Joshua 8:2 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

You should do to Ai and its king the same thing you did to Jericho and its king. But this time, you may keep the valuable things and livestock for yourselves. Set up a surprise attack by hiding soldiers behind the city.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

God is telling Joshua to completely defeat Ai like they did Jericho, but this time allowing the Israelites to keep the plunder and use military strategy.

📚 Historical Context

This command came after Israel's initial defeat at Ai due to Achan's disobedience in taking forbidden items from Jericho. After dealing with that sin, God was now giving Joshua specific battle instructions for a second attack on Ai, a Canaanite city near Bethel.

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Ezekiel 38:13

The traders from Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish — along with all their business partners — are going to call you out: 'So you're really here just to rob everyone? You brought this whole army together to steal everything valuable — the silver, gold, livestock, and anything else worth taking?'

Exodus 10:24

Then Pharaoh called Moses to him and said, 'Go ahead and worship the LORD, but leave your livestock behind. You can take your children with you.'

Numbers 31:12

They brought the prisoners, the livestock, and all the valuable things they had taken to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the whole community of Israel at their camp on the plains of Moab, which was by the Jordan River near Jericho.

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📚 Historical Context

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