Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 31st, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Joshua 8:4

with these orders: "Hide in ambush close behind the town and be ready for action.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambush;   Armies;   Strategy;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities;   Sieges;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ambush;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Bethel;   Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Israel;   Joshua;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ai, Hai ;   Ambush, Ambushment;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ai;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He commanded them: “Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready.
Hebrew Names Version
He commanded them, saying, Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; don't go very far from the city, but be all ready:
King James Version
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
Lexham English Bible
And he commanded them, saying, "Look, you are to lay an ambush against the city from behind. Do not go very far from the city and be ready.
English Standard Version
And he commanded them, "Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready.
New Century Version
Joshua gave them these orders: "Listen carefully. You must set up an ambush behind the city. Don't go far from it, but continue to watch and be ready.
New English Translation
He told them, "Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from the city; all of you be ready!
Amplified Bible
He commanded them, saying, "Listen closely, you are going to lie in wait and ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far away from the city, but all of you be ready.
New American Standard Bible
He commanded them, saying, "See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, yee shall lye in waite against the citie on the backeside of the citie: goe not very farre from the citie, but be ye all in a readinesse.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he commanded them, saying, "See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
Complete Jewish Bible
He instructed them, "You are to lie in wait to ambush the city from behind. Stay close to the city; and all of you, be ready.
Darby Translation
And he commanded them, saying, See, ye shall be in ambush against the city, behind the city: go not very far from the city, and be all of you ready.
Easy-to-Read Version
Joshua gave them this command: "Listen carefully to what I tell you. You must hide in the area behind the city. Wait for the time to attack. Don't go far from the city. Continue to watch and be ready.
George Lamsa Translation
And he commanded them, saying. Behold, when you shall lie in wait against the city, from behind it, do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready;
Good News Translation
with these orders: "Hide on the other side of the city, but not too far away from it; be ready to attack.
Literal Translation
And he commanded them, saying, See, you will be an ambush against the city, behind the city. You shall not go very far off from the city, and all of you shall be ready.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and commaunded them, and sayde: Take hede, ye shal be ye preuye watch behynde the cite, but go not to farre from the cite, and se that ye be redye alltogether.
American Standard Version
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
Bible in Basic English
And he gave them their orders, saying, Go and take up your position secretly at the back of the town: do not go very far away, and let all of you be ready:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he commaunded them, saying: Beholde, ye shall lye in wayte agaynst the towne on the backside thereof: Go not verie farre from the citie, but be all redie:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he commanded them, saying: 'Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready.
King James Version (1611)
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the citie, euen behind the citie: goe not very farre from the citie, but be ye all ready:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he charged them, saying, Do ye lie in ambush behind the city: do not go far from the city, and ye shall all be ready.
English Revised Version
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
Berean Standard Bible
with these orders: "Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and comaundide to hem, and seide, Sette ye buyschementis bihynde the citee, and go ye not ferthere; and alle ye schulen be redi;
Young's Literal Translation
and commandeth them, saying, `See, ye are liers in wait against the city, at the rear of the city, ye go not very far off from the city, and all of you have been prepared,
Update Bible Version
And he commanded them, saying, Look, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; don't go very far from the city, but all of you be ready:
Webster's Bible Translation
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, [even] behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
World English Bible
He commanded them, saying, Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; don't go very far from the city, but be all ready:
New King James Version
And he commanded them, saying: "Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
New Life Bible
He told them, "See, you are going to fight the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
New Revised Standard
with the command, "You shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it; do not go very far from the city, but all of you stay alert.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he commanded them, saying - See! ye, shall be lying in ambush against the city, behind the city, do not go very far from the city, - so shall ye all be ready.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And commanded them, saying: Lay an ambush behind the city: and go not very far from it: and be ye all ready.
Revised Standard Version
And he commanded them, "Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it; do not go very far from the city, but hold yourselves all in readiness;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He commanded them, saying, "See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

Contextual Overview

3 So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of his best warriors and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: "Hide in ambush close behind the town and be ready for action. 5 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. 6 We will let them chase us until we have drawn them away from the town. For they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.' Then, while we are running from them, 7 you will jump up from your ambush and take possession of the town, for the Lord your God will give it to you. 8 Set the town on fire, as the Lord has commanded. You have your orders." 9 So they left and went to the place of ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai. But Joshua remained among the people in the camp that night.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

lie in wait: Joshua 8:16, Judges 9:25, Judges 20:29, Judges 20:33, Judges 20:36, 1 Samuel 15:2, 1 Samuel 15:5, Acts 23:21

go not: Ecclesiastes 7:19, Ecclesiastes 9:16

Reciprocal: Joshua 8:13 - liers in wait 2 Chronicles 13:13 - an ambushment

Cross-References

Genesis 8:17
Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth."
Genesis 8:19
And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.
2 Kings 19:37
One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.
Isaiah 37:38
One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.
Jeremiah 51:27
Raise a signal flag to the nations. Sound the battle cry! Mobilize them all against Babylon. Prepare them to fight against her! Bring out the armies of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander, and bring a multitude of horses like swarming locusts!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he commanded them, saying,.... At the time he sent them away;

behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, [even] behind the city; that is, on the west side of it, Joshua 8:9;

go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready; to enter into it, as soon as the forces are drawn out eastward to meet the army of Israel.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile