3 So Joshua H3091 arose, H6965 and all the people H5971 of war, H4421 to go up H5927 against Ai: H5857 and Joshua H3091 chose out H977 thirty H7970 thousand H505 mighty H1368 men H376 of valour, H2428 and sent them away H7971 by night. H3915
And G2532 knew G1097 not G3756 until G2193 the flood G2627 came, G2064 and G2532 took G142 them all G537 away; G142 so G3779 shall G2071 also G2532 the coming G3952 of the Son G5207 of man G444 be. G2071
For G1063 yourselves G846 know G1492 perfectly G199 that G3754 the day G2250 of the Lord G2962 so G3779 cometh G2064 as G5613 a thief G2812 in G1722 the night. G3571
But G1161 the day G2250 of the Lord G2962 will come G2240 as G5613 a thief G2812 in G1722 the night; G3571 in G1722 the which G3739 the heavens G3772 shall pass away G3928 with a great noise, G4500 and G1161 the elements G4747 shall melt G3089 with fervent heat, G2741 the earth G1093 also G2532 and G2532 the works G2041 that are therein G1722 G846 shall be burned up. G2618
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 8
Commentary on Joshua 8 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 8
The embarrassment which Achan's sin gave to the affairs of Israel being over, we have them here in a very good posture again, the affairs both of war and religion. Here is,
Jos 8:1-2
Israel were very happy in having such a commander as Joshua, but Joshua was more happy in having such a director as God himself; when any difficulty occurred, he needed not to call a council of war who had God so nigh unto him, not only to answer, but even to anticipate, his enquiries. It should seem, Joshua was now at a stand, had scarcely recovered the discomposure he was put into by the trouble Achan gave them, and could not think, without fear and trembling, of pushing forward, lest there should be in the camp another Achan; then God spoke to him, either by vision, as before (ch. 5), or by the breastplate of judgment. Note, When we have faithfully put away sin, that accursed thing, which separates between us and God, then, and not till then, we may expect to hear from God to our comfort; and God's directing us how to go on in our Christian work and warfare is a good evidence of his being reconciled to us. Observe here,
Jos 8:3-22
We have here an account of the taking of Ai by stratagem. The stratagem here used, we are sure, was lawful and good; God himself appointed it, and we have no reason to think but that the like is lawful and good in other wars. Here was no league broken, no treaty of peace, that the advantage was gained; no, these are sacred things, and not to be jested with, nor used to serve a turn; truth, when once it is plighted, becomes a debt even to the enemy. But in this stratagem here was no untruth told; nothing was concealed but their own counsels, which no enemy ever pretended a right to be entrusted with; nothing was dissembled, nothing counterfeited but a retreat, which was no natural or necessary indication at all of their inability to maintain their onset, or of any design not to renew it. The enemy ought to have been upon their guard, and to have kept within the defence of their own walls. Common prudence, had they been governed by it, would have directed them not to venture on the pursuit of an army which they saw was so far superior to them in numbers, and leave their city unguarded; but (si populus vult decipi, decipiatur-if the people will be deceived, let them) if the Canaanites will be so easily imposed upon, and in pursuit of God's Israel will break through all the laws of policy and good management, the Israelites are not at all to be blamed for taking advantage of their fury and thoughtlessness; nor is it any way inconsistent with the character God is pleased to give of them, that they are children that will not lie. Now in the account here given of this matter,
Jos 8:23-29
We have here an account of the improvement which the Israelites made of their victory over Ai.
Jos 8:30-35
This religious solemnity of which we have here an account comes in somewhat surprisingly in the midst of the history of the wars of Canaan. After the taking of Jericho and Ai, we should have expected that the next news would be of their taking possession of the country, the pushing on of their victories in other cities, and the carrying of the war into the bowels of the nation, now that they had made themselves masters of these frontier towns. But here a scene opens of quite another nature; the camp of Israel is drawn out into the field, not to engage the enemy, but to offer sacrifice, to hear the law read, and to say Amen to the blessings and the curses. Some think this was not done till after some of the following victories were obtained which were read of, ch. 10 and 11. But it should seem by the maps that Shechem (near to which these two mountains Gerizim and Ebal were) was not so far off from Ai but that when they had taken that they might penetrate into the country as far as those two mountains, and therefore I would not willingly admit a transposition of the story; and the rather because, as it comes in here, it is a remarkable instance,
Twice Moses had given express orders for this solemnity; once Deu. 11:29, 30, where he seems to have pointed to the very place where it was to be performed; and again Deu. 27:2, etc. It was a federal transaction: the covenant was now renewed between God and Israel upon their taking possession of the land of promise, that they might be encouraged in the conquest of it, and might know upon what terms they held it, and come under fresh obligations to obedience. In token of the covenant,