Joshua 8:19

And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
ambush	וְהָאוֹרֵ֡ב ve.ha.'o.Rev	H693	to lurk · conjunction + definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
arose	קָם֩ kam	H6965	to rise (in various applications · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
quickly	מְהֵרָ֨ה me.he.Rah	H4120	properly · adverb
place	מִמְּקוֹמ֤וֹ mi.me.ko.Mo	H4725	properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
ran	וַיָּר֙וּצוּ֙ vai.ya.Ru.tzu	H7323	to run (for whatever reason · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
out	כִּנְט֣וֹת kin.Tot	H5186	to stretch or spread out · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
hand	יָד֔וֹ ya.Do	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
entered	וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ vai.ya.Vo.'u	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
city	הָעִ֖יר ha.'Ir	H5892	a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
took	וַֽיִּלְכְּד֑וּהָ vai.yil.ke.Du.ha	H3920	to catch (in a net · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
hasted	וַֽיְמַהֲר֔וּ vay.ma.ha.Ru	H4116	properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
set	וַיַּצִּ֥יתוּ vai.ya.Tzi.tu	H3341	to burn or set on fire · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
city	הָעִ֖יר ha.'Ir	H5892	a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
fire	בָּאֵֽשׁ ba.'Esh	H784	fire (literally or figuratively) · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 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 necessar…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 8:18

Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city--The uplifted spear had probably a flag, or streamer on it, to render it the more conspicuous from the height where he stood. At the sight of this understood signal the ambush nearest the city, informed by their scouts, made a sudden rush and took possession of the city, telegraphing to their brethren by raising a smoke from the walls. Upon seeing this, the main body, who had been reigning a flight, turned round at the head of the pass upon their pursuers, while the twenty-five thousand issuing from their ambuscade, fell back upon their rear. The Ai-ites surprised, looked back, and found their situation now desperate.

Adam Clarke on Joshua 8:19

Set the city on fire - See on Jos 8:8 (note).

John Gill on Joshua 8:19

And the ambush arose quickly out of their place,.... As soon as the sentinels set in proper places observed the signal, and gave them notice of it, which was the stretching out of the spear, as appears by what follows: and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand; and the spear in his hand; from whence it is plain, that though the Lord is said to bid Joshua do this now, he had orders from him for it before and the ambush must have been made acquainted with it before they were sent away; and this was only a renewal of the order from the Lord, and which pointed out the proper time, the very crisis, when it should be stretched out: and they entered into the city; without any difficul…

Dictionary and topics

Ai — Ruins. (1.) One of the royal cities of the Canaanites (Josh. 10:1; Gen. 12:8; 13:3). It was the scene of Joshua’s defeat, and afterwards of his victory. It was the second Canaanite city taken by…
Ambush — Joshua at the capture of Ai lay in ambush, and so deceived the inhabitants that he gained an easy victory (Josh. 8:4-26). Shechem was taken in this manner (Judg. 9:30-45. Comp. Jer. 51:12).
Heap — When Joshua took the city of Ai (Josh. 8), he burned it and “made it an heap [Heb. tel] for ever” (8:28). The ruins of this city were for a long time sought for in vain. It has been at length,…
Ambush · .At Ai — .At Ai
Sieges · Cities taken by: Frequently destroyed by fire — Cities taken by: Frequently destroyed by fire
Strategy · In war — In war

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Joshua 8:19

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 8:3-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 8:18

Adam Clarke on Joshua 8:19

John Gill on Joshua 8:19

Dictionary and topics

Joshua 8:19

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 8:3-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 8:18

Adam Clarke on Joshua 8:19

John Gill on Joshua 8:19

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Joshua 8:1-29

Keil & Delitzsch on Joshua 8:1-29

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Joshua 8:18-19

Rashi on Joshua 8:18