Discovery BoxJoshua 8:9-12 
Context8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place 1 west of Ai, between Bethel 2 and Ai. 3 Joshua spent that night with the army. 4
8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered 5 the army, 6 and he and the leaders 7 of Israel marched 8 at the head of it 9 to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. 10 They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. 11 8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel 12 and Ai.
1 tn Or “the place of ambush.”
2 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
3 tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”
4 tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”
5 tn Or “summoned, mustered.”
6 tn Heb “the people.”
7 tn Or “elders.”
8 tn Heb “went up.”
9 tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.
10 tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”
11 tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”
12 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
