Joshua 8:3

Joshua 8:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
• New International Version (NIV)So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night
• English Standard Version (ESV)So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.

Context of Joshua 8:3

1Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid. Continue to be brave! Take the whole army with you and go to attack Ai. This time, I will give the king and all his people to you. I will also give to you the city and its land. 2You must destroy the city and its king as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may take their valuable things and their animals for yourselves. Hide some of your men behind the city, so that they are ready to attack.’ So Joshua and the whole army marched towards Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of the best soldiers and he sent some of them out at night time. 4He said to them, ‘Listen carefully. Go and hide behind the city. Stay near to it. Be ready to attack! 5In the morning, I will march towards the city with our other soldiers. When we get near to the city, the enemy's men will come out of the city to fight against us, as they did before. Then we will turn round and we will run away.

Joshua 8:3 word by word

וַיָּ֧קָם יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ וְכָל־עַ֥ם הַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה לַעֲל֣וֹת הָעָ֑י וַיִּבְחַ֣ר יְ֠הוֹשֻׁעַ שְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים אֶ֤לֶף אִישׁ֙ גִּבּוֹרֵ֣י הַחַ֔יִל וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֖ם לָֽיְלָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
• aroseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• and all the peopleעַם‛am · people: soldiersH5971
• of warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• to go upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• against Aiעַי‛ay ‛ayâ' ‛ayâth · AiH5857
• chose outבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• thirtyשְׁלֹשִׁיםshelôshîym shelôshîym · thirtyH7970
• thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• mightyגִּבּוֹרgibbôr gibbôr · mighty manH1368
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of valourחַ֫יִלchayil · strengthH2428
• and sent them awayשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• by nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915

Cross-references for Joshua 8:3

• Matthew 24:39The people did not know what would happen. Then rain fell for a long time and all these people died in the deep water. When the Son of Man returns, it will happen quickly in the same way.
• Matthew 25:6In the middle of the night, someone shouted out, “The man is coming! Come out to meet him!”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:2You know very well about how the great day of the Lord will happen. That day will surprise people very much, like when a robber comes in the night.
• 2 Peter 3:10The great day of the Lord will suddenly happen. That will surprise people, like when someone comes to rob them. There will be a very loud noise in the sky. The whole sky will go away. Fire will burn the whole universe and it will destroy everything. The earth and everything that people have made will then become clear.

Commentaries on Joshua 8:3

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Thirty thousand men - comparing Joshua 8:3 and Joshua 8:12 (“five thousand men”), there is probably a mistake in the numbers of this verse, where an early copyist may have written the sign for 30,000 instead of that for 5,000. Sent them away by night - The selected 5,000 would accordingly post themselves in the main ravine between Ai and Bethel in the night and early morning. The neighhorhood in which Ai was situated is described as “a wild entanglement…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-22Verses 3-22 Observe Joshua's conduct and prudence. Those that would maintain their spiritual conflicts must not love their ease. Probably he went into the valley alone, to pray to God for a blessing, and he did not seek in vain. He never drew back till the work was done. Those that have stretched out their hands against their spiritual enemies, must never draw them back.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Set out to attack Ai: This first sentence provides a summary. Details follow in the next paragraphs. The Hebrew words translated 30,000 might mean 30 units (see study note on Exodus 12:37) or 30 chieftains (leaders of groups or tribes). As the battle continued, this group waited in hiding for a surprise attack (an ambush). They remained hidden until Joshua called them into action (Joshua 8:18–19).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. 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 [Jos 8:12].Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 8:3

• Ambush
• Armies
• Strategy

In the dictionaries

• Ai
• Joshua
• Ambush
• Heap
• Raise
• Wait
• Army
• Choose; Chosen
• Egypt
• Exodus, the Book of

Commentaries on Joshua 8

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings