Joshua 8:29

_AND THE KING OF AI HE HANGED ON A TREE UNTIL EVENTIDE: AND AS SOON AS THE SUN WAS DOWN, JOSHUA COMMANDED THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE HIS CARCASE DOWN FROM THE TREE, AND CAST IT AT THE ENTERING OF THE GATE OF THE CITY, AND RAISE THEREON A GREAT HEAP OF STONES, THAT REMAINETH UNTO THIS DAY._ The king of Ai he hanged on a tree - i:e., gibbetted. In ancient, and particularly Oriental wars, the chiefs, when taken prisoners, were usually executed-first slain by the sword, and then exposed on a gibbet for a time. The Israelites were obliged by the divine law (Deuteronomy 21:22, etc.) to put them to death. The execution of the king of Ai would tend to facilitate the conquest of the land, by striking terror into the other chiefs, and making it appear a judicial process, in which they were inflicting the vengeance of God upon his enemies. Take his carcass down ... and

29._And the king of Ai he hanged, _etc Though he seems to have treated the king with great severity in order to satisfy the hatred of the people, I cannot doubt that he studied faithfully to execute the divine judgment. Conquerors, indeed, are wont to spare captive kings, because their rank seems to carry something venerable along with it, but the condition of kings was different among those nations in which God wished particularly to show how greatly he detested the wickedness which he had so long tolerated. For while all were doomed to destruction, the divine vengeance justly displayed itself with greater sternness and severity on the leaders, with whom the cause of destruction originated. We may add, that the ignominious punishment inflicted on the king rendered it still less necessary to deal leniently with the common people, and thus prevented the Israelites from indulging an unseas...

23-29 God, the righteous Judge, had sentenced the Canaanites for their wickedness; the Israelites only executed his doom. None of their conduct can be drawn into an example for others. Especial reason no doubt there was for this severity to the king of Ai; it is likely he had been notoriously wicked and vile, and a blasphemer of the God of Israel....

Verse 29. _THE KING OF AI HE HANGED ON A TREE_] He had gone out at the head of his men, and had been taken prisoner, Joshua 8:23; and the battle being over, he was ordered to be hanged, probably after having been _strangled_, or in some way deprived of life, as in the case mentioned Joshua 10:26, for in those times it was not customary to hang people _alive_. _AS SOON AS THE SUN WAS DOWN_] It was not lawful to let the bodies remain all night upon the tree. See the note on Deuteronomy 21:23. The Septuagint say the king of _Ai_ was hanged επι ξυλον διδυμον, upon a _double tree_, which probably means a _forked_ tree, or something in the form of a _cross_. Th

Compare Deuteronomy 21:22 notes....

EXPOSITION THE CAPTURE OF AI.— JOSHUA 8:1 FEAR NOT. Joshua was down cast at his former failure, and well he might. "Treacherous Israelites are to be dreaded more than malicious Canaanites" (Matthew Henry). TAKE ALL THE PEOPLE OF WAX WITH THEE. Not, as has been before stated, because 3,000 men were too few to take the city, for the capture of Jericho was a far greater marvel than that of Ai with this number of men. The true reason is indicated by Calvin, and is indeed suggested by the words "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed." It was to reassure the people, whose hearts had "melted and become as water." Sometimes God calls upon His people for a display of faith, as when He led them through the Jordan, or commanded them to compass Jericho seven days. But

AND THE KING OF AI HE HANGED ON A TREE UNTIL EVENTIDE,.... By way of terror to other kings in the land of Canaan, that should refuse to submit unto him: AND AS SOON AS THE SUN WAS DOWN, JOSHUA COMMANDED THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE HIS CARCASS DOWN FROM THE TREE; according to the law in Deuteronomy 21:23; and that the land might not be defiled: AND CAST IT AT THE ENTERING OF THE GATE OF THE CITY; this was done, according to Ben Gersom and Abarbinel, that it might be publicly known to the rest of the kings of the nations, that they might be afraid to fight with Israel: AND RAISE THEREON A GREAT HEAP OF STONES, [THAT REMAINETH] UNTO THIS DAY; as a sepulchral monument, showing that there was a person lay interred there; whether there was any inscription on the stone, showing who he was, does not appear; it looks as if it

8. THE OVERTHROW OF AI CHAPTER 8 _ 1. The advance commanded (Joshua 8:1)_ 2. The strategy of Joshua (Joshua 8:3) 3. Ai's defeat (Joshua 8:14) 4. Joshua's obedience (Joshua 8:30) Sin confessed, judged and put away restored communion with the Lord. If any burden remained upon the mind of Joshua, it was removed by the repeated words of comfort and cheer. “Fear not, neither be thou dismayed.” The failure is no longer mentioned, but instead, comfort and assurance is given and victory promised. He deals in the same gracious way with us, whenever we have failed and humbled ourselves before Him in self-judgment. H

CAPTURE OF AI. Here we have the second and the successful attempt to take Ai. That two accounts have been combined is obvious. In Joshua 8:3 Joshua sends 30,000 men as an ambuscade against the city; in Joshua 8:12, he sends 5000 men. No doubt 30,000 is an error for 3000. The writer of 20, who tells us that the whole population of Ai was 12,000, is also the writer of Joshua 8:3. We may take it that he was far more likely to write 3000 than 30,000. In Joshua 8:17 the words and Bethel are an unintelligent insertion of a late editor. They are not in the LXX, and if the ambush was between Bethel and Ai, it is difficult to see how the inhabitants of Bethel could com

AS SOON AS. Compare Deuteronomy 21:22; Deuteronomy 21:23 and Joshua 10:27, that remaineth. Figure of speech _Parenthesis_ (relative). App-6....