And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.
All the people with Joshua, including his warriors, marched up and approached the city. They set up camp on the north side of Ai, with a valley separating them from the city.
This verse describes Joshua's army positioning themselves strategically north of the city of Ai, with a valley between them and their target.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place during Israel's conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership, after their initial defeat at Ai due to Achan's sin had been resolved. Joshua was now implementing a carefully planned military strategy to capture this fortified Canaanite city. The positioning described here was part of an ambush tactic that would involve dividing his forces.
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