Joshua 7:5

Joshua 7:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
• New International Version (NIV)who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

Context of Joshua 7:5

3They returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few.” 4So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!

Joshua 7:5 word by word

וַיַּכּ֨וּ מֵהֶ֜ם אַנְשֵׁ֣י הָעַ֗י כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וְשִׁשָּׁה֙ אִ֔ישׁ וַֽיִּרְדְּפ֞וּם לִפְנֵ֤י הַשַּׁ֙עַר֙ עַד־הַשְּׁבָרִ֔ים וַיַּכּ֖וּם בַּמּוֹרָ֑ד וַיִּמַּ֥ס לְבַב־הָעָ֖ם וַיְהִ֥י לְמָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear

• The menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of Aiעַי‛ay ‛ayâ' ‛ayâth · AiH5857
• struckנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• about thirty-sixשְׁלֹשִׁיםshelôshîym shelôshîym · thirtyH7970
• of their menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• and pursuedרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
• from the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
• as farעַד‛ad · tillH5704
• as Shebarimשְׁבָרִיםshebârîym · ShebarimH7671
• on the descentמוֹרָדmôrâd · descentH4174
• heartsלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
• of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• meltedמָסַסmâsas · to meltH4549
• and becameהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• as waterמַיmayim · waterH4325

Cross-references for Joshua 7:5

• Deuteronomy 1:44The Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and crushed you from Seir to Hormah.
• Joshua 2:9and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.
• Joshua 5:1Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.
• Leviticus 26:36As for those of you who may be left, I will also bring weakness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. And the sound of a driven leaf will chase them, and even when no one is pursuing they will flee as though from the sword, and they will fall.
• Psalms 22:14I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.
• Isaiah 13:7Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt.

Commentaries on Joshua 7:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5They chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim - They seem to have presumed that the men of Ai would have immediately opened their gates to them, and therefore they marched up with confidence; but the enemy appearing, they were put to flight, their ranks utterly broken, and thirty-six of them killed. שברים Shebarim signifies breaches or broken places, and may here apply to the ranks of the Israelites, which were broken by the men of Ai; for the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Shebarim - Rather, perhaps, “the stone quarries.” The smallness of the slaughter among the Israelites indicates that they fled early, probably without real conflict in battle.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Ai’s defenders left through the town gate and attacked Israel’s troops directly (see 8:5). as far as the quarries: This is a place not known from other sources.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-54-5. they fled before the men of Ai--An unexpected resistance, and the loss of thirty-six of their number diffused a panic, which ended in an ignominious rout.Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 7:5

• Cowardice
• Shebarim

In the dictionaries

• Ai
• Folly
• Hide
• Shebarim
• 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