New King James Version
Joshua 8:2
2And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”
Joshua 8:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
- New International Version (NIV)You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it."
- New Living Translation (NLT)You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.”
Context of Joshua 8:2
1Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.” 3So 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. 4And he commanded them, saying: “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
Read all of Joshua 8Joshua 8:2 word by word
וְעָשִׂ֨יתָ לָעַ֜י וּלְמַלְכָּ֗הּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשִׂ֤יתָ לִֽירִיחוֹ֙ וּלְמַלְכָּ֔הּ רַק־שְׁלָלָ֥הּ וּבְהֶמְתָּ֖הּ תָּבֹ֣זּוּ לָכֶ֑ם שִׂים־לְךָ֥ אֹרֵ֛ב לָעִ֖יר מֵאַחֲרֶֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And thou shalt doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- to Aiעַי‛ay ‛ayâ' ‛ayâth · AiH5857
- and her kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- unto Jerichoיְרִיחוֹyerîychô yerêchô yerîychôh · JerichoH3405
- only the spoilשָׁלָלshâlâl · spoilH7998
- thereof, and the cattleבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
- thereof, shall ye take for a preyבָּזַזbâzaz · to plunderH962
- unto yourselves: layשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- thee an ambushאָרַב'ârab · to ambushH693
- for the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- behindאַחַר'achar · afterH310
Cross-references for Joshua 8:2
- Joshua 8:24And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.
- Joshua 6:21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
- Joshua 10:1Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,
- Deuteronomy 3:2And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’
- Deuteronomy 20:14But the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which the Lord your God gives you.
- Job 27:16Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay—
- Psalms 39:6Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.
- Proverbs 13:22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
- Proverbs 28:20A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
- Jeremiah 17:11“As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool.”
- Luke 12:20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
- Joshua 8:7Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.
- Judges 20:29Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah.
- 2 Chronicles 13:13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
- Jeremiah 51:12Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; Make the guard strong, Set up the watchmen, Prepare the ambushes. For the Lord has both devised and done What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
Commentaries on Joshua 8:2
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Unlike other ancient nations that went to war to gain wealth, Israel acted as God's agent to judge the people of Canaan. Their plunder and livestock were secondary. The strategy for capturing Ai involved planning an ambush. Joshua followed God's simple instructions effectively. behind the town: On its west side (8:12).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-281-2. The Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not--By the execution of justice on Achan, the divine wrath was averted, the Israelites were reassured, defeat was succeeded by victory; and thus the case of Ai affords a striking example of God's disciplinary government, in which chastisements for sin are often made to pave the way for the bestowment of those temporal benefits, which, on account of sin, have been withdrawn, or withheld for a time. Joshua, who had been…Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 8:2
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries