Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB There was not a man left in Ai or Beth El who didn’t go out after Israel. They left the city open, and pursued Israel.
- KJV And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
- NKJV There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.
- NASB So not a man was left in Ai or Bethel, but they had all gone out after Israel, and they left the city unguarded and pursued Israel.
- NLT There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not chase after the Israelites, and the town was left wide open.
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
Not a man remains in Ai or Bethel; all go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open. The enemy's total commitment ensures their destruction.
Overview
The emptying of both cities shows how thoroughly the ruse succeeded and how God hardened the enemy to their own downfall. The open, defenseless city now lies ready for the ambush to seize. The total pursuit fulfills the plan and sets up the decisive reversal that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Deut 2:30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.
- Josh 11:20For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Josh 8:3So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night
- Isa 19:11–13The princes of Zoan are mere fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a son of eastern kings”?
- Job 5:13He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.
- Josh 8:24–25When 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.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 8:17 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.