Yosua 6:1--8:35
Konteks6:1 Now Jericho 1 was shut tightly 2 because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter. 3 6:2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, 4 along with its king and its warriors. 6:3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time; 5 do this for six days. 6:4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns 6 in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 6:5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn, 7 have the whole army give a loud battle cry. 8 Then the city wall will collapse 9 and the warriors should charge straight ahead.” 10
6:6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 6:7 And he told 11 the army, 12 “Move ahead 13 and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
6:8 When Joshua gave the army its orders, 14 the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind. 6:9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns. 6:10 Now Joshua had instructed the army, 15 “Do not give a battle cry 16 or raise your voices; say nothing 17 until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’ 18 Then give the battle cry!” 19 6:11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time. 20 Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there. 21
6:12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of the Lord. 22 6:13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark of the Lord blowing rams’ horns. 6:14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.
6:15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn 23 and marched around the city as before – only this time they marched around it seven times. 24 6:16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told the army, 25 “Give the battle cry, 26 for the Lord is handing the city over to you! 27 6:17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord, 28 except for Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the spies 29 we sent. 6:18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for the Lord. If you take any of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster. 30 6:19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. 31 They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”
6:20 The rams’ horns sounded 32 and when the army 33 heard the signal, 34 they gave a loud battle cry. 35 The wall collapsed 36 and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. 37 6:21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, 38 including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 6:22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house 39 and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.” 40 6:23 So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a place outside 41 the Israelite camp. 6:24 But they burned 42 the city and all that was in it, except for the silver, gold, and bronze and iron items they put in the treasury of the Lord’s house. 43 6:25 Yet Joshua spared 44 Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, 45 and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel 46 to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. 47 6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: 48 “The man who attempts to rebuild 49 this city of Jericho 50 will stand condemned before the Lord. 51 He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” 52 6:27 The Lord was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land. 53
7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. 54 Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, 55 son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. 56 The Lord was furious with the Israelites. 57
7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho 58 to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel 59 ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 7:3 They returned and reported to Joshua, 60 “Don’t send the whole army. 61 About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. 62 Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” 63
7:4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures 64 and defeated them on the steep slope. 65 The people’s 66 courage melted away like water. 67
7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; 68 he and the leaders 69 of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening 70 and threw dirt on their heads. 71 7:7 Joshua prayed, 72 “O, Master, Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? 7:8 If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated 73 before its enemies? 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us 74 from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” 75
7:10 The Lord responded 76 to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down? 77 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! 78 They have taken some of the riches; 79 they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. 80 7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. 81 I will no longer be with you, 82 unless you destroy what has contaminated you. 83 7:13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord God of Israel says, “You are contaminated, 84 O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.” 85 7:14 In the morning you must approach in tribal order. 86 The tribe the Lord selects 87 must approach by clans. The clan the Lord selects must approach by families. 88 The family the Lord selects must approach man by man. 89 7:15 The one caught with the riches 90 must be burned up 91 along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
7:16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order 92 and the tribe of Judah was selected. 7:17 He then made the clans of Judah approach and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach and Zabdi 93 was selected. 94 7:18 He then made Zabdi’s 95 family approach man by man 96 and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor 97 the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!” 7:20 Achan told Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel in this way: 98 7:21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, 99 two hundred silver pieces, 100 and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”
7:22 Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in his tent, with the silver underneath. 101 7:23 They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed 102 it before the Lord. 7:24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, ox, donkey, sheep, tent, and all that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster. 103 7:25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster 104 on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.) 105 7:26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day 106 ) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.
8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 107 Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! 108 See, I am handing over to you 109 the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land. 8:2 Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho 110 and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!”
8:3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. 111 Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night. 8:4 He told 112 them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 8:5 I and all the troops 113 who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 8:6 They will attack 114 us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 8:7 Then you rise up from your hiding place 115 and seize 116 the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8:8 When you capture the city, set it 117 on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.” 118 8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place 119 west of Ai, between Bethel 120 and Ai. 121 Joshua spent that night with the army. 122
8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered 123 the army, 124 and he and the leaders 125 of Israel marched 126 at the head of it 127 to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. 128 They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. 129 8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel 130 and Ai. 8:13 The army was in position – the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into 131 the middle of the valley.
8:14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. 132 But he did not realize 133 men were hiding behind the city. 134 8:15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. 8:16 All the reinforcements 135 in Ai 136 were ordered 137 to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 8:17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; 138 they all went out after Israel. 139 They left the city wide open and chased Israel.
