Joshua 8:20

And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
men	אַנְשֵׁי֩ 'an.Shei	H582	a man in general (singly or collectively) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Ai	הָעַ֨י ha.'Ai	H5857	Ai · definite article + proper noun, a place name
looked	וַיִּפְנ֣וּ vai.yif.Nu	H6437	to turn · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
behind	אַחֲרֵיהֶ֜ם 'a.cha.rei.Hem	H310	properly · cardinal number, masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
saw	וַיִּרְא֗וּ vai.yir.'U	H7200	to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
smoke	עֲשַׁ֤ן 'a.Shan	H6227	smoke · noun, common masculine singular construct
city	הָעִיר֙ ha.'Ir	H5892	a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
up	עָלָ֜ה 'a.Lah	H5927	to ascend · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
heaven	הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה ha.sha.May.mah	H8064	the sky (as aloft · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute + directional suffix
power	יָדַ֛יִם ya.Da.yim	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders dual absolute
flee	לָנ֖וּס la.Nus	H5127	to flit · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
way	הֵ֣נָּה He.nah	H2008	hither or thither (but used both of place and time) · adverb
people	וְהָעָם֙ ve.ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · conjunction + definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
fled	הַנָּ֣ס ha.Nas	H5127	to flit · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
wilderness	הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר ha.mid.Bar	H4057	a pasture (i.e. open field · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
back	נֶהְפַּ֖ךְ neh.Pakh	H2015	to turn about or over · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
pursuers	הָרוֹדֵֽף ha.ro.Def	H7291	to run after (usually with hostile intent · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine 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).

Cross-references

Genesis 19:28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the…
Job 11:20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
Psalms 48:5-6 They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
Psalms 76:5 The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
Isaiah 34:10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall…
Amos 2:14-16 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every fr…
Revelation 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they s…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

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 8:20

They had no power to flee this way or that way - They were in utter consternation; they saw that the city was taken, they found themselves in the midst of their foes; that their wives, children, and property, had fallen a prey to their enemies, in consequence of which they were so utterly panic-struck as to be incapable of making any resistance.

John Gill on Joshua 8:20

And when the men of Ai looked behind them,.... On some account or another, perhaps observing that the army of Israel made a full stop and was gazing at the city: they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven; from whence they concluded an enemy was there, and had set fire to it: and they had no power to flee this way or that way; for if they turned back to their city there was an enemy, how powerful they knew not, possessed of it, and whom they might expect would meet them; and if they pushed forward, there was the whole army of Israel against them, which now turned and faced them, showing no fear of them: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon th…

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
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 8:20

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 8:3-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 8:18

Adam Clarke on Joshua 8:20

John Gill on Joshua 8:20

Dictionary and topics

Joshua 8:20

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 8:3-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 8:18

Adam Clarke on Joshua 8:20

John Gill on Joshua 8:20

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 8:20