Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
Parallel translations
- WEB Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land.” The men went up and spied out Ai.
- KJV And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
- NKJV Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
- NASB Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
- NLT Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Joshua sent men to spy out Ai, a smaller town near Bethel. Confident after Jericho, Israel prepared to advance, unaware of hidden sin in the camp.
Overview
The reconnaissance of Ai seems like prudent strategy following the great victory. Yet the reader knows from verse 1 that Achan's sin has already broken fellowship with God. The contrast between Israel's confidence and its hidden guilt foreshadows the defeat to come, teaching that outward planning cannot substitute for being right with God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Josh 18:12On the north side their border began at the Jordan, went up past the northern slope of Jericho, headed west through the hill country, and came out at the wilderness of Beth-aven.
- 1 Sam 14:23So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth-aven.
- 1 Sam 13:5Now the Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
- Hos 4:15Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
- Gen 12:8From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
- Matt 10:16Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Prov 20:18Set plans by consultation, and wage war under sound guidance.
- Prov 24:6Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
- Josh 12:9the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is near Bethel, one;
- Josh 2:1Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
- Eph 5:15Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
- Neh 11:31The descendants of Benjamin from Geba lived in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel with its villages;
- Gen 28:19and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 7:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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