8:19a-b
Scholars disagree about whether Joshua pointed his javelin toward Ai as a signal to the men who were hiding, or as a symbol of God’s action in defeating the town. It seems likely that it served both functions. It signaled the troops to advance, and it symbolized God’s power and victory over Ai. In 8:19 the focus is on the signal to the soldiers, but 8:26 shows that the outstretched arm is also a symbol of God’s victory.
8:19a
and as soon as he did so: When Joshua stretched out his hand with the lance, it was a signal to the troops to attack. Some English versions make this explicit. For example:
When the Israelites who were in ambush saw this (New Century Version)
-or-
As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly (New International Version)
-or-
as soon as he lifted his hand, the men who had been hiding got up quickly (Good News Translation)
8:19b
the men in ambush rose quickly from their position: This clause indicates that the soldiers who were hiding got up from their hiding places. They knew that the time had come to attack the town.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
the men who had been hiding got up quickly (Good News Translation)
General Comment on 8:19a-b
In some languages it is more natural to change the order of 19a and b to reflect the order in the original language. For example:
19b The soldiers rose quickly from where they were hiding 19a as soon as Joshua stretched out his hand
8:19c
They rushed forward, entered the city, captured it: The soldiers ran through the open gates and captured the town.
8:19d
and immediately set it on fire: The soldiers quickly set fire to the houses and other things in the town.
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