The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 194

EXPOSITION, CHAPTER VIII. 1-29. we.s therefore (ver. 12) on the opposite, or west side of the city. The question which THE CAl'TURE OF A1.-Ver. 1.-Fear not. has been raised whether God could rightly Joshua was downcast at his former failure, command a strata.gem seems scarcely to re- and well he might. "Treacherous Israel- quire discussion. ites are to be dreaded more than me.licious Ver. 3.-Thirty thousand In ver. 12 Canaanites" (Matthew Henry). Take all we read 5,000, and this must be the true the people of war with thee. Not, as has reading. Thirty thousand men could hardly been before stated, because 3,000 men were he.ve been posted, without detection, in the too few to take the city, for the capture of ravines around Ai, whereas we are informed Jericho was a far greater mane! than that by travellers that there would have been no of Ai with this number of men. The trne difficulty in concealing 5,000 men there. reason is indicated by Cahi.n, and is indeed See, however, the passage cited from Lieut. suggested by the words "Fear not, neither Conder's Report in the note on chap. vii. 2. be thou dismayed." It was to reassure the The confused condition of the numbers in people whose hearts had "melted and be- the present text of the Old Testament is a come ~s water." Sometimes God calls upon well-known fact, and it is proved by the His people for a display of faith, as when great discrepancies in this respect between He led them through the Jordan, or com- the Books of Chronicles and those of manded them to compass Jericho seven days, Samuel and Kings. Some have thought But in da,.s of despondency He compassion- (e.g., Hiivernick, 'Introduction to the Old ates their weakness and permits them to Testament,' II. i. 15) that two bands were rely upon -.--isible means of support (see le.id in ambush, one on the north-west and also below, ,.er. 3). _Matthew H~~ thinks the other on the south-west. This is a pos, that n tacit rebuke 1s here administered to sible, though not probable, solution of the Joshua for sending so few men to Ai on the difficulty (see below). Then we must sup- former occasion. He ought to have per- pose that the city was nearly surrounded, mitted all to have shared the toil and glory. Joshua and the ma.in body on the south- I ha.ve given Into thy ha.nd The work, let east, the larger detachment on the north man do his best, is God's after all. The (ver. 13) and the smaller ambush on lr:l.ng. For the political condition of Pales- the west '(see note on ver. 13). Keil, in tine before the lsraelitish invasion see In- his earlier editions, supposed that Joshua troduction. And his land As in the case as~e.ulted Ai with 30,000 men, out of whom of the early Germanic peoples, there was a he chose 5 000 as an ambush. So also certain portion of their land in the neigbour- Hengstenbe;g's • Geschichte des Reiches hood attached to each city which was used Gottes,' p. 219. But this only introduces for agricultural purposes (see Introduction ; a third contra.diction, for we are told both e.lso eh. xiii. 28, xiv. 4). in vers. 1 and 3 that Joshua took with him Ver. 2.-0nly the spoU thereof. Ai was "all the men of war." Keil has, however, not solemnly devoted, like Jericho, though abandoned that supposition, which is con- (see Dent. xx. 16, 17) the Canaanitish trary to e.ll the ancient versions, including people were. Behind it. Joshua. we.s a.d- the present text of the LXX. The Bishop ve.ocing from the south-east. The ambush of Lincoln suggests that 6,000 men me.y (:lJi< literally, "e. tier in we.it," here a band have been detached to reinforce the former o! tiers in we.it, the word itself origine.lly detachment of 30,000, But to se.y nothing signifying to pl,a,it, weave, hence to deaign) of the improbe.bility of e.n ambush of  cu. vm. 1-29.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA, 138