Joshua 8 · Verse 2

Joshua 8:2

And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
Joshua 8:2, King James Version

Joshua 8:2 in other translations

BSBAnd you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
WEBYou shall do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king, except you shall take its goods and its livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”
ASVand thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: set thee an ambush for the city behind it.
YLTand thou hast done to Ai and to her king as thou hast done to Jericho and to her king; only, its spoil and its cattle ye spoil for yourselves; set for thee an ambush for the city at its rear.'
DARBYAnd thou shalt do to Ai and to its king as thou didst to Jericho and to its king; only, the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof shall ye take as prey for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city behind it.
BBEAnd you are to do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king: but their goods and their cattle you may take for yourselves: let a secret force be stationed to make a surprise attack on the town from the back.
WebsterAnd thou shalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didst to Jericho and her king: only its spoil, and its cattle, shall ye take for a prey to yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

What does Joshua 8:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 8:1-2

Jos 8:1-28. God Encourages Joshua. 1-2. The Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not--By the execution of justice on Achan, the divine wrath was averted, the Israelites were reassured, defeat was succeeded by victory; and thus the case of Ai affords a striking example of God's disciplinary government, in which chastisements for sin are often made to pave the way for the bestowment of those temporal benefits, which, on…

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Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joshua 8:1-2

When we have faithfully put away sin, that accursed thing which separates between us and God, then, and not till then, we may look 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. God encouraged Joshua to proceed. At Ai the spoil was not to be destroyed as at Jericho, therefore there was no danger of the people's…

Read the full comment on Joshua 8:1-2 →

Joshua 8:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְעָשִׂ֨יתָve.'a.Si.taand you will doH6213
לָעַ֜יla.'Aito <the> AiH5857
וּלְמַלְכָּ֗הּu.le.mal.Kahand to king itsH4428
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨רka.'a.Sherjust asH834
עָשִׂ֤יתָ'a.Si.tayou didH6213
לִֽירִיחוֹ֙li.ri.Choto JerichoH3405
וּלְמַלְכָּ֔הּu.le.mal.Kahand to king itsH4428
רַק\־rak-onlyH7535
שְׁלָלָ֥הּshe.la.Lahbooty itsH7998
וּבְהֶמְתָּ֖הּu.ve.hem.Tahand livestock itsH929
תָּבֹ֣זּוּta.Vo.zuyou will plunderH962
לָכֶ֑םla.Khemfor <the> yourselves
שִׂים\־sim-setH7760
לְךָ֥le.Khafor <the> yourself
אֹרֵ֛ב'o.Revan ambushH693
לָעִ֖ירla.'Irfor the cityH5892
מֵאַחֲרֶֽיהָ\׃me.'a.cha.Rei.ha<from> behind itH310

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joshua 8:2

  • Deuteronomy 20:14

    But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

  • Joshua 6:21

    And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

  • 2 Chronicles 20:22

    And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

  • Proverbs 13:22

    A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

  • Joshua 8:12

    And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth–el and Ai, on the west side of the city.

  • Joshua 10:28

    And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.

  • Joshua 8:24

    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.

  • Joshua 8:9

    Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth–el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

  • Jeremiah 17:11

    As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

  • Joshua 8:7

    Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

  • Joshua 10:1

    Now it came to pass, when Adoni–zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

  • 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.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
do to Ai.
24,28,29
See on ch.
6:21; 10:1,28; De 3:2
only the spoil.
27; De 20:14; Job 27:16,17; Ps 39:6; Pr 13:22; 28:20; Jer 17:11
Lu 12:20,21
lay thee.
7,9,12,14,19; Jud 20:29-33; 2Ch 13:13; 20:22; Jer 51:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Joshua 8:1

    And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:

  • Joshua 8:2

    And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

  • Joshua 8:3

    So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.

Read all of Joshua 8

Joshua 8:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y harás á Hai y á su rey como hiciste á Jericó y á su rey: sólo que sus despojos y sus bestias tomaréis para vosotros. Pondrás, pues, emboscadas á la ciudad detrás de ella.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et tu feras à Aï et à son roi comme tu as fait à Jéricho et à son roi; seulement, vous pillerez pour vous le butin et les bêtes. Dresse une embuscade contre la ville, derrière elle.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und du sollst an Ai und an seinem König tun, so wie du an Jericho und an seinem König getan hast; jedoch seine Beute und sein Vieh dürft ihr für euch plündern. Lege dir einen Hinterhalt gegen die Stadt, in ihren Rücken.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Faciesque urbi Hai, et regi ejus, sicut fecisti Jericho, et regi illius: prædam vero, et omnia animantia diripietis vobis: pone insidias urbi post eam.