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Joshua 8:4

2 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.”

3 So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night

with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.

5 Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.

6 They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from them,

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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
with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.
KJV
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
WEB
He commanded them, saying, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
ASV
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
DARBY
And he commanded them, saying, See, ye shall be in ambush against the city, behind the city: go not very far from the city, and be all of you ready.
BLB
And he commanded them, saying, “Behold, you⁺ shall lie in ambush against the city, from behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, and all of you⁺ be ready.
ÅB
Og han befalte dem og sa: Nå skal dere legge dere i bakhold mot byen, på vestsiden, ikke meget langt fra byen, og hold dere rede alle sammen!
OTB
med disse instruksene: "Se, dere skal legge et bakhold bak byen. Gå ikke langt fra den, men vær alle på vakt.
B1930
Og han bød dem og sa: Nu skal I legge eder i bakhold mot byen, på vestsiden, ikke meget langt fra byen, og hold eder rede alle sammen!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Judges 20:29

    So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.

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  • Ecclesiastes 9:16

    And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

    Read in context

  • Acts 23:21

    Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent.”

    Read in context

  • 1 Samuel 15:2

    This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they ambushed them on their way up from Egypt.

    Read in context

  • Judges 9:25

    The leaders of Shechem set up an ambush against Abimelech on the hilltops, and they robbed all who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.

    Read in context

  • 1 Samuel 15:5

    Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.

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  • Joshua 8:16

    Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

    Read in context

  • Judges 20:36

    Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah.

    Read in context