Joshua 8:12
10 Joshua got up early the next morning and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched before them up to Ai.
11 Then all the troops who were with him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and the city.
Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13 So the forces were stationed with the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.
14 When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
- KJV
- And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.
- WEB
- He took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
- ASV
- And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.
- DARBY
- Now he had taken about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city.
- BLB
- And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and between Ai, on the west side of the city.
- ÅB
- Så tok han omkring fem tusen mann og la dem i bakhold mellom Betel og Ai, vestenfor byen,
- OTB
- Han tok omkring fem tusen mann og satte dem i bakhold mellom Betel og Ai, på vestsiden av byen.
- B1930
- Så tok han omkring fem tusen mann og la dem i bakhold mellem Betel og Ai, vestenfor byen,
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Joshua 8:2–3
And 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 up an ambush behind the city.”
Read in context