KJV
Click to Change
Return to Top
Click here to view listing below for Jos 8:25
Josh. 8:1–35 Having been defeated in Ai (ch. 7), Israel now follows God’s instructions and is successful.
Josh. 8:1 do not be dismayed. Despite their unfaithfulness (7:1), Israel is now restored and given a second chance.
Josh. 8:2 its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder. God has the right to determine the nature and extent of destruction in any given instance. For example, in Deuteronomy 20 the treatment of cities outside the land of Canaan is less severe than that of cities within the land.
Josh. 8:3–4 Thirty thousand men may seem to be a large number to lie in ambush. Possibly the Hebrew word “thousand” should be understood in the alternative sense of “military unit.” And, the 30 “thousands” or “units” may not all have been involved in the ambush (see v. 12).
Josh. 8:8 In contrast to the first attack on Ai, this time everything is done according to the word of the Lord (also v. 27).
Josh. 8:12 Perhaps the 5,000 men (or 5 units) set in ambush represent a section of the force mentioned in vv. 3–4, and the other 25,000 men (or 25 units) make up the main attack force. If so, this may help to explain why the king of Ai falls for the deception. Israel appears to be attempting the same direct approach of ch. 7, but with more than eight times as many troops.
Josh. 8:18–20 Stretch out the javelin . . . toward Ai. Perhaps this served as a signal to the men in the ambush to attack the city. This action symbolizes the Lord’s giving the city into Joshua’s hand.
Josh. 8:28–29 heap of ruins. . . . heap of stones. Both “heaps” remain to this day—that is, to the time the text was written.
Josh. 8:30–35 For Moses’ instructions regarding the event recorded here, see Deut. 27:1–8. Joshua carefully complies with these directions.
Josh. 8:30–33 Mount Ebal, along with its counterpart Mount Gerizim (see Deut. 11:29), is some 20 miles (32 km) north of Ai, near Shechem. Israel’s ancestors had ties to Shechem beginning with Abraham (Gen. 12:6–7; also Jacob, in Gen. 33:18–20; 34:1–31). These associations may help explain how Israel is able to hold a covenant renewal there, apparently without having to capture it first.
Josh. 8:32 Joshua wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, creating a fourth stone monument in the land (see note on 4:20). This was a reminder to Israel to obey God’s law (see 1:7–8).
Josh. 8:34 For the blessing and the curse, see Deuteronomy 28.
The ESV Global Study Bible
Copyright © 2012 by Crossway.
All rights reserved.
Used by permission.
|
Line-By-Line Order:
 Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseSeparate LineVerse OnlyReference Only |
Reference Delimiters:
None — Jhn 1:1 KJV Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]Curly — {Jhn 1:1 KJV}Parens — (Jhn 1:1 KJV) |
|
Paragraph Order:
Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseReference-Only |
Number Delimiters:*
No NumberNo Delimiter — 15Square — [15]Curly — {15}Parens — (15) |
|
Other Options:
 Abbreviate Books Use SBL Abbrev.En dash not Hyphen |
Quotes Around VersesRemove Square BracketsSort Canonically |
* 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order'
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding.
Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
©2025 Blue Letter Bible | Privacy Policy
Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs.
Loading
Loading
| Interlinear |
| Bibles |
| Cross-Refs |
| Commentaries |
| Dictionaries |
| Miscellaneous |