8:18 The Lord told Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for I am handing the city 140 over to you.” So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved sword in his hand. 8:19 When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from their place and attacked. 141 They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire. 8:20 When the men of Ai turned around, they saw 142 the smoke from the city ascending into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction. 143 In the meantime the men who were retreating to the desert turned against their pursuers. 8:21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that the city was going up in smoke, 144 they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. 8:22 At the same time the men who had taken the city came out to fight, and the men of Ai were trapped in the middle. 145 The Israelites struck them down, leaving no survivors or refugees. 8:23 But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
8:24 When Israel had finished killing all the men 146 of Ai who had chased them toward the desert 147 (they all fell by the sword), 148 all Israel returned to Ai and put the sword to it. 8:25 Twelve thousand men and women died 149 that day, including all the men of Ai. 8:26 Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who lived in Ai. 150 8:27 But Israel did plunder the cattle and the goods of the city, in accordance with the Lord’s orders to Joshua. 151 8:28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day). 152 8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. 153 At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. 154 They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day). 155
8:30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal, 8:31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool. 156 They offered burnt sacrifices on it and sacrificed tokens of peace. 157 8:32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses. 158 8:33 All the people, 159 rulers, 160 leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. 161 Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. 162 8:34 Then 163 Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. 8:35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given 164 before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them. 165
[6:1] 1 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[6:1] 2 tn Heb “was shutting and shut up.” HALOT 2:743 paraphrases, “blocking [any way of access] and blocked [against any who would leave].”
[6:1] 3 tn Heb “there was no one going out and there was no one coming in.”
[6:2] 4 tn Heb “I have given into your hand Jericho.” The Hebrew verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, “I have given”) is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action. The Hebrew pronominal suffix “your” is singular, being addressed to Joshua as the leader and representative of the nation. To convey to the modern reader what is about to happen and who is doing it, the translation “I am about to defeat Jericho for you” has been used.
[6:3] 5 tn Heb “and go around the city, all [you] men of war, encircling the city one time.” The Hebrew verb וְסַבֹּתֶם (vÿsabbotem, “and go around”) is plural, being addressed to the whole army.
[6:4] 6 tn Heb “rams’ horns, trumpets.”
[6:5] 7 tn Heb “and it will be at the sounding of the horn, the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn.” The text of Josh 6:5 seems to be unduly repetitive, so for the sake of English style and readability, it is best to streamline the text here. The reading in the Hebrew looks like a conflation of variant readings, with the second (“when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn”) being an interpolation that assimilates the text to verse 20 (“when the army heard the sound of the horn”). Note that the words “when you hear the sound of the ram's horn” do not appear in the LXX of verse 5.
[6:5] 8 tn Heb “all the people will shout with a loud shout.”
[6:5] 9 tn Heb “fall in its place.”
[6:5] 10 tn Heb “and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.”
[6:7] 11 tn An alternative reading is “and they said.” In this case the subject is indefinite and the verb should be translated as passive, “[the army] was told.”
[6:8] 14 tn Heb “when Joshua spoke to the people.”
[6:10] 15 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:10] 17 tn Heb “do not let a word come out of your mouths.”
[6:11] 20 tn Heb “and he made the ark of the
[6:11] 21 tn Heb “and they entered the camp and spent the night in the camp.”
[6:12] 22 tn Heb “Joshua rose early in the morning and the priests picked up the ark of the
[6:15] 23 tn Heb “On the seventh day they rose early, when the dawn ascended.”
[6:15] 24 tn Heb “and they went around the city according to this manner seven times, only on that day they went around the city seven times.”
[6:16] 25 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:16] 27 tn Heb “for the
[6:17] 28 tn Or “dedicated to the
[6:17] sn To make the city set apart for the
[6:17] 29 tn Heb “messengers.”
[6:18] 30 tn Heb “Only you keep [away] from what is set apart [to the
[6:19] 31 tn Heb “it is holy to the
[6:20] 32 tc Heb “and the people shouted and they blew the rams’ horns.” The initial statement (“and the people shouted”) seems premature, since the verse goes on to explain that the battle cry followed the blowing of the horns. The statement has probably been accidentally duplicated from what follows. It is omitted in the LXX.
[6:20] 33 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:20] 34 tn Heb “the sound of the horn.”
[6:20] 35 tn Heb “they shouted with a loud shout.”
[6:20] 36 tn Heb “fell in its place.”
[6:20] 37 tn Heb “and the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured the city.”
[6:21] 38 tn Heb “all which was in the city.”
[6:22] 39 tn Heb “the house of the woman, the prostitute.”
[6:22] 40 tn Heb “and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore on oath to her.”
[6:23] 41 tn Or “placed them outside.”
[6:24] 42 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
[6:24] 43 tn Heb “the treasury of the house of the
[6:25] 44 tn Heb “kept alive.”
[6:25] 45 tn Heb the house of her father.”
[6:25] 46 tn Or “among the Israelites”; Heb “in the midst of Israel.”
[6:25] 47 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[6:26] 48 tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the
[6:26] 49 tn Heb “rises up and builds.”
[6:26] 50 tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.
[6:26] 51 tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the
[6:26] 52 tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation.
[6:27] 53 tn Heb “and the report about him was in all the land.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) may also be translated “earth.”
[7:1] 54 tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 55 tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).
[7:1] 56 tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 57 tn Heb “the anger of the
[7:1] sn This incident illustrates well the principle of corporate solidarity and corporate guilt. The sin of one man brought the
[7:2] 58 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[7:2] 59 map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[7:3] 60 tn Heb “and they returned to Joshua and said to him.”
[7:3] 61 tn Heb “Don’t let all the people go up.”
