Joshua 7:4

Joshua 7:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
• New International Version (NIV)So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,
• English Standard Version (ESV)So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai,
• New King James Version (NKJV)So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai.

Context of Joshua 7:4

2Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 3They returned and reported to Joshua, “Don’t send the whole army. About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures and defeated them on the steep slope. The people’s courage melted away like water. 6Joshua tore his clothes; he and the leaders of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening and threw dirt on their heads.

Joshua 7:4 word by word

וַיַּעֲל֤וּ מִן־הָעָם֙ שָׁ֔מָּה כִּשְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֖ים אִ֑ישׁ וַיָּנֻ֕סוּ לִפְנֵ֖י אַנְשֵׁ֥י הָעָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So there went upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• thither of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• about threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• and they fledנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• of Aiעַי‛ay ‛ayâ' ‛ayâth · AiH5857

Cross-references for Joshua 7:4

• Leviticus 26:17I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.
• Deuteronomy 28:25“The Lord will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
• Deuteronomy 32:30How can one man chase a thousand of them, and two pursue ten thousand; unless their Rock had delivered them up, and the Lord had handed them over?
• Isaiah 30:17One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill.”
• Isaiah 59:2But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.

Commentaries on Joshua 7:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4About three thousand men - The spies sent to reconnoitre the place ( Joshua 7:3;) reported that the town was meanly garrisoned, and that two or three thousand men would be sufficient to take it. These were accordingly sent up, and were repulsed by the Amorites.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. 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

In the dictionaries

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

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