciudad gipanawag aron sa paggukod kanila: ug ilang gigukod si Josue ug silang tanan nahilayo gikan sa ciudad. 17Ug walay bisan usa ka tawo nga nahabilin sa Ai kun sa Bethel, nga wala mogukod sa Israel: ang ciudad ilang gibiyaan nga binuksan ug minggukod sila sa Israel. 18Ug si Jehova miingon kang Josue: Ilabog ang bangkaw nga anaa sa imong kamot patunong sa Ai; kay ihatag ko kana sa imong kamot. Ug gilabog ni Josue ang bangkaw nga diha sa iyang kamot patunong sa ciudad. 19Ug ang nanagbanhig mingdali sa pagbangon gikan sa ilang dapit, ug nanalagan diha-diha sa paglabog niya sa iyang kamot, ug mingsulod sa ciudad ug ilang giagaw kini; ug sila mingdali-dali ug gisunog nila ang ciudad. 20Ug sa diha nga ang mga tawo sa Ai nanglingi sa ilang luyo nakita nila, ug, ania karon, ang aso sa ciudad nagautbo ngadto sa langit ug nawad-an sila sa gahum sa pagkalagiw paingon nganhi kun paingon ngadto: ug ang mga tawo nga nangalagiw ngadto sa kamingawan namalik sa paglutos sa mga nanaggukod. 21Ug unya sa pagkakita ni Josue ug sa tibook Israel nga ang mga nagbanhig nakaagaw na sa ciudad, ug nga ang aso sa ciudad nag-utbo na, sila namalik pag-usab ug gipatay nila ang mga tawo sa Ai. 22Ug ang uban nanggula sa ciudad batok kanila; busa sila nahataliwala sa Israel; ang uban dinhing dapita ug ang uban didtong dapita; ug ilang gipanagpatay sila ug busa kanila walay nahabilin kun nahakalagiw. 23Ug ang hari sa Ai ilang gidala nga buhi ug gidala siya ngadto kang Josue. 24Ug nahitabo, sa diha nga ang Israel miundang na sa pagpatay sa tanang pumoluyo sa Ai didto sa campo, sa kamingawan diin sila gipanglutos nila, ug silang tanan nangapukan sa sulab sa pinuti hangtud nga sila nangahurot, nga ang tibook Israel namalik ngadto sa Ai ug gipatay usab nila pinaagi sa sulab sa pinuti. 25Ug ang tanan nga nangama ay niadtong adlawa, mga lalake ug mga babaye, may napulo ug duha ka libo, bisan ang tanang mga tawo sa Ai. 26Kay wala kuhaa ni Josue ang iyang kamot, nga iyang gilabog sa bangkaw hangtud nga nahurot pagkalaglag ang tanang pumoluyo sa Ai. 27Ang mga panon lamang sa vaca ug ang mga inagaw niadtong ciudara mao ang gipangdala sa mga Israelhanon alang sa ilang kaugalingon, sumala sa pulong ni Jehova nga iyang gisugo kang Josue. 28Busa gisunog ni Josue ang Ai, ug gihimong usa ka tinapok nga walay katapusan, bisan usa ka binayaan hangtud niining mga adlawa. 29Ug iyang gibitay ang hari sa Ai sa ibabaw sa usa ka kahoy hangtud sa kahaponon: ug sa pagkasalop sa adlaw si Josue nagsugo ug gikuha nila ang iyang lawas gikan sa kahoy, ug gibutang sa alagianan sa ganghaan sa ciudad, ug nagpatindog didto ug usa ka dakung pot-ong sa mga bato hangtud niining mga adlawa. 30Unya nagtukod si Josue ug usa ka halaran didto sa bukid sa Ebal alang kang Jehova, ang Dios sa Israel. 31Ingon sa gisugo ni Moises nga alagad ni Jehova, sa mga anak sa Israel, sumala sa nahasulat sa basahon sa balaod ni Moises, usa ka halaran sa mga bato nga dili hininloan, nga sa ibabaw niana wala pay tawo nga nakasakwat sa puthaw: ug sa ibabaw niadto naghalad sila ug mga halad-nga-sinunog alang kang Jehova, ug hinalad nga mga halad-sa-pakigdait. 32Ug sa ibabaw sa mga bato nagsulat siya ug usa ka hulad sa Kasugoan ni Moises nga iyang gisulat, sa atubangan sa mga anak sa Israel. 33Ug ang tibook nga Israel, ingon man ang ilang mga anciano ug mga punoan; ug ang ilang mga maghuhukom, nanagtindog niining daplina ug niadtong daplina sa arca unahan sa mga sacerdote, ang mga Levihanon nga nanagyayong sa arca sa tugon ni Jehova, ang dumuloong ingon man ang mga molupyo; ang katunga kanila sa atbang sa bukid sa Geresim, ug ang katunga kanila sa atbang sa bukid sa Ebal; sumala sa gisugo ni Moises, ang alagad ni Jehova, kaniadto sa sinugdan, nga ilang panalanginan ang katawohan sa Israel. 34Ug unya iyang gibasa ang tanang mga pulong sa Kasugoan ang panalangin ug ang tunglo, sumala sa tanang nga nahisulat sa basahon sa Kasugoan. 35Walay usa ka pulong nga gisugo ni Moises, nga wala basaha ni Josue sa atubangan sa tibook katilingban sa Israel, ug sa mga babaye, ug sa mga gagmay nga mga kabataan ug sa mga dumuloong nga diha kanila.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 GOD ENCOURAGES JOSHUA. (Jos. 8:1-28)
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
Josh 1:6;
Deut 31:6-
Deut 31:8) 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 (
Josh 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 (
Deut 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.
