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Monday, August 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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Read the Bible

Hebrew Names Version

Joshua 8:12

He took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beit-El and `Ai, on the west side of the city.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambush;   Armies;   Strategy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ambush;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sieges;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ambush;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Vale;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Bethel;   Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Israel;   Joshua;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ai, Hai ;   Ambush, Ambushment;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   War;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Egypt;   Targum;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ai;   Battle system of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Rime;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
King James Version
And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Lexham English Bible
And he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
English Standard Version
He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
New Century Version
Then Joshua chose about five thousand men and set them in ambush in the area west of the city between Bethel and Ai.
New English Translation
He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel and Ai.
Amplified Bible
And Joshua took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
New American Standard Bible
Then he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And hee tooke about fiue thousande men, and set them to lye in waite betweene Beth-el and Ai, on the Westside of the citie.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Contemporary English Version
Joshua had already sent five thousand soldiers to the west side of the town to hide and wait to attack.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then he took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Beit-El and ‘Ai, to the west of ‘Ai.
Darby Translation
Now he had taken about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Joshua chose about 5000 men. He sent these men to hide in the area west of the city, between Bethel and Ai.
George Lamsa Translation
And Joshua took five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city;
Good News Translation
He took about five thousand men and put them in hiding west of the city, between Ai and Bethel.
Literal Translation
And he took about five thousand men and set them as an ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He had taken aboute a fyue thousande men, and set them in the hynder watch betwene Bethel and Hai, on the west syde of the cite,
American Standard Version
And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Bible in Basic English
And taking about five thousand men, he put them in position for a surprise attack on the west side of Ai, between Beth-el and Ai.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he toke vpon a fiue thousande men, and set them to lye in wayte betweene Bethel and Ai, on the westsyde of the citie.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai.
King James Version (1611)
And he tooke about fiue thousand men, and set them to lye in ambush betweene Bethel and Ai, on the West side of the citie.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the ambuscade was on the west side of the city.
English Revised Version
And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Berean Standard Bible
Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
`Sotheli he hadde chose fyue thousynde men, and hadde sette in buyschementis bitwixe Bethauen and Hay, in the west part of the same citee.
Young's Literal Translation
And he taketh about five thousand men, and setteth them an ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city;
Update Bible Version
And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he took about five thousand men; and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.
World English Bible
He took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
New King James Version
So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
New Living Translation
That night Joshua sent about 5,000 men to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the town.
New Life Bible
Then he took about 5,000 men and hid them between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
New Revised Standard
Taking about five thousand men, he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he took about five thousand men, - and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he had chosen five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the same city:
Revised Standard Version
And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And he took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

Contextual Overview

9 Yehoshua sent them forth; and they went to set up the ambush, and stayed between Beit-El and `Ai, on the west side of `Ai: but Yehoshua lodged that night among the people. 10 Yehoshua arose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the Zakenim of Yisra'el, before the people to `Ai. 11 All the people, [even] the [men of] war who were with him, went up, and drew near, and came before the city, and encamped on the north side of `Ai: now there was a valley between him and `Ai. 12 He took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beit-El and `Ai, on the west side of the city. 13 So they set the people, even all the host who was on the north of the city, and their liers-in-wait who were on the west of the city; and Yehoshua went that night into the midst of the valley. 14 It happened, when the king of `Ai saw it, that they hurried and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Yisra'el to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the `Aravah; but he didn't know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 Yehoshua and all Yisra'el made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16 All the people who were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Yehoshua, and were drawn away from the city. 17 There was not a man left in `Ai or Beit-El, who didn't go out after Yisra'el: and they left the city open, and pursued after Yisra'el.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

five thousand: Joshua 8:2, Joshua 8:3

of the city: or, of Ai

Reciprocal: Joshua 8:1 - take all Joshua 8:9 - between Joshua 8:13 - on the west Judges 9:25 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 8:2
The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained.
Genesis 8:3
The waters receded from off the eretz continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased.
Genesis 8:5
The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
Genesis 8:6
It happened at the end of forty days, that Noach opened the window of the teivah which he had made,
Genesis 8:7
and he sent forth a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from off the eretz.
Genesis 8:8
He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the surface of the ground,
Genesis 8:10
He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the teivah.
Psalms 27:14
Wait for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the LORD.
Isaiah 8:17
I will wait for the LORD, who hides his face from the house of Ya`akov, and I will look for him.
Isaiah 25:9
It shall be said in that day, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his yeshu`ah.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush,.... This was another ambush, as both Jarchi and Kimchi observe; and the latter adds, perhaps he set them nearer the city than the former; though some are of opinion that these are the same ambush spoken of, whose number is here given, being set on the same side of the city; and they suppose that Joshua had with him but thirty thousand men in all, five thousand of which he sent to lie in ambush, and the other twenty five thousand remained with him; but it seems clear that all the men of war were to be taken, and were taken by them, and that out of them thirty thousand were sent by him to lie in wait at first, and now five thousand more:

between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city; and though they were on the same side of the city with the first and larger ambush, yet, as Abarbinel observes, they might be set nearer the city and to the army; and he supposes the first ambush was to take the city, and the second little ambush, as he calls it, was placed, that when the men of the city came out, they might make a noise and a stir, and skirmish with them, that so they might not come upon the camp suddenly.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He took - Rather “had taken;” the words refer to the ambuscade which Joshua had detached during the previous night.


 
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