Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Joshua
Chapter 8: Victory at Ai and the Altar on Ebal
With the accursed thing purged from the camp, God restores His people. 'Fear not,' He tells Joshua, and gives Ai into his hand. The city that once routed Israel is now taken by an ambush and made a heap forever, its king hanged on a tree. Then, in the very heart of the land, Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal, writes the law on stones, and reads all its blessings and cursings before the whole congregation. Restoration, victory, worship, and covenant renewal, all following the God who lifts up His people after failure and binds them again to His Word.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Joshua chapter 8. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here God restores Israel after Achan's sin, gives victory over Ai, and leads His people to renew the covenant at Mount Ebal. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Fear Not
After cleansing, God gives Ai into Israel's hand.
Stretched Out
Joshua holds out the spear until the victory is complete.
The King Hanged
The accursed king on a tree, taken down at sundown.
The Altar and the Law
Worship and covenant renewal in the heart of the land.
Fear Not, Neither Be Thou Dismayed (Joshua 8:1-17)
God restores Joshua after the defeat, promising Ai into his hand, and Israel takes the city by a well-laid ambush, drawing its defenders out and leaving it open.
See, I Have Given Into Thy Hand the King of Ai
"And 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: And 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. So 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. And 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: 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, (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. Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. And 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. Joshua 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. And 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. And 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. And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. And 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. And 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. And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 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. And 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."
Word Study
"Fear not," Hebrew al tira (אַל־תִּירָא). The phrase, "do not fear," is one of God's most frequent words to His people; it opens the chapter after the disaster at Ai: "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed... see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai." What makes it striking is its timing. Israel had just been defeated and disgraced; thirty-six men had died; the whole nation had been shaken by hidden sin. Now that the sin has been judged and the camp cleansed, God does not leave His people in their shame; He restores them, and the first word of restoration is "Fear not." These are the very words He spoke to Joshua at the beginning (Joshua 1:9, "be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed"); the God who commissioned him now recommissions him after failure. This is the heart of grace: God does not cast off His people when they fall and are corrected; He lifts them up and sends them out again. The same city that had defeated them, God now gives into their hand. Failure, once dealt with rightly, is not the end; restored fellowship brings restored power. Peter denied his Lord, and was restored and recommissioned, "Feed my sheep" (John 21:17); David sinned grievously, repented, and was used again. So al tira preaches the God of the second chance: when sin is confessed and put away, He does not condemn His people to permanent defeat, but says again, "Fear not," and leads them from the place of failure to victory. Restoration is God's delight; He raises the fallen and sends them back to take the very ground where they once were beaten.
Explanation
The second assault on Ai shows God working through means as freely as He worked without them at Jericho. There the walls fell by a shout and a miracle; here God gives a battle plan — an ambush set behind the city, a main force that feints a retreat to draw the men of Ai out, and then the trap sprung. Both victories are God's gift ("see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai"), but one came by pure wonder and the other through wise strategy and disciplined obedience. God is not bound to one method; He may part a river or use a clever maneuver, and the glory is His in both.
Gospel Focus
The contrast with chapter 7 is deliberate and full of grace. There, presumption and hidden sin brought defeat; here, obedience and God's blessing bring victory over the very same city. God's first word is restoration: "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed." He does not rehearse Israel's failure; He gives them a fresh promise, "see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai," and even grants them the spoil this time, for the ban was lifted from Ai. Notice too that where Israel had earlier sent "two or three thousand men" in overconfidence (7:3), now they take "all the people of war" and follow God's plan carefully, a chastened people who no longer presume on easy victory. The strategy of the ambush is sound and God-directed, and it works exactly as planned: the men of Ai, emboldened by the memory of their first victory, pour out of the city in pursuit, "they left the city open." Their former success became the bait of their downfall, pride goes before destruction. For the Apostolic reader the chapter's opening teaches the way back after failure. When God's people fall, the answer is not despair but repentance and restoration; and the God who corrects also comforts, saying, "Fear not." The place of our defeat, once sin is dealt with, can become the place of our victory. And the chastening that humbled Israel made them careful and obedient, no longer trusting their own strength but following the Lord's command step by step. So we do not stay down after we fall. We confess, we are cleansed, we hear again the word "Fear not," and we go back in humble obedience to take the ground the LORD has promised.
The King of Ai Hanged on a Tree (Joshua 8:18-29)
At God's word Joshua stretches out his spear, the ambush takes the city, Ai is utterly destroyed, and the king is hanged on a tree and taken down before nightfall.
He Hanged On a Tree Until Eventide
"And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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. And 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. And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. And 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. And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only 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. And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. And 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."
