8:17a

Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel: The clause Not a man was left refers to the men who were able to fight. Every fighting man went out.

Not a man was left…who did not go out: This use of Not and not is an example of a double negative in English. These two negative words together have an emphatic positive sense. In other words, every man went after Israel.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

every man in Ai went (Good News Translation)
-or-
not a man stayed (New Century Version)

in Ai or Bethel: The word Bethel is in the Hebrew text and in most English versions. Some versions omit the word Bethel because this town was not mentioned in the preceding verses.

It is recommended that you include the word Bethel. The towns of Ai and Bethel were close together. The people of Bethel went to help the men of their neighboring town.

8:17b

leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel: The soldiers of Ai ran out of the town gates and left them open, so that anyone could enter.

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