Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 8:12
And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
12. he took ] Or rather, had taken.
between Beth-el and Ai ] Comp. ch. Jos 7:2 with Gen 12:8; Gen 13:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He took – Rather had taken; the words refer to the ambuscade which Joshua had detached during the previous night.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
And he took, or, rather, but he had taken, to wit, out of the said number of thirty thousand, for this is added by way of recapitulation and further explication of what is said in general, Jos 8:9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush,…. This was another ambush, as both Jarchi and Kimchi observe; and the latter adds, perhaps he set them nearer the city than the former; though some are of opinion that these are the same ambush spoken of, whose number is here given, being set on the same side of the city; and they suppose that Joshua had with him but thirty thousand men in all, five thousand of which he sent to lie in ambush, and the other twenty five thousand remained with him; but it seems clear that all the men of war were to be taken, and were taken by them, and that out of them thirty thousand were sent by him to lie in wait at first, and now five thousand more:
between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city; and though they were on the same side of the city with the first and larger ambush, yet, as Abarbinel observes, they might be set nearer the city and to the army; and he supposes the first ambush was to take the city, and the second little ambush, as he calls it, was placed, that when the men of the city came out, they might make a noise and a stir, and skirmish with them, that so they might not come upon the camp suddenly.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush . . .Is this a fresh body, or only a portion of the thirty thousand mentioned in Jos. 8:3? It is, of course, possible that the body of thirty thousand, having closed the communications between Bethel and Ai on the first night, and finding that they were more numerous than was necessary, had rejoined Joshua when he came up, and that a small body of five thousand was told off for the service on the next day. But after carefully studying the natural features of the position by the Ordnance map (of which I have been able to enjoy the advantage at this point of my work), I am inclined to think that both forces were employedthe thirty thousand and the five thousandand for distinct services. There are two ravines, which come to a head between Beitin (Bethel) and et-Tel (Ai). The body of men who were to fire the town of Ai were posted in the one nearer to Ai. The larger body, whose business was to prevent any interference from the side of Bethel, were posted in the ravine next to that city, where they had been from the first. If it be remembered, as was before observed, that Joshua was attacking a fortified town, which was protected in flank by another town, and that it was necessary to be prepared for all contingencies from the first, the meaning of his movements will be apparent.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. And he took about five thousand The Hebrew has no separate form for the pluperfect tense, hence we are justified in rendering an indefinite past tense by the pluperfect when the context requires it, as the Vulgate has rendered this had taken and had set.
‘ And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.’
These were probably a further precaution rather than to increase the previous ambush. It may well have been in case of an attack from Bethel because he had recognised more clearly the threat posed by it. What he had probably not realised was that armed men from Bethel had already reinforced Ai (Jos 8:17). (Troop deployments are often a mystery to readers when viewed without a recognition of all the factors).
Ver. 12. And he took about five thousand men Besides the thirty thousand men whom Joshua had sent off, he detached five thousand more, either to inforce the former, or to guard the defiles, and shut up passages against those who fled. See Le Clerc and Calmet. We cannot help owning, however, that all this is far from being clear. It is reckoned, that six hundred thousand fighting men would only have occasioned perplexity on this occasion; that Joshua took only thirty thousand chosen men for this expedition; that of these thirty thousand men he detached five thousand, who, making a turn from the north to the south, by way of the east, posted themselves in the nighttime as near as possible to Ai, while the general passed that night with the twenty-five thousand men remaining, and did not advance till the morrow. Or else, some conjecture, with Calvin, that the five thousand men, who had lain in ambush under favour of the dark, formed a detachment separate from that of the thirty thousand men, who did not march till the morrow. If these accounts do not appear so wholly conformable to the text as the other, they seem to have greatly the advantage in point of arrangement. It is left to the reader to form his judgment of them. We shall only observe, that an ambuscade of thirty thousand men must have been very strong; and that the reason alleged by Bishop Patrick, to prove that the whole army of Israel marched before Ai, appears not to be substantial. “It was,” says he, “in order that all the Israelites might partake of the spoil:” but then this learned prelate had forgotten what he judiciously observes elsewhere; (see Num 31:25; Num 31:54.) namely, that those who remained in the camp had a suitable proportion of the booty, as well as those who were commanded on an expedition; and that God himself had ordered matters in this manner.
Jos 8:12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Ver. 12. Between Bethel and Ai. ] Those two confederate cities, in woods and coverts, probably in the wilderness of Bethaven. Jos 18:12-13
of the city. Another school of Massorites read “of Ai”, with many codices and Aramaic.
five thousand: Jos 8:2, Jos 8:3
of the city: or, of Ai
Reciprocal: Jos 8:1 – take all Jos 8:9 – between Jos 8:13 – on the west Jdg 9:25 – General
Jos 8:12. He took about five thousand men and set them to lie in ambush Here commentators are divided. The learned Bishop Patrick, with many others, (see Le Clerc and Calmet,) has given it as his opinion, that, besides the thirty thousand whom Joshua had sent off before to lie in ambush, (Jos 8:3-4,) he now detached five thousand more to guard the roads, and intercept such as might endeavour to save themselves by flight; or to strengthen those that were first sent and that he appeared in arms against the city; with his whole force, according to Gods express command, (Jos 8:1,) to take all the people of war with him. And certainly the letter of the text favours this interpretation. Many, however, think, that all the people were taken only to encamp near the city, and that out of them Joshua chose thirty thousand to be employed in the action, out of which he detached five thousand to lie in ambush, which were as many, they think, as could be supposed to march without being discovered, and then, that with the remaining twenty-five thousand he made the open attack. Or else that the attack was made with the thirty thousand, and that the five thousand formed a separate detachment drawn from the rest of the people. The matter is not perfectly clear, or free from difficulty, either way; and the reader is left to form his own judgment of it from the statement now given.
8:12 And he took about five thousand men, {e} and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
(e) He sent these few, that the others who lay in ambush might not be discovered.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes