Joshua 8:24
in Joshua 8When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they pursued them, and they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all Israel returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
KJV
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
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This verse in Joshua 8
Commentary
6 notes on this verseReturned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. - This must refer to the women, children, and old persons, left behind; for it is likely that all the effective men had sallied out when they imagined the Israelites had fled. See Jos 8:16.
This site's exposition
they took the king of Ai alive
on Joshua 8:23-25
Twelve thousand is the whole population, men and women counted together, so the spies at 7:3 were right that the town was small. Clarke reads verse 24 of those left inside, the women and children and old men, since the fighting strength had gone out after Israel.
This site's exposition
returned to Ai
Matthew Henry reads the killing at Ai as a sentence God had already passed on its wickedness, with Israel as the ministers of his justice. The verse records two stages. Israel finishes the men in the field first, and only then returns to the town.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
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, I. They built an altar, and offered sacrifice to God (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai,....
God, the righteous Judge, had passed this sentence upon them for their wickedness, so that the Israelites were only the ministers of his justice and the executioners of his doom. Once in this story, and but once, mention is made of the men of Beth-el, as confederates with the men of Ai,
The words behind it
27 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֣י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְּכַלּ֣וֹת | kekhalot | when had finished | H3615 → | 208 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| לַהֲרֹג֩ | laharog | to kill | H2026 → | 167 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֹשְׁבֵ֨י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| הָעַ֜י | haai | <the> Ai | H5857 → | 40 times |
| בַּשָּׂדֶ֗ה | basadeh | in the open country | H7704 → | 334 times |
| בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ | bamidbar | in the wilderness | H4057 → | 270 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| רְדָפ֣וּם | redafum | they had pursued them | H7291 → | 143 times |
| בּ֔וֹ | bo | in <the> it | ||
| וַֽיִּפְּל֥וּ | vaiyipelu | and they had fallen | H5307 → | 435 times |
| כֻלָּ֛ם | khulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לְפִי־ | lefi- | to [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| חֶ֖רֶב | cherev | [the] sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| תֻּמָּ֑ם | tumam | were finished they | H8552 → | 63 times |
| וַיָּשֻׁ֤בוּ | vaiyashuvu | and they returned | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| הָעַ֔י | haai | <the> Ai | H5857 → | 40 times |
| וַיַּכּ֥וּ | vaiyaku | and they attacked | H5221 → | 499 times |
| אֹתָ֖הּ | ʾotah | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לְפִי־ | lefi- | to [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| חָֽרֶב׃ | charev | [the] sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
וַיְהִ֣יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כְּכַלּ֣וֹתwhen had finished
kekhalotH3615 →208 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֡לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
לַהֲרֹג֩to kill
laharogH2026 →167 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
יֹשְׁבֵ֨י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
הָעַ֜י<the> Ai
haaiH5857 →40 times
בַּשָּׂדֶ֗הin the open country
basadehH7704 →334 times
בַּמִּדְבָּר֙in the wilderness
bamidbarH4057 →270 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
רְדָפ֣וּםthey had pursued them
redafumH7291 →143 times
בּ֔וֹin <the> it
bo
וַֽיִּפְּל֥וּand they had fallen
vaiyipeluH5307 →435 times
כֻלָּ֛םall of them
khulamH3605 →5413 times
לְפִי־to [the] mouth of
lefi-H6310 →498 times
חֶ֖רֶב[the] sword
cherevH2719 →413 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
תֻּמָּ֑םwere finished they
tumamH8552 →63 times
וַיָּשֻׁ֤בוּand they returned
vaiyashuvuH7725 →1056 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
הָעַ֔י<the> Ai
haaiH5857 →40 times
וַיַּכּ֥וּand they attacked
vaiyakuH5221 →499 times
אֹתָ֖הּ<obj.> it
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
לְפִי־to [the] mouth of
lefi-H6310 →498 times
חָֽרֶב׃[the] sword
charevH2719 →413 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 21:24And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.
it leads to
- Amos 2:9
Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and…
- Genesis 32:22
During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
- Psalms 136:19
Sihon king of the Amorites His loving devotion endures forever.
- Joshua 24:8
Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their land when I…
- Nehemiah 9:22
You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan.
- Amos 2:9
Where this verse is studied
About Joshua
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.