Word Study
"tree," Hebrew ets (עֵץ). The word means a tree or wood; here, "the king of Ai he hanged on a tree (ets) until eventide." The detail is not incidental; it follows a specific command of the law. The Law of Moses said, "if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God)" (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). To be hanged on a tree was the sign of one under God's curse, publicly displayed as accursed, and Joshua obeys the law exactly, taking the body down "as soon as the sun was down." This law casts a long shadow forward to the cross. Paul takes up its very words to explain what happened at Calvary: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). The King of Ai hung on a tree as one accursed under God's judgment; the King of glory hung on a tree, bearing the curse we deserved, so that the curse might be lifted from us. And as the King of Ai's body was taken down before nightfall, so the body of Jesus was taken down and buried the same day, in keeping with this very law (John 19:31). So ets, the tree of the curse, points to the deepest truth of the gospel: our Saviour was "made a curse for us," hanged on the tree, so that all who trust Him are set free from the curse of sin and death, and blessed forever in Him.
Explanation
Joshua stretches out his spear as the signal, the ambush rises and burns the city, and Ai is caught between two Israelite forces and destroyed. Then comes a telling detail: the king of Ai "he hanged on a tree until eventide," and "as soon as the sun was down" his body was taken down and buried under a heap of stones. Joshua obeys to the letter the law we saw in Deuteronomy — a hanged body must not remain overnight, for "he that is hanged is accursed of God" (Deuteronomy 21:23). Even in the flush of victory, the leader bows to the precise word of Scripture.
Gospel Focus
God gives Joshua a sign to hold: "Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand." As Moses held up his rod over the Red Sea (Exodus 14:16) and his hands over the battle with Amalek (Exodus 17:11-12), Joshua stretches out his spear, and holds it out, "Joshua drew not his hand back... until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai." The uplifted hand is a picture of continued dependence on God through the whole battle, victory comes not in a single act but in sustained trust, holding fast to God until the work is done. The ambush springs, the city burns, and Ai is caught between the two forces of Israel and utterly destroyed. The king is taken and hanged on a tree, then buried before nightfall under a heap of stones, in exact obedience to the law. For the Apostolic reader the two images gather up the gospel. The uplifted spear that must not be lowered teaches perseverance: we do not win our battles by a moment's effort but by holding fast to God, refusing to draw back our hand until the victory is complete. And the king hanged on the tree, accursed and taken down at sundown, points straight to Christ, who "hanged on a tree," bore the curse in our place, and was taken down and buried the same day, so that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law. The chapter that shows God's judgment falling on the accursed city also foreshadows the Saviour who took the curse upon Himself. So we persevere in dependence on God to the end, and we rest in the King who hung on the tree for us, bearing our curse, that we might live and reign with Him.
The Altar and the Reading of the Law (Joshua 8:30-35)
In the heart of the land, Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal, offers sacrifices, writes the law on stones, and reads all its blessings and cursings before the whole congregation.
He Read All the Words of the Law
"Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal, 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. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. And 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. And 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. There 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."
Word Study
"altar," Hebrew mizbeach (מִזְבֵּחַ). The word means an altar, a place of sacrifice, from the root zabach, "to slaughter" for sacrifice. The first thing Joshua does after the conquest of the central land is not to build a fortress or a palace but "an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal." Worship comes first; the land is claimed for God by an altar before it is claimed for men. And the altar is built exactly as Moses commanded: "an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron" (Deuteronomy 27:5-6; Exodus 20:25). Uncut, unhewn stones, no tool of man allowed, for man adds nothing to the way of approach to God; salvation is God's work, not improved by human effort. On it Israel offers "burnt offerings" (total consecration to God) and "peace offerings" (fellowship and communion with God), the two great movements of worship, surrender and communion. Significantly, this altar stands on Mount Ebal, the mountain of the curse (Deuteronomy 27:13), not on Gerizim, the mountain of blessing. Where the curse of the broken law was pronounced, there the altar of sacrifice was raised, a picture of the gospel: it is at the place of the curse that atonement is made, and blessing comes to sinners only through a sacrifice offered where the curse fell. Then Joshua writes the law on the stones and reads "all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings," to the whole congregation, men, women, little ones, and strangers. So mizbeach teaches that God's people belong to Him first in worship: the altar comes before all else, approached God's way and not man's, offered at the place of the curse, and joined to the hearing of His whole Word by all His people.
Explanation
At Ebal and Gerizim Joshua does exactly what Moses commanded (Deuteronomy 27): builds an altar of unhewn stones, writes a copy of the law on stones, and reads the whole covenant aloud. The emphasis falls on how total the reading was: "there 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." Nothing was omitted and no one was excluded — men, women, children, and foreigners all stood under the full word of God. The conquest pauses so the whole nation can hear, together, the covenant they live by.