[7:3] 62 tn Heb “Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up to defeat Ai.”
[7:3] 63 tn Heb “all the people for they are small.”
[7:5] 64 tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).
[7:5] 65 sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.
[7:5] 67 tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”
[7:6] 68 sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).
[7:6] 70 tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the
[7:6] 71 sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).
[7:8] 73 tn Heb “turned [the] back.”
[7:9] 74 tn Heb “and cut off our name.”
[7:9] 75 tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”
[7:10] 77 tn Heb “Why are you falling on your face?”
[7:11] 78 tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”
[7:11] 79 tn Heb “what was set apart [to the
[7:11] 80 tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”
[7:12] 81 tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the
[7:12] 82 tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.
[7:12] 83 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 84 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 85 tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the
[7:14] 86 tn Heb “by your tribes.”
[7:14] 87 tn Heb “takes forcefully, seizes.”
[7:15] 90 tn Heb “with what was set apart [to the
[7:15] 91 tn Heb “burned with fire.”
[7:17] 93 tn See the note on “Zabdi” in 1 Chr 7:1.
[7:17] 94 tn Heb “and he selected Zabdi.” The
[7:18] 95 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Zabdi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:19] 97 tn Heb “give glory to.”
[7:20] 98 tn Heb “like this and like this I did.”
[7:21] 99 tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).
[7:22] 101 tn Heb “Look, [it was] hidden in his tent, and the silver was beneath it.”
[7:23] 102 tn Heb “poured out,” probably referring to the way the silver pieces poured out of their container.
[7:24] 103 tn Or “Trouble” The name is “Achor” in Hebrew, which means “disaster” or “trouble” (also in v. 26).
[7:25] 104 tn Or “trouble.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).
[7:25] 105 tc Heb “and they burned them with fire and they stoned them with stones.” These words are somewhat parenthetical in nature and are omitted in the LXX; they may represent a later scribal addition.
[7:26] 106 tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.
[8:1] 107 tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”
[8:1] 108 tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”
[8:1] 109 tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.
[8:2] 110 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[8:3] 111 tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”
[8:4] 112 tn Or “commanded, ordered.”
[8:5] 113 tn Heb “the people.”
[8:6] 114 tn Heb “come out after.”
[8:7] 115 tn Heb “from the ambush.”
[8:7] 116 tn Heb “take possession of.”
[8:8] 118 tn Heb “I have commanded you.”
[8:9] 119 tn Or “the place of ambush.”
[8:9] 120 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[8:9] 121 tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”
[8:9] 122 tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”
[8:10] 123 tn Or “summoned, mustered.”
[8:10] 124 tn Heb “the people.”
[8:10] 127 tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.
[8:11] 128 tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”
[8:11] 129 tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”
[8:12] 130 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[8:13] 131 tn Some Hebrew
[8:14] 132 tn Heb “When the king of Ai saw, the men of Ai hurried and rose early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people at the meeting place before the Arabah.”
[8:14] 134 tn Heb “that (there was) an ambush for him behind the city.”
[8:16] 135 tn Heb “All the people.”
[8:16] 136 tc Some textual witnesses read “the city.”
[8:16] 137 tn Or “were summoned”; or “were mustered.”
[8:17] 138 tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”
[8:17] map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[8:17] 139 tn Heb “who did not go out after Israel.”
[8:18] 140 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Ai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:20] 142 tn Heb “and they saw, and look.” The Hebrew term הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to the scene and invites the audience to view the events from the perspective of the men of Ai.
[8:20] 143 tn Heb “and there was not in them hands to flee here or there.” The Hebrew term יָדַיִם (yadayim, “hands”) is idiomatic for “strength.”
[8:21] 144 tn Heb “and that the smoke of the city ascended.”
[8:22] 145 tn Heb “and these went out from the city to meet them and they were for Israel in the middle, some on this side, and others on the other side.”
[8:24] 146 tn Heb “residents.”
[8:24] 147 tn Heb “in the field, in the desert in which they chased them.”
[8:24] 148 tc Heb “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed.” The LXX omits the words, “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword.” They may represent a later scribal addition.
[8:26] 150 tn Heb “Joshua did not draw back his hand which held out the curved sword until he had annihilated all the residents of Ai.”
[8:27] 151 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[8:28] 152 tn Heb “and made it a permanent mound, a desolation, to this day.”
[8:29] 153 tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:29] 154 sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.
[8:29] 155 tn Heb “to this day.”
[8:31] 156 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones on which no one had wielded iron.” The expression “whole stones” refers to stones in their natural condition, i.e., not carved or shaped artificially with tools (“wielded iron”).
[8:31] 157 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[8:32] 158 tn Heb “and he wrote there on the stones a duplicate of the law of Moses which he wrote before the sons of Israel.”
[8:33] 159 tn Heb “All Israel.”
[8:33] 161 tn Heb “like the resident alien, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.
[8:33] 162 tn Heb “as Moses, the
[8:33] sn Moses’ earlier instructions are found in Deut 11:29.
[8:35] 164 tn Heb “There was not a word from all which Moses commanded that Joshua did not read aloud.”
