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,
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
- Matt 10:16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- Judg 20:31–33And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
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 8:5 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.