Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. New Living Translation Joshua and the Israelite army fled toward the wilderness as though they were badly beaten. English Standard Version And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. Berean Standard Bible Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. King James Bible And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. New King James Version And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. New American Standard Bible Then Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. NASB 1995 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. NASB 1977 And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. Legacy Standard Bible And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness. Amplified Bible So Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them, and ran toward the wilderness. Christian Standard Bible Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness. Holman Christian Standard Bible Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness. American Standard Version And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. English Revised Version And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. GOD'S WORD® Translation Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated. They ran away toward the desert. Good News Translation Joshua and his men pretended that they were retreating, and ran away toward the barren country. International Standard Version Because Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel pretended to lose the battle by running away in front of them toward the wilderness, Majority Standard Bible Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. NET Bible Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. New Heart English Bible Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. Webster's Bible Translation And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. World English Bible Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd Joshua and all Israel [seem] struck before them, and flee the way of the wilderness, Young's Literal Translation And Joshua and all Israel seem stricken before them, and flee the way of the wilderness, Smith's Literal Translation And Joshua and all Israel will be smitten before them, and will flee the way of the desert. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleBut Josue, and all Israel gave back, making as if they were afraid, and fleeing by the way of the wilderness. Catholic Public Domain Version Yet truly, Joshua, and all of Israel, withdrew from the place, pretending to be afraid, and fleeing along the way of the wilderness. New American Bible Joshua and the main body of the Israelites fled toward the wilderness, pretending defeat, New Revised Standard Version And Joshua and all Israel made a pretense of being beaten before them, and fled in the direction of the wilderness. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd Joshua and all Israel scattered before them to flee by way of the wilderness. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And Yeshua scattered and all Israel from before them to flee into the way of wilderness OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. Brenton Septuagint Translation And Joshua and Israel saw, and retreated from before them. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Conquest of Ai…14When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city. 15Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. 16Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.… Cross References Exodus 14:3-4 For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.’ / And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So this is what the Israelites did. Judges 20:36-39 Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah. / The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword. / The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, ... 2 Samuel 5:23-25 So David inquired of the LORD, who answered, “Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. / As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” / So David did as the LORD had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. 2 Kings 3:10-24 “Alas,” said the king of Israel, “for the LORD has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!” / But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” / Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. ... 2 Chronicles 20:22-23 The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated. / The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. Isaiah 37:36-37 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! / So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. Jeremiah 37:9-10 This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not! / Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.” 1 Samuel 7:10-12 As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was offering up the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel. / Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth-car. / Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” 2 Kings 19:35-36 And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! / So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. 2 Chronicles 13:13-18 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them. / When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets, / and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ... Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. / After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. / The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ... Luke 4:1-13 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, / where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. / The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” ... John 18:4-8 Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?” / “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. Jesus said, “I am He.” And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them. / When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ... Acts 5:38-39 So in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail. / But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.” Romans 8:31 What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Treasury of Scripture And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. by the way Joshua 18:12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven. Jump to Previous Acting Beaten Desert Direction Driven Israel Joshua Overcome Pretended Pretense Seem Stricken Themselves Waste Way WildernessJump to Next Acting Beaten Desert Direction Driven Israel Joshua Overcome Pretended Pretense Seem Stricken Themselves Waste Way WildernessJoshua 8 1. God encourages Joshua3. The plan whereby Ai was taken 29. The king thereof is hanged 30. Joshua builds an altar 32. writes the law on stones 33. and pronounces the blessings and curses Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them This phrase describes a strategic retreat orchestrated by Joshua. The context is the battle against Ai, following the initial defeat due to Achan's sin. This time, God provided a specific battle plan (Joshua 8:1-2). The retreat was a ruse to draw the men of Ai away from the city, demonstrating Joshua's obedience to God's instructions and his military acumen. This tactic is reminiscent of other biblical strategies where apparent weakness is used to achieve victory, such as Gideon's battle against the Midianites (Judges 7). and they fled toward the wilderness Persons / Places / Events 1. JoshuaThe leader of Israel, successor to Moses, who is orchestrating the military strategy against Ai. 2. Israel The nation chosen by God, consisting of the twelve tribes, engaged in the conquest of Canaan. 3. Ai A Canaanite city that Israel is attempting to conquer after a previous defeat. 4. The Wilderness The area to which Joshua and the Israelites feigned retreat, part of their strategic deception. 5. The Men of Ai The inhabitants and defenders of the city of Ai, who are drawn out of the city by Israel's feigned retreat. Teaching Points Strategic WisdomJoshua's leadership demonstrates the importance of strategic planning and wisdom in achieving God's purposes. Believers are encouraged to seek God's guidance in their endeavors. Divine Timing The victory at Ai underscores the significance of God's timing. After dealing with sin in the camp, Israel is now ready for victory, teaching us the importance of spiritual readiness. Faith and Obedience Joshua's actions reflect faith in God's promises and obedience to His commands. Believers are called to trust and obey God, even when His plans seem unconventional. Overcoming Past Failures The renewed attack on Ai shows that past failures do not define our future. With repentance and reliance on God, we can overcome setbacks. Community and Leadership The success at Ai required unity and trust in leadership. This highlights the importance of community and following godly leadership in the church.Verse 15. - Made as though they were beaten. "Joshua conquered by yielding. So our Lord Jesus Christ, when He bowed His head and gave up the ghost, seemed as if death had triumphed over Him; but in His resurrection He rallied again, and gave the powers of darkness a total defeat" (Matthew Henry). By the way of the wilderness. Northwestward, in the direction of the wilderness of Bethel (Joshua 16:1) Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Joshuaיְהוֹשֻׁ֥עַ (yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3091: Joshua -- 'the LORD is salvation', Moses' successor, also the name of a number of Israelites and all וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every Israel יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc let themselves be beaten back וַיִּנָּֽגְע֛וּ (way·yin·nā·ḡə·‘ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 5060: To touch, lay the hand upon, to reach, violently, to strike before them, לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם (lip̄·nê·hem) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 6440: The face and they fled וַיָּנֻ֖סוּ (way·yā·nu·sū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 5127: To flit, vanish away toward דֶּ֥רֶךְ (de·reḵ) Noun - common singular construct Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action the wilderness. הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃ (ham·miḏ·bār) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech Links Joshua 8:15 NIVJoshua 8:15 NLT Joshua 8:15 ESV Joshua 8:15 NASB Joshua 8:15 KJV Joshua 8:15 BibleApps.com Joshua 8:15 Biblia Paralela Joshua 8:15 Chinese Bible Joshua 8:15 French Bible Joshua 8:15 Catholic Bible OT History: Joshua 8:15 Joshua and all Israel made as if (Josh. 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