Yosua 7:5

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 ¹  and defeated them on the steep slope. ²  The people’s ³  courage melted away like water. ⁴ 

Yosua 8:29

8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. ⁵  At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. ⁶  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). ⁷ 

¹ 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”).

² sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.

³ tn Or “army’s.”

⁴ tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”

⁵ tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.

⁷ tn Heb “to this day.”