As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Read it in contextThe Altar on Mount Ebal and the Reading of the Law
Start reading at Joshua 8:1 (Joshua 8:1 to Joshua 8:35).
The verse is part of the account of Israel's covenant renewal ceremony following the conquest of Ai, which begins in Joshua 8:1.
8:1And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
8:2And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
8:3So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
8:4And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
8:5And 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,
8:6(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
8:7Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8:8And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.
8:9Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
8:10And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
8:11And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.
8:12And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
8:13And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
8:14And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.
8:15And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
8:16And 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.
8:17And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
8:18And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.
8:19And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.
8:20And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.
8:21And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.
8:22And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
8:23And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.
8:24And 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.
8:25And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
8:26For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
8:27Only 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.
8:28And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.
8:29And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take 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.
8:30Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,
8:31As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
8:32And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
8:33And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
8:34And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
8:35There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Joshua is the traditional principal author, and Joshua 24:26 credits him with writing covenant words. The closing record of his death and later events means the completed account includes a later contribution. Biblical references: Joshua 24:26; Joshua 24:29. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Joshua 7:1–8:35): Joshua, Israel's leaders and warriors, and Achan's household are involved in the defeat, judgment, and renewed attack on Ai. The people later hear the law at the covenant ceremony. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Israel living in the land and later generations learning how the land was allotted and why covenant faithfulness mattered. No individual first recipient is known. Biblical references: Joshua 4:6; Joshua 4:21; Joshua 24:24. book background
What
What is the main event or theme? Joshua and the children of Israel built an altar of whole stones on Mount Ebal, as commanded by Moses, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
What is God revealing? God is revealing the importance of obedience to His commands for worship and covenant renewal, and His faithfulness to His covenant with Israel.
What is the literary style? Narrative history.
When
When was it written? Approximately 1400 to 1370 B.C.
When does the event take place? Approximately 1400 to 1375 B.C., specifically after the conquest of Ai.
Where
Where did it happen? On Mount Ebal.
Where was the author located? In Canaan.
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in The Altar on Mount Ebal and the Reading of the Law (Joshua 8:30 to Joshua 8:35).
Start reading at Joshua 8:1. The verse is part of the account of Israel's covenant renewal ceremony following the conquest of Ai, which begins in Joshua 8:1.
How
How does it fit the broader context? This act of building an altar and offering sacrifices fulfills a command given by Moses (Deuteronomy 27:5-6) and serves as a significant act of worship and covenant renewal following Israel's victory over Ai and their entry into the promised land. interpretation
How does it point to Christ? The burnt offerings and peace offerings made on the altar pointed to the need for atonement and reconciliation with God. These animal sacrifices foreshadowed the ultimate, perfect sacrifice provided by God through Christ, who is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. The altar, built of whole stones without iron tools, emphasizes purity and God's specific design for worship, which Christ perfectly fulfilled. interpretation
How do I apply it today? This passage highlights the importance of obedience to God's commands and the centrality of worship. Believers today are called to worship God in spirit and in truth, offering spiritual sacrifices of praise and obedience, remembering that God has provided the perfect sacrifice for sin through Christ. interpretation
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Joshua 8
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Joshua concerns Israel's entry into Canaan, the distribution of the land, and covenant exhortations. It identifies Joshua's leadership and records his writing in Joshua 24:26, but that does not establish that he wrote every later event in the book. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The campaigns include both victories and Israel's failure concerning the devoted things; the record ends with a list of defeated kings.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The campaigns include both victories and Israel's failure concerning the devoted things; the record ends with a list of defeated kings.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Joshua
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Joshua concerns Israel's entry into Canaan, the distribution of the land, and covenant exhortations. It identifies Joshua's leadership and records his writing in Joshua 24:26, but that does not establish that he wrote every later event in the book.
Connection to the wholeThe campaigns include both victories and Israel's failure concerning the devoted things; the record ends with a list of defeated kings.