Discovery BoxJoshua 7:5 
Context7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures 1 and defeated them on the steep slope. 2 The people’s 3 courage melted away like water. 4
Joshua 8:29
Context8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. 5 At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. 6 They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day). 7
Joshua 20:4
Context20:4 The one who committed manslaughter 8 should escape to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the city gate, and present his case to the leaders of that city. 9 They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there. 10
1 tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).
2 sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.
3 tn Or “army’s.”
4 tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”
5 tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
6 sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.
7 tn Heb “to this day.”
8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the one who accidentally kills another, cf. v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Heb “and speak into the ears of the elders of that city his words.”
10 tn Heb “and they should gather him into the city to themselves, give to him a place, and he will live with them.”
