_AI IS TAKEN BY STRATAGEM; ITS KING HANGED, AND THE CITY BURNED WITH FIRE; JOSHUA BUILDS AN ALTAR BETWEEN EBAL AND GERIZZIM, AND THERE READS THE BLESSINGS AND CURSES ENJOINED BY MOSES._ _Before Christ 1451._... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 2. _LAY THEE AN AMBUSH FOR THE CITY, BEHIND IT_— That is, to the west; for the camp of Gilgal was to the east of Ai. It is asked here, by some, "How happens it that God, who, by his infinite power, could so easily destroy Ai and its inhabitants, should make use of artifice and stratagem to pr... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 3-9. _SO JOSHUA AROSE, AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF WAR,_ &C.— Joshua first detached from his army thirty thousand men, and charged them to go in the night-time and lie in ambush on the west side of Ai, at a convenient distance; while, on his part, by break of day, he advanced with all his troops, a... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 10. _JOSHUA—NUMBERED THE PEOPLE_— That is to say, he ordered the officers to see if all their men were ready, and to begin their march by day-break, accompanied by the heads of their tribes, or judges of the people, who served him as his council of war, and were authorized, by their calling,... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 11. _AND CAME—AND PITCHED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF AI_— Those who came with Joshua were _all the people of war who were with him; i.e._ evidently the bulk of the army, in opposition to _the thirty thousand men_ who had been detached in the night-time. It was about three leagues from Gilgal to Ai.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 12. _AND HE TOOK ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND MEN_— Besides the thirty thousand men whom Joshua had sent off, he detached five thousand more, either to inforce the former, or to guard the defiles, and shut up passages against those who fled. See Le Clerc and Calmet. We cannot help owning, however, tha... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 13. _AND WHEN THEY HAD SET THE PEOPLE, &C.—ON THE NORTH_— Or, _on the north-east._ The meaning here is, that the whole army of Israel posted itself to the north or northeast of Ai, in the mountains, while the thirty or thirty-five thousand men in ambush turned behind the city to the west, and... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 15. _AND JOSHUA AND ALL ISRAEL,_ &C.— As soon as the king of Ai appeared in the field, Joshua executed his plan; he caused his men to give ground, who _fled_ (as Mr. Chais renders it) _towards the wilderness,_ or to the plain which separated Ai from Jericho, as if afraid to face the garrison.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 18. _AND THE LORD SAID UNTO JOSHUA, STRETCH OUT THE SPEAR,_ &C.— The Hebrew word כידון _kidon, s_ignifies a _shield;_ and so several interpreters, particularly the Vulgate, render it. Bochart, however, has shewn, that it also signifies a _lance,_ or _pike,_ at the top of which Joshua had fixe... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 19. _AND THE AMBUSH AROSE QUICKLY,_ &C.— Some find it difficult to understand how they could perceive Joshua stretch out his standard, as they must have been at a very great distance, and among the neighbouring mountains. Masius answers, that they were divinely informed of it. We may add, tha... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 26. _JOSHUA DREW NOT HIS HAND BACK,_ &C.— He ceased not to fight spear in hand; or rather, he continued to hold up the standard to animate his troops to destroy the enemy, till they were all put to the sword.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 28. _AND JOSHUA BURNT AI,_ &C.— After giving up the city to plunder, according to the express command of God, Joshua caused it to be burnt to ashes, leaving there only a heap of stones, which was to be seen even to the time of writing this book. See ver. 11. 26. As to the expression _an heap... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 29. _AND THE KING OF AI HE HANGED ON A TREE_— An end worthy of a prince who, doubtless, had by his example encouraged his subjects to resist the commands of God, and so to fill up the measure of their guilt. _UNTIL EVEN-TIDE_— See the law, Deuteronomy 21:22. The king of Ai alone survived the... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 30. _THEN JOSHUA BUILT AN ALTAR—IN MOUNT EBAL_— This should be rendered, as we have observed on Deuteronomy 27. _BY mount Ebal;_ and nothing can more clearly prove the truth of the interpretation there given, than the relation of the fact before us. The taking of Jericho and Ai made Joshua ma... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 31. _AND THEY OFFERED THEREON BURNT-OFFERINGS,_ &C.— They renewed for the third time the covenant with God, as has been elsewhere observed. See on Deuteronomy 27:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 32, 33. _AND HE WROTE THERE UPON THE STONES A COPY OF THE LAW,_ &C.— See on Deuteronomy 27:3; Deuteronomy 27:26.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 34, 35. _AND AFTERWARD HE READ ALL THE WORDS OF THE LAW,_ &C.— i.e. _He caused to be read._ Houbigant. We have only a word to add to the remarks already made, respecting all these ceremonies, in the notes on Deuteronomy; which is, that the manner in which the sacred historian expresses himsel... [ Continue Reading ]