Joshua 8:3

_SO JOSHUA AROSE, AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF WAR, TO GO UP AGAINST AI: AND JOSHUA CHOSE OUT THIRTY THOUSAND MIGHTY MEN OF VALOUR, AND SENT THEM AWAY BY NIGHT._ So Joshua ... chose out thirty thousand men of valour - Joshua despatched 30,000 men, under covert of night, to station themselves at the place appointed for the ambuscade. Out of this number a detachment of 5,000 were sent forward to conceal themselves in the immediate precincts of the town, in order to seize the first opportunity of throwing themselves, into it....

3-22 Observe Joshua's conduct and prudence. Those that would maintain their spiritual conflicts must not love their ease. Probably he went into the valley alone, to pray to God for a blessing, and he did not seek in vain. He never drew back till the work was done. Those that have stretched out their hands against their spiritual enemies, must never draw them back....

THIRTY THOUSAND MEN - comparing Joshua 8:3 and Joshua 8:12 (“five thousand men”), there is probably a mistake in the numbers of this verse, where an early copyist may have written the sign for 30,000 instead of that for 5,000. SENT THEM AWAY BY NIGHT - The selected 5,000 would accordingly post themselves in the main ravine between Ai and Bethel in the night and early morning. The neighhorhood in which Ai was situated is described as “a wild entanglement of hill and valley;” and amidst its recesses the detachment could easily shelter itself from observation until Joshua’s other measures were taken....

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

SO JOSHUA AROSE, AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF WAR, TO GO UP AGAINST AI,.... As the Lord had commanded him: AND JOSHUA CHOSE OUT THIRTY THOUSAND MIGHTY MEN OF VALOUR; out of all the men of war; these were a select company, picked men, not the whole army, as some have thought, for he was ordered to take all the people of war, as he did: AND SENT THEM AWAY BY NIGHT; from the main army, that they might pass the city and get behind it undiscovered, for they were sent for an ambush; and of these some were to take the city, and be left in it to burn it, and some to smite the men of Ai, as Abarbinel notes....

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

_Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour_ There is an apparent discrepancy between this statement and that in Joshua 8:10-12. But possibly (_a_) while 30000 were selected for the ambush, 5000 were actually employed when the decisive moment came; or (_b_) Joshua may have sent two distinct bodies of men, one of 30000, the other of 5000; or (_c_) as Bp Wordsworth suggests, on the day after the 30000 had taken up their position the 5000 may have been sent from Joshua's own force to encourage and assure them. _sent them away by night_ The force detached might easily reach the neighbourhood of Ai before daybreak, since the distance from Gilgal thither is not more than five to six hours. See Robinson, Vol. 2:307 312....

_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, and appeared before the town, in order to draw out from thence the garrison, which, doubtless, had no idea that the whole army followed. He then informed the officers who commanded the detachment, that, in this case, _he_ would flee, in order to mislead the king of Ai; that then _they_ were to quit their ambush on the signal which he should give them, (ver. 18.) enter Ai, set fire to some houses, to inform him of their success; and in all things punctually obey these instructions as orders delivered from God....

_Plans for Attacking Ai Again Joshua 8:1-8_ And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: 2 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. 3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor, and sent them away by night. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: 5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, w