Joshua 8:16 kjv
And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Joshua 8:16 nkjv
So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
Joshua 8:16 niv
All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.
Joshua 8:16 esv
So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.
Joshua 8:16 nlt
Then all the men in the town were called out to chase after them. In this way, they were lured away from the town.
Joshua 8 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Josh 8:1 | Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid... I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai..." | God's prior assurance of victory over Ai. |
| Josh 8:2 | You are to do to Ai... just as you did to Jericho... set an ambush behind the city. | Divine instruction for the ambush strategy. |
| Josh 8:5 | We will flee before them... so they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city. | Joshua's plan echoing God's instruction. |
| Josh 7:4-5 | About three thousand men went up... But they fled before the men of Ai... | The prior defeat at Ai, informing the strategy. |
| Exod 14:3-4 | For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land... I will harden Pharaoh's heart...' | God hardening an enemy's heart for their downfall. |
| Judg 20:29-36 | Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah... Benjaminites pursued them... But they were caught in the trap. | Similar ambush strategy leading to enemy defeat. |
| 1 Sam 23:26 | Saul and his men were pursuing David... But David fled with his men from Saul, who pursued him. | Saul's determined, yet futile, pursuit. |
| 2 Sam 5:23-25 | David inquired of the Lord... when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out... | God providing specific military strategy to David. |
| 2 Chr 13:13-16 | Jeroboam had sent an ambush around them... But Judah cried out to the Lord... | Ambush tactics used in inter-Israelite warfare. |
| Job 5:12-13 | He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success... | God foils human cunning/strategy. |
| Prov 16:18 | Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. | Ai's overconfidence leading to its doom. |
| Prov 21:30-31 | No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord... | Human plans are futile against God's will. |
| Isa 47:7-11 | You said, 'I shall remain forever...' sudden destruction comes upon you, which you do not know. | Prophecy against a proud city that feels secure. |
| Jer 49:7-8 | Has counsel perished from Teman?... I will bring disaster upon Esau. | God removing counsel from the wise of Edom, leading to their demise. |
| Amos 2:14 | Flight shall perish from the swift; and the strong shall not retain his strength... | Human strength and speed failing against God's judgment. |
| 1 Cor 1:27 | But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak... | God's strategies often confound human logic. |
| Col 2:8 | See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit... | Warning against deceptive human wisdom. |
| 2 Tim 3:13 | But evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. | Deception can be a path to downfall. |
| Ps 76:10 | Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; with a remnant of wrath you will restrain him. | Even human anger/pursuit serves God's purpose. |
| Ps 9:15-16 | The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. | Enemies ensnared by their own traps/folly. |
| Luke 14:31-32 | Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate... | Strategic planning in warfare, contrasted with Ai's impulsiveness. |
Joshua 8 verses
Joshua 8 16 Meaning
Joshua 8:16 describes the crucial moment in the battle for Ai where the city's inhabitants were collectively summoned and then eagerly pursued the Israelite forces, who were executing a feigned retreat as commanded by God. This pursuit drew the entire populace away from the protective walls of their city, leaving Ai undefended and vulnerable to the pre-positioned ambush force.
Joshua 8 16 Context
The verse is nestled within the narrative of Israel's second campaign against Ai, detailed in Joshua chapter 8. This second attempt follows the devastating defeat in chapter 7, which was a direct consequence of Achan's sin regarding the devoted things from Jericho. Having purged the sin from the camp, God restores His presence and guidance to Israel. God Himself commands Joshua with a specific strategy: to employ a feigned retreat to lure Ai's entire population out of the city, while an ambush force occupies the deserted stronghold. Joshua 8:16 depicts the enemy's precise reaction, crucial for the successful execution of God's strategic plan. Historically, ancient cities were often highly fortified, and drawing out the inhabitants was a common tactic to make an assault possible, but the precision and total abandonment by Ai here highlight divine orchestration.
Joshua 8 16 Word analysis
- So all the people that were in Ai:
- This phrase emphasizes the collective and exhaustive response of Ai. Not just a small contingent, but all the people capable of fighting or fleeing left their city, demonstrating their complete commitment to the pursuit and their overconfidence.
- were called together (וַיִּצָּעֲקוּ, vayyits'aqqu):
- Derived from the root צוה (tsa'aq), meaning "to cry out," "to assemble by proclamation," or "to gather." In this context, it suggests a spontaneous yet unified mobilization. It paints a picture of eager, perhaps even chaotic, response to the perceived opportunity to finish off the retreating Israelites, whom they had defeated before. They rallied swiftly to capitalize on what they believed was a rout.
- to pursue after them:
- (לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֵיהֶם, lir'dof achareyhem) From the root רדף (radaph), meaning "to pursue," "to chase." This indicates their aggressive intent and single-minded focus. Their desire to press their advantage after the previous victory blinds them to any potential trap, illustrating their overconfidence.
- and they pursued after Joshua:
- This clarifies the direct target of their pursuit. Joshua himself led the deceptive retreat, drawing the enemy's primary focus towards the visible "fleeing" Israelites. This makes their abandonment of the city even more complete, as their king and lead forces also chased after the retreating Israelite contingent.
- and were drawn away from the city (וַיִּנָּתְקוּ מִן-הָעִיר, vayyinnet'qu min-ha'ir):
- From the root נתק (nataq), meaning "to tear away," "to pull off," or "to be detached." The Nifal stem here indicates a passive or reflexive sense ("they were drawn away" or "they detached themselves"). This is the critical tactical point of the verse. Their pursuit resulted in their separation from their fortress, precisely as God had planned. This word choice underscores that their departure was not a tactical withdrawal but an active abandonment of their defense, driven by their eagerness.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "were called together to pursue after them": This highlights the immediate, unified, and aggressive response of Ai's population. They saw an opportunity and seized it with collective resolve, indicating their prior success had bred an unthinking hubris.
- "and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city": This phrase clearly connects the act of pursuit directly to the crucial consequence of leaving the city vulnerable. Joshua's calculated deception achieved its intended result by leveraging Ai's overconfidence, thus demonstrating divine strategy at play.
Joshua 8 16 Bonus section
The Hebrew verb נָתַק (nataq), "to be drawn away," carries a nuance of something being forcefully pulled or torn from its position. In this passive usage ("were drawn away"), it underscores that the people of Ai became detached from their primary source of security – their city walls. This detachment was the direct result of Joshua's specific tactic, demonstrating God's meticulous planning where the enemy's actions precisely fit into the divine trap. This moment reverses the despair of Josh 7; where Israel previously fled from Ai, now Ai flees from its safety towards Israel's snare, illustrating God's complete reversal of their fortunes based on Israel's renewed obedience. The victory here at Ai also subtly prepares Israel for larger conquest, proving God's power over seemingly insurmountable obstacles and demonstrating that even an enemy's predictable reactions can serve divine purpose.
Joshua 8 16 Commentary
Joshua 8:16 is the linchpin verse demonstrating the successful execution of God's divinely inspired strategy against Ai. After their prior defeat, Israel learned the lesson of obedience, and God, in turn, provided a specific, detailed battle plan that utilized a common military deception: the feigned retreat and ambush. Ai's reaction, vividly described here, reveals their tactical blindness born of overconfidence from their previous victory. Their "calling together" and "eager pursuit" were not signs of superior tactics but rather impulsive reactions to a perceived opportunity. The core significance lies in "and were drawn away from the city," emphasizing how their own zeal led them directly into the snare prepared for them. This shows that human arrogance and shortsightedness can be orchestrated by God to bring about His perfect judgment and fulfill His promises. It also teaches that true security comes not from fortified walls or military might, but from God's favor and guidance.