3 So Joshua . . . chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour--Joshua despatched 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 [
Josh 8:12].
4 behind the city--is rendered (
Josh 8:9), "on the west side of Ai."
9 between Beth-el and Ai--Beth-el, though lying quite near in the direction of west by north, cannot be seen from Tell-el-hajar; two rocky heights rise between both places, in the wady El-Murogede, just as the laying of an ambush to the west of Ai would require [VAN DE VELDE; ROBINSON].
10 Joshua . . . numbered the people--that is, the detachment of liers-in-wait; he did this, to be furnished with clear evidence afterwards, that the work had been done without any loss of men, whereby the people's confidence in God would be strengthened and encouragement given them to prosecute the war of invasion with vigor.
he and the elders of Israel--the chief magistrates and rulers, whose presence and official authority were necessary to ensure that the cattle and spoil of the city might be equally divided between the combatants and the rest of the people (
Num 31:27) --a military rule in Israel, that would have been very liable to be infringed, if an excited soldiery, eager for booty, had been left to their own will.
11 there was a valley between them and Ai--literally, "the valley."
13 Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley--The deep and steep-sided glen to the north of Tell-el-hajar, into which one looks down from the tell, fully agrees with this account [VAN DE VELDE]. Joshua himself took up his position on the north side of "the ravine"--the deep chasm of the wady El-Murogede; "that night"--means, while it was dark, probably after midnight, or very early in the morning (
John 20:1). The king of Ai, in the early dawn, rouses his slumbering subjects and makes a hasty sally with all his people who were capable of bearing arms, once more to surprise and annihilate them.
14 at a time appointed--either an hour concocted between the king and people of Ai and those of Beth-el, who were confederates in this enterprise, or perhaps they had fixed on the same time of day, as they had fought successfully against Israel on the former occasion, deeming it a lucky hour (
Judg 20:38).
but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city--It is evident that this king and his subjects were little experienced in war; otherwise they would have sent out scouts to reconnoitre the neighborhood; at all events, they would not have left their town wholly unprotected and open. Perhaps an ambuscade may have been a war stratagem hitherto unknown in that country, and among that people.
15 Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them--the pretended flight in the direction of the wilderness; that is, southeast, into the Ghor, the desert valley of the Jordan, decoyed all the inhabitants of Ai out of the city, while the people of Beth-el hastened to participate in the expected victory. It is supposed by some, from "the city," and not "cities," being spoken of, that the effective force of Beth-el had been concentrated in Ai, as the two places were closely contiguous, and Ai the larger of the two. (See
Josh 12:9). It may be remarked, however, that the words, "or Beth-el," are not in the Septuagint, and are rejected by some eminent scholars, as an interpolation not found in the most ancient manuscripts.
18 Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city--The uplifted spear had probably a flag, or streamer on it, to render it the more conspicuous from the height where he stood. At the sight of this understood signal the ambush nearest the city, informed by their scouts, made a sudden rush and took possession of the city, telegraphing to their brethren by raising a smoke from the walls. Upon seeing this, the main body, who had been reigning a flight, turned round at the head of the pass upon their pursuers, while the twenty-five thousand issuing from their ambuscade, fell back upon their rear. The Ai-ites surprised, looked back, and found their situation now desperate.
