The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 100 – Section 101
SECT. C.
THe Lord now encourages Joſhua, and commands him to take the whole Army with him, (for the better heartning of the people) and to go againſt Ai, for he would give the City and the Land belonging to it into his hands; And he ſhould utterly deſtroy it, and the King, and the Inhabitants thereof, as they did to Jericho, only the Spoil thereof, and the Cattel thereof they ſhould take to themſelves. And poſſibly the whole Army was commanded to go up; becauſe they were all to participate in the Spoil of the City: But God would not have them as yet poſſeſs any fortified Towns or Cities, leſt they ſhould put confidence in the ſtrength of thoſe places, and not wholly reſt and rely on his Providence.
Joſhua hereupon marched with all the men of War from Gilgal, till they were come ſo near Ai, that they might the following night go up to it. Then he ſent from thence that night thirty thouſand of his choiceſt men with a Charge, that taking the advantage of the night, they ſhould lay an Ambuſh of five thouſand in the Weſt part of the City, between Bethel and Ai, and the other 25 thouſand ſhould ſtay ſomewhere near them, that they might aſſiſt them, in caſe the Inhabitants of the City ſhould diſcover them, and come out with all their Power againſt them. Joſhua lodged that night with the reſt of the Army, and early next morning before it was day, he went up after this thirty thouſand, and joyning (as it is probable) with the 25 thouſand, pitched on the North-ſide of Ai, but in a place where the men of Ai could not yet diſcover them, there being a Valley between them and the City, verſ. 10, 11. Having thus ſet the Ambuſh on the Weſt-ſide, and the body of the Army on the North-ſide of the City; Joſhua early in the morning*Viſitavit, v. 10. viſited his Army, to fee if they were all ready, and in good array, and then went preſently himſelf into the midſt of the Valley with a ſmall party with him, purpoſing that as ſoon as it was day to ſhew themſelves to the men of Ai, that they might thereupon be the more encouraged to ſally out againſt them. The King of Ai hearing of this ſmall Party in the Valley, He gave Order, that all the Garriſon-Souldiers ſhould be preſently got ready at ſuch a time, and accordingly they all met, and together with their King ſallied forth, and ſet upon the Iſraelites. Joſhua and the reſt that were with him deſignedly fled before them towards the body of their Army (left on the Hill beyond the Plain) to draw them off from the City. It being once noiſed that the Iſraelites fled, all that could bear Arms in Ai were inſtantly called to purſue after them, there was not a Souldier left in Ai or Bethel (for it ſeems the Inhabitants of that Town being near Ai had joyned with them) but all ran eagerly after the Iſraelites leaving the City open. Joſhua with his Party being retir'd to the body of the Army, he turned his face and ſtretched his Spear towards Ai, upon which Signal his Souldiers (as 'tis probable) gave a mighty Shout, which the Ambuſh of 5000 men hearing, knew thereby it was time for them to run, and take the City; which accordingly they did, and preſently ſet ſome one or more houſes therein on fire, that by the ſmoke aſcending, the Iſraelites might perceive the City was taken; the men of Ai that purſued Joſhua looking back, and ſeeing the ſmoke of their City aſcending, were quite diſheartned. Then Joſhua and his Army fell upon them, and the five thouſand that had entred the City iſſued out upon their backs, ſo that they were hemm'd in behind and before, and ſo the Iſraelites made a vaſt Slaughter of them, and ſpared none they could lay their hands on, ſave only their King, whom they took alive, and brought to Joſhua. Then the Iſraelites went up to Ai, and ſmote it with the edge of the Sword, ſo that all that fell that day, both in the Field and in the City, were about twelve thouſand. For Joſhua drew not his hand back, but with his Spear ſtretched forth, led them on in the Chaſe and Slaughter of their Enemies, till they were deſtroyed. The Cattel and Spoil of the City the Iſraelites took to themſelves, as God had commanded. But Joſhua burnt the City, and made it an heap and a deſolation for a very long time,*V. 28. By this word for ever here, as in many other places of Scripture a long time only is ſignified. though afterwards in the days of Nehemiah it was rebuilt, and inhabited by the Benjamites, as we find Neh. 11.31. and then it was not called Ai, but Aijah, above a thouſand years after it was demoliſhed. Joſhua hanged the King of Ai upon a Tree till eventide, and when the Sun was ſet, he commanded him to be taken down,†See Deut. 21.23. and to be caſt at the entrance of the Gate of the City, and that a great heap of Stones ſhould be raiſed over Him.
Joſh. 8. from 1. to 30.
SECT. CI.
MOſes having before his death charged the Iſraelites, that when they came into the Land of Canaan, they ſhould buid a Monument of great Stones, and write the Law thereon, and at the ſame time ſhould build an Altar of whole ſtones, and offer Sacrifices thereon, and that on Mount Gerizim, and Mount Ebal, (where this was to be done) the people ſhould in a ſolemn manner give their conſent to certain Bleſſings and Curſes, that ſhould be read in their hearing; Therefore Joſhua after the taking of Ai, finding the way to theſe Mountains clear and open, (by reaſon of the terrour wherewith the Enemy was now ſtricken) took this time to go up with the people thither to perform this Service, which upon the firſt opportunity he knew they were bound to perform. And accordingly going thither, He built there this Monument, and writ the Law thereon, and built the Altar, and offered Sacrifices thereon, and the people of Iſrael, according to Gods Command, having aſſembled themſelves together with their Women, little Ones, and Strangers, half of them ſtood over againſt Mount Gerizim, and half of them over againſt Mount Ebal, (that is, not upon the top of theſe Mountains, but upon their aſcent near unto the bottom) that they might be the nearer one to another, and both of them to the Ark, which was placed in the Valley between them, and might the more conveniently hear the Bleſſings and Curſings pronounced by the Prieſts at Joſhua's appointment. Theſe things being done accordingly, the people gave their aſſent unto the Bleſſings and Curſings, and performed all things according to Moſes's direction given, Deut. 11.29. and Deut. 27. from 2. to 9.
Joſh. Ch. 8. from 30. to the end.