So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Joshua arose, with all the warriors, to go up to Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them out by night.
- KJV 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.
- BSB So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night
- NASB So Joshua rose up with all the people of war to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night.
- NLT So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of his best warriors and sent them out at night
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 mobilizes the army and dispatches thirty thousand chosen warriors by night to carry out the plan. He moves promptly in obedient faith.
Overview
Joshua's immediate response to God's word models the prompt obedience that marks faithful leadership. The selection of valiant men and the cover of night reflect careful, disciplined execution of the divine strategy. Confidence in God's promise does not breed passivity but stirs decisive, well-ordered action.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Matt 24:50the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it,
- Matt 24:39and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
- 1 Th 5:2For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.
- Matt 25:6But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’
- 2 Pet 3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
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 8:3 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.