Gospel Focus
With Jericho and Ai taken, Israel holds the central highlands, and at once Joshua leads the nation in covenant renewal at Shechem, between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, exactly as Moses had commanded (Deuteronomy 27). Three acts mark this solemn assembly. First, worship: an altar of unhewn stones, burnt offerings and peace offerings, the nation consecrated to God and in communion with Him, and notably built on Ebal, the mount of cursing, for blessing is found only where sacrifice is offered at the place of the curse. Second, the Word written: Joshua "wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law," making God's Word permanent and public in the land. Third, the Word read: he "read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings," setting before the people the two ways, blessing for obedience, cursing for rebellion, so that they entered the land with open eyes. And the assembly is strikingly inclusive: "all Israel... as well the stranger, as he that was born among them... with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers." No one is left out of hearing God's Word, not the foreigner, not the children; the whole covenant community, and even the outsider among them, stands under the same Word. For the Apostolic reader this scene models the priorities of God's people. When God gives victory and blessing, the response is worship and re-commitment to His Word, not self-congratulation. We approach Him only His way, through sacrifice, and our blessing flows from the place of the curse, ultimately from the cross of Christ, who was made a curse for us. And His Word is for everyone: it must be written, read, and heard by the whole people, men and women, young and old, native and stranger alike. So after every victory we build the altar first, we bind ourselves again to God's Word, and we make sure that no one, however small or foreign, is left out of hearing the blessings and the warnings of the LORD.
Chapter 8 in Review
Joshua 8 is a chapter of restoration, victory, and covenant renewal. After the sin of Achan is purged, God says, "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed," and gives Ai into Israel's hand. A humbled, obedient people take the city by a well-laid ambush; Joshua stretches out his spear and "drew not his hand back... until he had utterly destroyed" Ai; and the king is "hanged on a tree until eventide," then buried before nightfall in keeping with the law. Then, in the heart of the land at Mount Ebal, Joshua builds "an altar of whole stones," offers burnt and peace offerings, writes the law on stones, and reads "all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings" before the whole congregation, "with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is rich with the gospel. It shows the God of restoration, who lifts His people after failure and sends them back with "Fear not" to take the very ground where they were once beaten, when the sin is confessed and put away, the place of defeat becomes the place of victory. It shows the perseverance of faith in Joshua's uplifted spear that must not be lowered until the work is done. And it shows Christ in the king "hanged on a tree," accursed under God's judgment and taken down at sundown, a shadow of the Saviour who was "made a curse for us," bearing our curse on the tree that we might be redeemed. Finally, it shows the priorities of a restored people: after victory, worship comes first, an altar approached God's way, of unhewn stones, offered on the mount of the curse, for blessing flows to sinners only through sacrifice at the place of the curse. And God's Word is written, read, and heard by all, native and stranger, women and little ones, none left out. So we follow the pattern: after we fall, we rise at God's "Fear not"; we persevere in dependence to the end; we rest in the King who hung on the tree for us; and after every victory we build the altar first and bind ourselves again to the whole Word of God.
- After sin is purged, God restores: "Fear not," and gives victory where there was defeat (8:1).
- A chastened people obey carefully, no longer presuming on easy victory (8:1-3).
- Joshua's uplifted spear teaches perseverance: hold fast to God until the work is done (8:18, 26).
- The king "hanged on a tree" points to Christ, "made a curse for us" (8:29; Galatians 3:13).
- Worship comes first: an altar of unhewn stones, man adds nothing to God's way (8:30-31).
- God's Word is written, read, and heard by all, native and stranger, women and children (8:34-35).
Questions for Reflection
- After a failure, do you rise at God's "Fear not," or stay down in defeat?
- Do you persevere in dependence on God until the battle is fully won?
- How does the king hanged on a tree deepen your grasp of Christ bearing your curse?
- After God's blessings, is your first response worship and re-commitment to His Word?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Restoration after failure; "Fear not": Joshua 8:1-2; Joshua 1:9; 7:1-12; John 21:15-17; Proverbs 24:16. The ambush; pride before destruction: Joshua 8:3-17; Joshua 7:3; Proverbs 16:18. The uplifted spear; perseverance: Joshua 8:18, 26; Exodus 14:16; 17:8-13. The king hanged on a tree; the curse and Christ: Joshua 8:29; Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Galatians 3:13; John 19:31; 1 Peter 2:24. The altar and covenant renewal at Ebal: Joshua 8:30-35; Deuteronomy 11:29; 27:1-13; Exodus 20:24-26; Deuteronomy 31:11-13. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Restoration after failure: "Fear not," and victory at Ai: Joshua 8:1-17; Joshua 1:9; John 21:15-17.
- The uplifted spear; perseverance until the work is done: Joshua 8:18, 26; Exodus 17:8-13.
- The king hanged on a tree; Christ made a curse for us: Joshua 8:29; Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Galatians 3:13.
- The altar of unhewn stones and the reading of the law at Ebal: Joshua 8:30-35; Deuteronomy 27:1-13; Exodus 20:25.