23 the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua--to be reserved for a more ignominious death, as a greater criminal in God's sight than his subjects. In the mingled attack from before and behind, all the men were massacred.
24 all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword--the women, children, and old persons left behind, amounting, in all, to twelve thousand people [
Josh 8:25].
26 Joshua drew not his hand back--Perhaps, from the long continuance of the posture, it might have been a means appointed by God, to animate the people, and kept up in the same devout spirit as Moses had shown, in lifting up his hands, until the work of slaughter had been completed--the ban executed. (See on
Exod 17:10).
28 Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever--"For ever" often signifies "a long time" (
Gen 6:3). One of the remarkable things with regard to the tell we have identified with Ai is its name--the tell of the heap of stones--a name which to this day remains [VAN DE VELDE].
29 THE KING HANGED. (
Josh 8:29)
The king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide--that is, gibbeted. In ancient, and particularly Oriental wars, the chiefs, when taken prisoners, were usually executed. The Israelites were obliged, by the divine law, to put them to death. The execution of the king of Ai would tend to facilitate the conquest of the land, by striking terror into the other chiefs, and making it appear a judicial process, in which they were inflicting the vengeance of God upon His enemies.
take his carcass down . . . and raise thereon a great heap of stones--It was taken down at sunset, according to the divine command (
Deut 21:23), and cast into a pit dug "at the entering of the gate," because that was the most public place. An immense cairn was raised over his grave--an ancient usage, still existing in the East, whereby is marked the sepulchre of persons whose memory is infamous.
30 JOSHUA BUILDS AN ALTAR. (
Josh 8:30-
Josh 8:31)
Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal--(See on
Deut 27:11). This spot was little short of twenty miles from Ai. The march through a hostile country and the unmolested performance of the religious ceremonial observed at this mountain, would be greatly facilitated, through the blessing of God, by the disastrous fall of Ai. The solemn duty was to be attended to at the first convenient opportunity after the entrance into Canaan (
Deut 27:2); and with this in view Joshua seems to have conducted the people through the mountainous region that intervened though no details of the journey have been recorded. Ebal was on the north, opposite to Gerizim, which was on the south side of the town Sichem (Nablous).
31 an altar of whole stones--according to the instructions given to Moses (
Exod 20:25;
Deut 27:5).
over which no man hath lifted up any iron--that is, iron tool. The reason for this was that every altar of the true God ought properly to have been built of earth (
Exod 20:24); and if it was constructed of stone, rough, unhewn stones were to be employed that it might retain both the appearance and nature of earth, since every bloody sacrifice was connected with sin and death, by which man, the creature of earth, is brought to earth again [KEIL].
they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings--This had been done when the covenant was established (
Exod 24:5); and by the observance of these rites (
Deut 27:6), the covenant was solemnly renewed--the people were reconciled to God by the burnt offering, and this feast accompanying the peace or thank offering, a happy communion with God was enjoyed by all the families in Israel.
32 he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses--(See on
Deut 27:2-
Deut 27:3,
Deut 27:5); that is, the blessings and curses of the law. Some think that the stones which contained this inscription were the stones of the altar: but this verse seems rather to indicate that a number of stone pillars were erected alongside of the altar, and on which, after they were plastered, this duplicate of the law was inscribed.
33 all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side--One half of Israel was arranged on Gerizim, and the other half on Ebal--along the sides and base of each.
before the priests the Levites--in full view of them.
34 afterward he read all the words of the law--caused the priests or Levites to read it (
Deut 27:14). Persons are often said in Scripture to do that which they only command to be done.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not--It appears that a much larger portion of the law was read on this occasion than the brief summary inscribed on the stones; and this must have been the essence of the law as contained in Deuteronomy (
Deut 4:44;
Deut 6:9;
Deut 27:8). It was not written on the stones, but on the plaster. The immediate design of this rehearsal was attained by the performance of the act itself. It only related to posterity, in so far as the record of the event would be handed down in the Book of Joshua, or the documents which form the groundwork of it [HENGSTENBERG]. Thus faithfully did Joshua execute the instructions given by Moses. How awfully solemn must have been the assemblage and the occasion! The eye and the ear of the people being both addressed, it was calculated to leave an indelible impression; and with spirits elevated by their brilliant victories in the land of promise, memory would often revert to the striking scene on mounts Ebal and Gerizim, and in the vale of Sychar.
