Paragraph 8:24–29
8:24a
When Israel: The word Israel refers to the Israelite army.
had finished killing: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as killing means that the Israelite army killed all the soldiers of Ai.
all the men of Ai: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men refers to the men of Ai who had come out to fight the Israelites.
8:24b
who had pursued them into the field and wilderness: In 8:15 Joshua and his army pretended to be afraid and ran away into the wilderness between Ai and the Jordan River Valley. In 8:20 the soldiers of Ai chased them there. In this verse the roles are reversed. Israel chased the soldiers of Ai and killed them. This change of roles adds dramatic impact to this turning point in the story.
who had pursued them: Scholars and English versions differ on who who and them refer to.
(1) The word them refers to the Israelite soldiers and who refers to the soldiers of Ai. For example:
When the Israelite army finished chasing and killing all the men of Ai in the open fields (New Living Translation (2004))
(Berean Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, King James Version)
(2) The word them refers to the soldiers of Ai and who refers to the Israelite soldiers. For example:
When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had chased them toward the desert (NET Bible)
(NET Bible, God’s Word, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
The Hebrew text is not clear on this issue. It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with the majority of English versions. As noted above, option (1) adds impact to this climactic turn of events where Israel is now the victor.
into the field and wilderness: The phrase the field and wilderness refers to the barren, uninhabited country that was mentioned in 8:15.
8:24c
and when every last one of them: The phrase every last one of them refers to the fighting men of Ai. This phrase indicates that not one of the soldiers of Ai was left. They were all dead.
had fallen by the sword: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had fallen by the sword is more literally “had fallen by the mouth of the sword.” This is a Hebrew idiom. It means that the Israelite soldiers killed them.
This is a passive clause. The Israelites are the implied subject. The Israelite soldiers killed the men of Ai.
Here are some other ways to translate this Hebrew idiom:
they had been put to the sword (New International Version)
-or-
they put them all to death (God’s Word)
-or-
The Israelites killed every one of the enemy (Good News Translation)
8:24d
all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well: This clause indicates that the Israelite army killed the people who were still left in the town of Ai, the women and children.
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