Meanwhile, Joshua sent men
The phrase "Meanwhile, Joshua sent men" indicates a continuation of the narrative from the previous chapter, where the Israelites experienced a miraculous victory at Jericho. Joshua, as the leader appointed by God after Moses, is acting in his role as a military commander. The Hebrew root for "sent" (שָׁלַח, shalach) often implies a mission or purpose, suggesting that Joshua's actions are deliberate and strategic. This reflects the importance of leadership and obedience to God's direction in achieving success.

from Jericho to Ai
Jericho, the site of Israel's first major victory in the Promised Land, serves as a starting point for further conquests. Ai, meaning "ruin" in Hebrew, is the next target. The geographical movement from Jericho to Ai symbolizes the ongoing journey of the Israelites to claim the land promised to them by God. This transition from victory to the next challenge underscores the continuous nature of faith and obedience in the believer's life.

which is near Beth-aven
Beth-aven, meaning "house of wickedness" or "house of vanity," is a location that contrasts with Bethel, meaning "house of God." The proximity of Ai to Beth-aven may serve as a reminder of the spiritual battles that accompany physical conquests. It highlights the need for discernment and reliance on God, as the Israelites are surrounded by influences that could lead them astray.

east of Bethel
Bethel holds significant historical and spiritual importance as a place where Abraham and Jacob encountered God. The mention of Bethel situates Ai within a broader spiritual landscape, reminding the Israelites of their covenantal history and God's faithfulness. This geographical reference encourages believers to remember God's past faithfulness as they face new challenges.

telling them, 'Go up and spy out the land.'
Joshua's command to "Go up and spy out the land" echoes the earlier reconnaissance mission in Numbers 13, where Moses sent spies into Canaan. The Hebrew word for "spy" (רָגַל, ragal) implies careful observation and assessment. This action demonstrates the importance of preparation and wisdom in undertaking God's work. It also serves as a reminder that while God provides guidance, human responsibility and diligence are required.

So the men went up and spied out Ai
The obedience of the men in carrying out Joshua's command reflects the collective commitment of the Israelites to their mission. Their willingness to "spy out Ai" signifies trust in Joshua's leadership and, by extension, in God's plan. This act of obedience is a model for believers, emphasizing the importance of faithfulness and action in fulfilling God's purposes.

(2) Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai.--Why Ai should be the next town selected for attack after Jericho, is a question which perhaps we cannot answer with certainty. But we may observe that the next step after the capture of Ai, before the further conquest of the country, was to set up the Ten Commandments in Mount Ebal, in the heart of the country, and to pronounce there the blessing and the curse which are the sanction of the law of God. It may well be that the course of the first military operations was directed to this end. The capture of Ai would put the Israelites in possession of the main road running north and south through Palestine, and enable them to reach the centre immediately. Thus the character of the war, which was no mere human enterprise, is maintained; and it is probable that the Divine reason for the movement is that which we are intended to observe. For the first mention of Ai, see Genesis 12:8. It is noticeable that there Abram fitst pitched his tent after his return to Canaan out of Egypt. (See also on Joshua 8:1.) Note also that Beth-aven and Bethel are distinct, although adjacent, places. The one is not a later name of the other, as has been sometimes supposed, although one is "the house of vanity" (i.e., perhaps of idols) and the other "the house of God."

