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Saturday, June 7th, 2025
Eve of Pentacost
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Joshua 7:4

So about three thousand Israelites made the attack, but they were forced to retreat.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Defeats;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies;   Armies of Israel, the;   Sieges;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Achan;   Ai;   Anathema;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Devote, Devoted;   Ezekiel, Theology of;   Punishment;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Jericho;   Joshua;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ai, Hai ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Achan;   Ai;   Anathema;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Smith Bible Dictionary - A'i;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Joshua, Book of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ai;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Repentance;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So about three thousand men went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.
Hebrew Names Version
So there went up there of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of `Ai.
King James Version
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
Lexham English Bible
So about three thousand from the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai.
English Standard Version
So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai,
New Century Version
So about three thousand men went up to Ai, but the people of Ai beat them badly.
New English Translation
So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai.
Amplified Bible
So about three thousand men from the sons of Israel went up there, but they fled [in retreat] from the men of Ai.
New American Standard Bible
So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So there went vp thither of the people about three thousande men, and they fledde before the men of Ai.
Legacy Standard Bible
So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.
Contemporary English Version
Joshua sent about three thousand soldiers to attack Ai. But the men of Ai fought back and chased the Israelite soldiers away from the town gate and down the hill to the stone quarries. Thirty-six Israelite soldiers were killed, and the Israelite army felt discouraged.
Complete Jewish Bible
So from the people about three thousand men went up there, but they were routed by the men of ‘Ai.
Darby Translation
And there went up thither of the people about three thousand men, but they fled before the men of Ai.
Easy-to-Read Version
So about 3000 men went to Ai, but the people of Ai killed about 36 men of Israel. And the Israelites ran away. The people of Ai chased them from the city gates all the way to the quarries. The people of Ai beat them badly. When the people from Israel saw this, they became very frightened and lost their courage.
George Lamsa Translation
So there went up about three thousand men; and they fled before the men of Ai.
Literal Translation
And about three thousand men of the people went up there. And they fled before the men of Ai.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So there wente vp, of the people vpon a thre thousande men, and they fled before the men of Hai,
American Standard Version
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
Bible in Basic English
So about three thousand of the people went up, and were sent in flight by the men of Ai.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so there went vp thyther of the people about a three thousande men, and they fled before the men of Ai.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men; and they fled before the men of Ai.
King James Version (1611)
So there went vp thither of the people about three thousand men, and they fled before the men of Ai.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And there went up about three thousand men, and they fled from before the men of Gai.
English Revised Version
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
Berean Standard Bible
So about three thousand men went up, but they were put to flight before the men of Ai.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thre thousynde of fiyteris stieden, whiche turneden the backis anoon,
Young's Literal Translation
And there go up of the people thither about three thousand men, and they flee before the men of Ai,
Update Bible Version
So there went up there of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
Webster's Bible Translation
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
World English Bible
So there went up there of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
New King James Version
So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai.
New Living Translation
So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai
New Life Bible
So about 3,000 men of Israel went, but they ran away from the men of Ai.
New Revised Standard
So about three thousand of the people went up there; and they fled before the men of Ai.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
There went up thither of the people therefore, about three thousand men, - but they fled before the men of Ai.
Douay-Rheims Bible
There went up therefore three thousand fighting men: who immediately turned their backs,
Revised Standard Version
So about three thousand went up there from the people; and they fled before the men of Ai,
THE MESSAGE
So three thousand men went up—and then fled in defeat before the men of Ai! The men of Ai killed thirty-six—chased them from the city gate as far as The Quarries, killing them at the descent. The heart of the people sank, all spirit knocked out of them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord 's command to Israel not to take from Jericho anything that was to be destroyed was not obeyed. A man named Achan disobeyed that order, and so the Lord was furious with the Israelites. (Achan was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, and belonged to the clan of Zerah, a part of the tribe of Judah.) 2 Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai, a city east of Bethel, near Bethaven, with orders to go and explore the land. When they had done so, 3 they reported back to Joshua: "There is no need for everyone to attack Ai. Send only about two or three thousand men. Don't send the whole army up there to fight; it is not a large city." 4 So about three thousand Israelites made the attack, but they were forced to retreat. 5 The men of Ai chased them from the city gate as far as some quarries and killed about thirty-six of them on the way down the hill. Then the Israelites lost their courage and were afraid.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

fled: Leviticus 26:17, Deuteronomy 28:25, Deuteronomy 32:30, Isaiah 30:17, Isaiah 59:2

Reciprocal: Psalms 89:43 - not made

Cross-References

Genesis 2:5
there were no plants on the earth and no seeds had sprouted, because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land;
Genesis 6:3
Then the Lord said, "I will not allow people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years."
Genesis 6:7
that he said, "I will wipe out these people I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them."
Genesis 6:13
God said to Noah, "I have decided to put an end to all people. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their violent deeds.
Genesis 6:17
I am going to send a flood on the earth to destroy every living being. Everything on the earth will die,
Genesis 7:10
Seven days later the flood came.
Genesis 7:11
When Noah was six hundred years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth burst open, all the floodgates of the sky were opened,
Genesis 7:12
and rain fell on the earth for forty days and nights.
Genesis 7:17
The flood continued for forty days, and the water became deep enough for the boat to float.
Genesis 7:21
Every living being on the earth died—every bird, every animal, and every person.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men,.... Joshua detached from the army the largest number proposed, that there might be strength enough to take the place; and those he sent under proper officers to Ai, who went up to the very gate of the city, as appears from Joshua 7:5:

and they fled before the men of Ai; for upon their appearing at the gate of their city, they came out with all their forces against them, and as soon as they did, the children of Israel durst not face them, but without engaging with them fled at once: God having forsaken them, their courage failed, the dread of their enemies falling on them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 7:4. About 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.


 
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