Joshua 8

3. Joshua arose. The difficulties of this narrative will be lessened if we take vers. 3-9 as a general outline of the whole proceeding, and vers. 10-12 as a more minute detail of the arrangement adopted.

10 numbered. Rather, “mustered,” or arrayed for march.

12 five thousand men. Some suppose these to have formed a second detachment, perhaps keeping open communication between the ambush (ver. 3) and the main army. Others remark that part of vers. 12, 13 is wanting in the best MSS. of the Septuagint, and ascribe the variation in the numbers given in vers. 3-12 to a transcriber’s error in one place or the other. A valuable “Note on the variations in numbers mentioned in the Historical Books” will be found in the Annotated Paragraph Bible published by the R.T.S.

14 all his people. i.e., all the survivors. When Joshua and his troops began to flee, all the rest of the men in the city came out, leaving it entirely defenceless.

18. Stretch out the spear. A preconcerted signal, apparently appointed by God.

30. As in the LXX vers. 30-35 follow ver. 2 of ch. ix., many have thought that this paragraph refers to a later period, when more of the country was conquered, and the camp at Gilgal was broken up. We must otherwise suppose a journey from the camp to Shechem (thirty miles) and back again, through an enemy’s country. Many critics place the paragraph after the end of ch. xi. But the word Then may mean “in commemoration of this event”—not “immediately” after the destruction of Ai.