Joshua 8:24-29

Joshua 8:24-29

[24] And it came to pass, when Israel  had made an end  of slaying  all the inhabitants  of Ai  in the field,  in the wilderness  wherein they chased  them, and when they were all fallen  on the edge  of the sword,  until they were consumed,  that all the Israelites  returned  unto Ai,  and smote  it with the edge  of the sword.  [25] And so it was, that all that fell  that day,  both of men  and women,  were twelve  thousand,  of Ai.  [26] For Joshua  not his hand  back,  wherewith he stretched out  the spear,  until he had utterly destroyed  all the inhabitants  of Ai.  [27] Only the cattle  and the spoil  of that city  Israel  took for a prey  unto themselves, according unto the word  of the LORD  which he commanded  Joshua.  [28] And Joshua  burnt  Ai,  and made  it an heap  for ever,  even a desolation  unto this day.  [29] And the king  of Ai  he hanged  on a tree  until eventide:  and as soon as the sun  was down,  Joshua  commanded  his carcase  down  from the tree,  and cast  it at the entering  of the gate  of the city,  and raise  thereon a great  heap  of stones,  that remaineth unto this day. 

What does Joshua 8:24-29 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Joshua carefully obeyed the Lord"s directions given here and previously in the Law. He killed all the inhabitants of the town, utterly destroyed Ai, and killed the king whom he also hanged on a tree until sunset ( Numbers 25:4; Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Too, he erected a memorial pile of stones at the former gate of the city (cf. Joshua 7:26).
This section, in contrast to the previous one, shows that God gives victory when His people acknowledge their dependence on Him by trusting Him and obeying His Word.
"It is interesting to note again that this first victory in the Hill Country was in the region of Ai and Bethel, exactly where some of the most significant promises had been given to Abraham and Jacob hundreds of years earlier, (... Genesis 13,2810-22). In addition to the strategic nature of the region, these earlier promises may have played a part in Joshua"s decision to begin his campaign precisely here. Joshua"s bold move toward this part of the Hill Country may have been just what was needed to unify the Canaanites in the Bethel region. Up to this point they appear to have been in disarray in the face of the Israelite threat ( Joshua 5:1). What better place to make their stand than here at the entrance to the strategic region of Bethel and the Central Benjamin Plateau?" [1]
One writer observed similarities between Joshua 7:1 to Joshua 8:29 and Deuteronomy 1:19 to Deuteronomy 3:11; Deuteronomy 9:7 to Deuteronomy 10:11; Judges 10:6 to Judges 11:33; and Joshua 20:1-9. He concluded that the biblical writer used similar motifs and terminology in these passages to impress on his readers by repetition three major lessons. First, Israel"s occupation of the Promised Land was not a sure thing but depended on her obedience to God. Second, defeat in the land need not be final and irreversible. Third, to regain the land the people had to deal with the guilty in Israel, and they had to return to obeying the Lord. [2]