Joshua 7:3

Joshua 7:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
• New International Version (NIV)When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.”

Context of Joshua 7:3

1The Israelites did not obey what Joshua had said about the valuable things that belonged to God. Achan took some of these things for himself. He was Carmi's son, who was the son of Zimri, who was the son of Zerah. They were from the tribe of Judah. The Lord was very angry with the Israelites. 2Joshua sent some men to go from Jericho to Ai. That is a city near to Beth Aven, and east of Bethel. He said to the men, ‘Go up and look at the land near there secretly.’ So the men went to Ai to see what they could discover. The men came back and they said to Joshua, ‘There are not many men in Ai. Do not send our whole army to attack it. 2,000 or 3,000 men will be enough to take the city.’ 4So about 3,000 Israelite men went to attack Ai. But the men of Ai made them run away. 5They chased the Israelites away from the gate of the city and they killed about 36 Israelite soldiers. They chased them down the hill as far as Shebarim. They killed the Israelites as they ran down the hill. When the people of Israel heard this, they became very frightened.

Joshua 7:3 word by word

וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָיו֮ אַל־יַ֣עַל כָּל־הָעָם֒ כְּאַלְפַּ֣יִם אִ֗ישׁ א֚וֹ כִּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֣ים אִ֔ישׁ יַעֲל֖וּ וְיַכּ֣וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑י אַל־תְּיַגַּע־שָׁ֙מָּה֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י מְעַ֖ט הֵֽמָּה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• to Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto him, Let not all the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• go upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• but let about two or threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• and smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• Aiעַי‛ay ‛ayâ' ‛ayâth · AiH5857
• to labourיָגֵעַyâga‛ · be weary/toilH3021
• fewמְעַטme‛aţ me‛âţ · littleH4592

Cross-references for Joshua 7:3

• Proverbs 13:4A lazy person always wants to have more, but he will not get it. If a person works hard, he will have more than he needs.
• Proverbs 21:25Lazy people want many things but they refuse to work, so they are killing themselves.
• Luke 13:24Jesus said to the people there, ‘Do your best to go in through the narrow door. I tell you that many people will want to get in there. But they will not be able to go through it.
• Hebrews 4:11So we must do everything possible to arrive in God's special place of rest. God's people in the wilderness did not obey him. We must not be like them. If we do not obey God, we also will fail to arrive in that place.
• Hebrews 6:11But we very much want each of you to continue to trust God to the end. Show that you really want to serve him. Be sure that, in the end, you will receive all the good things that you hope for.
• 2 Peter 1:5God has done all this to help you. So now that you believe in Christ, you must grow as believers. Try very much to do always what is good. Then you should grow to know God more and more.

Commentaries on Joshua 7:3

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The total population of Ai was about twelve thousand Joshua 8:25. It could therefore hardly muster three thousand warriors.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4God’s gift of victory at Jericho seems to have led to complacency and overconfidence (a false sense of security). Joshua did not even ask God for guidance before he sent a small group of soldiers to Ai.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Let not all the people go up, ... for they are but few--As the population of Ai amounted to twelve thousand (Jos 8:25), it was a considerable town; though in the hasty and distant reconnoitre made by the spies, it probably appeared small in comparison to Jericho; and this may have been the reason for their proposing so small a detachment to capture it.Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 7:3

• Armies

In the dictionaries

• Ai
• Joshua
• Folly
• Hide
• Tell
• Wedge
• Achan
• Covetousness
• Exodus, the Book of
• Guilt

Commentaries on Joshua 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings