Joshua 8:16
New International Version
All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.

New Living Translation
Then all the men in the town were called out to chase after them. In this way, they were lured away from the town.

English Standard Version
So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.

Berean Standard Bible
Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

King James Bible
And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

New King James Version
So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

New American Standard Bible
And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.

NASB 1995
And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

NASB 1977
And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

Legacy Standard Bible
And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

Amplified Bible
Then all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.

Christian Standard Bible
Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

American Standard Version
And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

English Revised Version
And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
All the troops in the city were called out to chase them. As they chased Joshua, they were lured away from the city.

Good News Translation
All the men in the city had been called together to go after them, and as they pursued Joshua, they kept getting farther away from the city.

International Standard Version
everyone in the city followed after them. As they pursued Joshua, they were drawn away from the town.

Majority Standard Bible
Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

NET Bible
All the reinforcements in Ai were ordered to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city.

New Heart English Bible
All the people who were in the city were called together to pursue after them. They pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

Webster's Bible Translation
And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue them: and they pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

World English Bible
All the people who were in the city were called together to pursue after them. They pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and all the people who [are] in the city are called to pursue after them, and they pursue after Joshua, and are drawn away out of the city,

Young's Literal Translation
and all the people who are in the city are called to pursue after them, and they pursue after Joshua, and are drawn away out of the city,

Smith's Literal Translation
And all the people which are in the city will be called together to pursue after them, and they will pursue after Joshua, and be drawn away from the city.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they shouting together, and encouraging one another, pursued them. And when they were come from the city,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they pursued them, shouting together and encouraging one another. And when they had withdrawn from the city,

New American Bible
until the last of the soldiers in the city had been called out to pursue them. Since they were drawn away from the city, with everyone pursuing Joshua,

New Revised Standard Version
So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And all the people of Ai shouted as they pursued them; and they followed Joshua, and were drawn out of the city.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And all the people of Ai cried out to chase after them and they pursued after Yeshua and they poured out after them from the city
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they pursued after the children of Israel, and they themselves went to a distance from the city.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Conquest of Ai
15Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. 16Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city. 17Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.…

Cross References
Joshua 7:5
And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

Judges 20:31
The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.

2 Samuel 10:9-10
When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. / And he placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites.

2 Kings 7:12
So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.’”

2 Chronicles 13:13-14
Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them. / When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets,

2 Chronicles 20:22-23
The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated. / The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Isaiah 37:36-37
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! / So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

Jeremiah 21:9
Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war.

Jeremiah 37:10
Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”

Lamentations 4:19
Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.

Matthew 24:16
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Mark 13:14
So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Luke 21:21
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city.

Acts 14:19
Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.

Acts 23:12-15
When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. / More than forty of them were involved in this plot. / They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

called together

Judges 20:36-39
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah…

drawn away

Joshua 8:5,6
And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, …

Judges 20:31
And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

Psalm 9:16
The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

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Ai City Drawn Joshua Lured Moving Pursue Pursued Together
Joshua 8
1. God encourages Joshua
3. The plan whereby Ai was taken
29. The king thereof is hanged
30. Joshua builds an altar
32. writes the law on stones
33. and pronounces the blessings and curses














So all the men of Ai
The phrase "all the men of Ai" indicates a comprehensive mobilization of the city's fighting force. In Hebrew, "all" (כָּל, kol) emphasizes the totality and unity of the city's response. Ai, a small Canaanite city, was strategically significant due to its location near Bethel and its role in controlling access to the central highlands of Canaan. Historically, this reflects the common practice of city-states in the ancient Near East, where every able-bodied man would be called to defend their city in times of war.

were summoned to pursue them
The word "summoned" (וַיִּזָּעֲקוּ, vayizza'aku) in Hebrew conveys a sense of urgency and command. This reflects the immediate reaction of Ai's forces to what they perceived as a retreat by the Israelites. The act of pursuing (לִרְדֹּף, lirdof) is a common military tactic, suggesting confidence in their ability to defeat the Israelites, likely due to their previous victory over them. This pursuit is a critical element in the narrative, setting the stage for the ambush planned by Joshua.

and they pursued Joshua
The focus on "Joshua" (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Yehoshua) highlights his role as the leader and central figure in the Israelite campaign. Joshua's leadership is pivotal, and his actions are seen as divinely guided. The pursuit of Joshua by the men of Ai underscores their misjudgment, as they are unaware of the strategic trap being set. This reflects a broader biblical theme of God using the apparent weakness of His people to achieve victory.

and were drawn away from the city
The phrase "drawn away" (וַיִּנָּתְקוּ, vayinnatku) suggests a deliberate and strategic maneuver. The Hebrew root implies a separation or pulling away, indicating that the men of Ai were lured out of their defensive position. This tactic is reminiscent of other biblical and historical military strategies where an enemy is enticed into a vulnerable position. Theologically, this reflects the wisdom and cunning that God imparts to His people, enabling them to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. The abandonment of the city by its defenders sets the stage for its eventual capture, illustrating the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel.

Verse 16. - Were called together. So the Masorites. Perhaps it would be better to translate, raised a cry ("at illi vociferantes." Vulgate. "Da schrie das ganze Volk." Luther). This gives us the scene in all its picturesque detail. We hear the exultant shout of the men of Ai, as they thought the victory won. The LXX. appear to have read חָזַק for זָעַק for they translate ἐνίσχυσε. The city. The Masorites correct here again into "Ai." But the LXX. and Vulgate render as the English translation.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the men [of Ai]
הָעָם֙ (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

were summoned
וַיִּזָּעֲק֗וּ (way·yiz·zā·‘ă·qū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2199: To shriek, to announce, convene publicly

to pursue them,
לִרְדֹּ֖ף (lir·dōp̄)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7291: To pursue, chase, persecute

and they followed
וַֽיִּרְדְּפוּ֙ (way·yir·də·p̄ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7291: To pursue, chase, persecute

Joshua
יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ (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

and were drawn away
וַיִּנָּתְק֖וּ (way·yin·nā·ṯə·qū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5423: To pull, draw, or tear away, apart, or off

from
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

the city.
בָּעַ֔י (bā·‘ay)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement


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OT History: Joshua 8:16 All the people who were (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 8:15
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