Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.
Parallel translations
- WEB I and all the people who are with me will approach to the city. It shall happen, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them.
- KJV And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
- NKJV Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them.
- NASB Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out to meet us as they did the first time, we will flee before them.
- NLT When our main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out to fight as they did before, and we will run away from them.
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 and the main force will approach Ai and then feign retreat as they did before, drawing the enemy out. A planned weakness becomes the bait of the trap.
Overview
The earlier defeat at Ai becomes the very thing Joshua turns to Israel's advantage, luring the overconfident enemy from their stronghold. The strategy turns the memory of failure into a means of victory now that God is with them. This reversal pictures how God can redeem past defeats for his people's good once sin is dealt with and obedience restored.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Josh 7:5And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
- Matt 10:16Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Judg 20:31–33The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 8:5 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.