Verse 2. - Ai. עַי or הָעַי "the ruins" (cf. Iim and Ije-abarim, the ruins or heaps of Abarim, Numbers 33:44, 45; and Iim, Joshua 15:29. Probably it is the same as הָעַוּים which we find mentioned in conjunction with Bethel in Joshua 18:22, 23. It becomes עַיָּא in Nehemiah 11:31, and the feminine form is found in Isaiah 10:28. The latter, from the mention of Michmash in the route of Sennacherib immediately afterwards, is probably the same as Ai. Robinson and Hell - the former very doubtfully - place it at Turmus Aya, an eminence crowned with ruins above Deir Duwan. But Vandevelde contests this, and places it at Tell-el-Hajar, i.e., the Tell or heap of ruins; and G. Williams and Capt. Wilson have independently fixed on the same spot, though they call it et-Tel, or "the heap," and suppose the "el-Hajar" to have been added in answer to the question, "what heap?" This situation seems best to suit the requirements of the narrative. For it is "on the southern brow of the Wady-el-Mutyah" (Vandevelde), near that "wild entanglement of hill and valley at the head of the Wady Harith," which "climbs into the heart of the mountains of Benjamin till it meets the central ridge of the country at Bethel" (Stanley, 'Sinai and Palestine,' p. 202). Its situation, unlike that of Turmus Aya, is calculated to give cover to an ambush of 5,000 men, and it also answers to the conditions in its nearness to Michmash, from which Turmus Aya is more than three hours' journey distant. The Tell is "covered with heaps of ruins" (Capt. Wilson, 'Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement,' 4. p. 124). Conder, however ('Handbook,' p. 254), identifies Ai with Haiyan, two miles from Bethel, in the same Wady, but why, he gives no hint. A fortress so situated was one which Joshua could not leave in his rear, and so its capture was a matter of necessity. By its position, if not from the number of its inhabitants, it was necessarily a very strong one. Ai is mentioned as early as Genesis 12:8, and we find that it was inhabited down to the Captivity, for the "men of Bethel and Ai" are mentioned (and, it may be observed, in close proximity to those of Rama, Geba, and Michmash - see Isaiah 10:28 above cited) in Ezra 2:28. See also Nehemiah 11:31, above cited. The name Ai, or ruins, found so early, implies that the aboriginal inhabitants had built a city in that almost inaccessible situation. Lieut. Conder gives a very vivid description of the site et-Tel in 'Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement,' April, 1874. There are, he says, "huge mounds of broken stone and shingle ten feet high. The town," he adds, "must have been pounded small, and the fury of its destruction is still evidenced by its completeness." He continues: "The party for the ambush, following the ancient causeway from Bethel to Jordan (which we have recovered throughout its entire length) as far as Michmash, would then easily ascend the great wady west of Ai, and arrive within a quarter of a mile of the city without having ever come in sight of it. Here, hidden by the knoll of Burjums and the high ground near it, a force of almost any magnitude might wait unsuspected. The main body in the meanwhile, without diverging from the road, would ascend the gently sloping valley and appear before the town on the open battlefield which stretches away to its east and south. From the knoll the figure of Joshua would be plainly visible to either party, with his spear stretched against the sky" [see ch Joshua 8:18). But the site still eludes investigation. Lieut. Kitchener, Mr. Birch, Mr. Guest, would place it at Kh-Haiy, or the rock Rimmon. When those who have visited the country are so divided in opinion, nothing but silence remains for those who have not. Beth-avern (cf. 1 Samuel 14:23). This place has not yet been identified. It was close by Ai, and not far from Bethel, as the transference of its name to Bethel by Hosea (Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5) shows. It could not have been a place of any importance, or the historian would not have found it necessary to explain where it was. Hosea has perhaps derived his knowledge of it from this passage. Some writers have identified it with Bethel. But this is obviously incorrect, since the literal rendering of the Hebrew here places Ai "in the immediate proximity of Beth-aven, eastward of Bethel." The LXX. omits all reference to Beth-aven. But there are many various readings. Bethel Formerly Luz (Genesis 28:19; Genesis 35:7; Judges 1:23). The last-cited passage seems to prove that Bethel was not among, the cities taken during Joshua's campaign; though this is extraordinary in the face of the fact that the inhabitants of Luz gave their assistance to the men of Ai in the battle (see Joshua 8:17, where, however, it is remarkable that the LXX. omits all reference to Bethel). We may observe that there is no mention of the capture of Bethel, or the destruction of the inhabitants, and that this exactly agrees with Judges 1:22-26. This is an undesigned coincidence well worthy of note. We may also remark on the exact conformity between the situation of Bethel as described here and in Genesis 12:8. The city to which the name Bethel was attached was not the place of Abraham's altar, as we learn from the passage just cited, but was in its immediate neighbourhood. The ruins which now mark its site are of a later date than the events recorded in Scripture. Its modern name is Beitin. Go up and view the country. Rather, spy (or reconnoitre); literally, foot the country. Joshua does not refuse to avail himself of human expedients because he is under Divine guidance (see also ch. 2). The reasons for this reconnoitring expedition are made clear enough by the passage quoted from Lieut. Condor's survey above.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Meanwhile, Joshua
יְהוֹשֻׁ֨עַ (yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3091: Joshua -- 'the LORD is salvation', Moses' successor, also the name of a number of Israelites

sent
וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

men
אֲנָשִׁ֜ים (’ă·nā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

from Jericho
מִֽירִיח֗וֹ (mî·rî·ḥōw)
Preposition-m | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3405: Jericho -- a city in the Jordan Valley captured by Joshua

to Ai,
הָעַ֞י (hā·‘ay)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5857: Ai -- a Canaanite city

which
אֲשֶׁ֨ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

is near
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

Beth-aven,
אָ֙וֶן֙ (’ā·wen)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1007: Beth-aven -- between

east
מִקֶּ֣דֶם (miq·qe·ḏem)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6924: The front, of place, time

of Bethel,
אֵ֔ל (’êl)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1008: Bethel -- 'house of God', a city in Ephraim, also a place in southern Judah

and told them,
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Go up
עֲל֖וּ (‘ă·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

and spy out
וְרַגְּל֣וּ (wə·rag·gə·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7270: To walk along, to reconnoiter, to be a, tale-bearer, to lead about

the land.”
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

So the men
הָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים (hā·’ă·nā·šîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

went up
וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙ (way·ya·‘ă·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

and spied out
וַֽיְרַגְּל֖וּ (way·rag·gə·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7270: To walk along, to reconnoiter, to be a, tale-bearer, to lead about

Ai.
הָעָֽי׃ (hā·‘āy)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5857: Ai -- a Canaanite city


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OT History: Joshua 7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (Josh. Jos)