Joshua 8:29
in Joshua 8He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until the eventide: and at the going down of the sun Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree, and cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised thereon a great heap of stones, unto this day.
KJV
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
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This verse in Joshua 8
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe king of Ai he hanged on a tree - He had gone out at the head of his men, and had been taken prisoner, Jos 8:23; and the battle being over, he was ordered to be hanged, probably after having been strangled, or in some way deprived of life, as in the case mentioned Jos 10:26, for in those times it was not customary to hang people alive. As soon as the sun was down - It was not lawful to let the bodies remain all night upon the tree. See the note on Deu 21:
This site's exposition
He hung the king of Ai on a tree
The body comes down at sunset because Deuteronomy 21:22-23 requires it, and Joshua does the same with five kings at 10:26-27. The pile of rocks over him is the second in the book, after Achan’s at 7:26. Paul quotes that law at Galatians 3:13 and reads it of the cross.
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
The gate of the city - Which place he chose either as most commodious, now especially when all the city within the gate was already turned in to an heap of stones and rubbish; or because this was the usual place of judgment; and therefore proper to bear the monument of God's just sentence against him, not without reflection upon that injustice which he had been guilty of in that place.
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
An immense cairn was raised over his grave--an ancient usage, still existing in the East, whereby is marked the sepulchre of persons whose memory is infamous.
The words behind it
32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֶ֧לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| הָעַ֛י | haai | <the> Ai | H5857 → | 40 times |
| תָּלָ֥ה | talah | he hanged | H8518 → | 27 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָעֵ֖ץ | haetz | the tree | H6086 → | 328 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| עֵ֣ת | ʾet | [the] time of | H6256 → | 296 times |
| הָעָ֑רֶב | haarev | the evening | H6153 → | 134 times |
| וּכְב֣וֹא | ukhevo' | and just as went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ֩ | hashemesh | the sun | H8121 → | 134 times |
| צִוָּ֨ה | tzivah | he commanded | H6680 → | 494 times |
| יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ | yehoshua' | Joshua | H3091 → | 218 times |
| וַיֹּרִ֧ידוּ | vaiyoridu | and they took down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נִבְלָת֣וֹ | nivlato | corpse his | H5038 → | |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הָעֵ֗ץ | haetz | the tree | H6086 → | 328 times |
| וַיַּשְׁלִ֤יכוּ | vaiyashlikhu | and they threw | H7993 → | 125 times |
| אוֹתָהּ֙ | ʾotah | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| פֶּ֙תַח֙ | petach | [the] entrance of | H6607 → | 164 times |
| שַׁ֣עַר | shaar | [the] gate of | H8179 → | 374 times |
| הָעִ֔יר | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| וַיָּקִ֤ימוּ | vaiyakimu | and they set up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| עָלָיו֙ | ʾalav | over him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| גַּל־ | gal- | a heap of | H1530 → | |
| אֲבָנִ֣ים | ʾavanim | stones | H68 → | 273 times |
| גָּד֔וֹל | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| עַ֖ד | ʾad | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| הַיּ֥וֹם | haiyom | the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ פ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
מֶ֧לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
הָעַ֛י<the> Ai
haaiH5857 →40 times
תָּלָ֥הhe hanged
talahH8518 →27 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָעֵ֖ץthe tree
haetzH6086 →328 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
עֵ֣ת[the] time of
ʾetH6256 →296 times
הָעָ֑רֶבthe evening
haarevH6153 →134 times
וּכְב֣וֹאand just as went
ukhevo'H935 →2568 times
הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ֩the sun
hashemeshH8121 →134 times
צִוָּ֨הhe commanded
tzivahH6680 →494 times
יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַJoshua
yehoshua'H3091 →218 times
וַיֹּרִ֧ידוּand they took down
vaiyoriduH3381 →381 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
נִבְלָת֣וֹcorpse his
nivlatoH5038 →
מִן־from
min-H4480 →1188 times
הָעֵ֗ץthe tree
haetzH6086 →328 times
וַיַּשְׁלִ֤יכוּand they threw
vaiyashlikhuH7993 →125 times
אוֹתָהּ֙<obj.> it
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
פֶּ֙תַח֙[the] entrance of
petachH6607 →164 times
שַׁ֣עַר[the] gate of
shaarH8179 →374 times
הָעִ֔ירthe city
hairH5892 →1090 times
וַיָּקִ֤ימוּand they set up
vaiyakimuH6965 →628 times
עָלָיו֙over him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
גַּל־a heap of
gal-H1530 →
אֲבָנִ֣יםstones
ʾavanimH68 →273 times
גָּד֔וֹלgreat
gadolH1419 →526 times
עַ֖דuntil
ʾadH5704 →1261 times
הַיּ֥וֹםthe day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַזֶּֽה׃ פ<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
Joshua 7:26And they heaped over Achan a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. So the LORD turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor to this…
it leads to
- Hosea 2:15
There I will give back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the…
- Isaiah 65:10
Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for My people who seek Me.
- Deuteronomy 13:17
Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,
- Lamentations 3:53
They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
- 2 Samuel 18:17
They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.
- Hosea 2:15
Through
2 Samuel 18:17They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.
it leads to
- Joshua 7:26
And they heaped over Achan a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. So the LORD turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor to this…
- 2 Samuel 19:8
So the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So they all came before the king. Meanwhile, the Israelites…
- 2 Samuel 20:1
Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son.…
- Joshua 7:26
Where this verse is studied
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Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.