How does Josue’s planned flight draw Hai’s men away before the hidden force takes the city?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Josue plans to turn his back as before so the pursuers will think Israel is fleeing again and follow farther from Hai. The actual pursuit leaves Hai and Bethel open. When he lifts his shield toward Hai at the Lord’s command, the hidden force rises immediately, takes the city and burns it; Israel then attacks the pursuers from both sides.

Chapter breakdown

The Lord tells Josue not to fear or be dismayed, but to take all the fighting men and go up to Hai. He has delivered its king, people, city and land into Josue’s hand. Josue must do to Hai and its king as he did to Jericho and its king, except that Israel may take the spoils and all the cattle for itself; he must place an ambush behind the city. Josue rises with all the army and sends thirty thousand chosen valiant men at night. He orders them to wait behind the city, not very far away, with everyone ready. Josue and the rest will approach from the opposite side and flee when the defenders come out, turning their backs as before. He explains that the pursuers will think they are fleeing again and be drawn farther from the city. While they pursue, the hidden force must rise and destroy the city; the Lord will deliver it. Once they have taken it, they must set it on fire and do all he commands.

The men go to the ambush between Bethel and Hai, west of Hai. Josue stays that night among the people. Rising early, he musters his soldiers and goes up with Israel’s elders at the army’s front, supported by the fighting men. They stand north of the city with a valley between them and it. He has chosen five thousand men and placed them in ambush between Bethel and Hai on the west. Challoner’s separate note says these five thousand are part of the thirty thousand already mentioned in verse 3. The rest of the army forms for battle on the north, its rear reaching the west side. The account then says Josue goes that night and stands in the valley’s midst.

When Hai’s king sees this, he hurries out in the morning with all the city’s army, forming for battle toward the desert without knowing of the ambush behind him. Josue and all Israel draw back, pretending to be afraid and fleeing toward the wilderness. The pursuers shout together and encourage one another as they follow. No one in Hai or Bethel remains who does not pursue Israel; they leave the towns open as they rush out.

The Lord tells Josue to lift the shield in his hand toward Hai, for he will deliver the city to him. When Josue lifts it, the hidden force immediately rises, goes to the city, takes it and sets it on fire. Hai’s pursuing men look back and see its smoke rise to heaven. They have no more power to flee this way or that, especially as those who pretended flight toward the wilderness turn back bravely against them. Josue and all Israel see the captured city and rising smoke, return and kill Hai’s men. Those who captured and burned the city come out to meet their own men and cut off the enemies surrounded between them. Attacked on both sides, not one of that multitude is saved. They take Hai’s king alive and bring him to Josue.

All those who pursued Israel into the wilderness are slain by the sword in that same place; Israel’s children return and lay waste the city. Twelve thousand persons fall that day, both men and women, all of Hai. Josue does not draw back his raised hand holding the shield until all Hai’s inhabitants are slain. Israel divides the cattle and prey among themselves, as the Lord commanded Josue. Josue burns the city and makes it a heap forever. He hangs its king on a gibbet until evening and the sun’s going down. Then, at his command, they take the body down and throw it in the city’s very entrance, heaping a great pile of stones upon it that remains until this present day.

Josue then builds an altar to the Lord God of Israel on Mount Hebal, as Moses commanded Israel’s children and the book of his law records. Its stones are unhewn—left uncut—and iron has not touched them. Josue offers whole burnt offerings to the Lord and victims for peace offerings. He writes on stones the Deuteronomy of Moses’ law, which Moses had ordered before Israel’s children. All the people, elders, princes and judges stand on both sides of the ark before the priests carrying the Lord’s covenant ark. Both strangers and those born among them are there, half by Mount Garizim and half by Mount Hebal, as Moses commanded. Josue first blesses Israel’s people. Afterward he reads all the words of blessing and cursing and everything written in the law book. He leaves out nothing Moses commanded, repeating it all before all Israel’s people, with the women, children and strangers dwelling among them.

The story inside

The Lord gives encouragement, a full-force command and an exception allowing the cattle and spoils. Josue’s plan uses the earlier flight as what the enemy will expect: he explains that pursuit will draw them farther from the city. The account records the placements, morning muster and actual pursuit from Hai and Bethel. The king does not know of the force behind him. Josue’s raised shield is followed immediately by the city’s capture and burning; smoke is seen, Israel turns back, and the enemies are attacked on both sides. The king is taken alive before the later hanging, and the twelve thousand deaths, permitted spoil and city’s ruin are expressly recorded. Josue then builds the prescribed altar, writes Moses’ law on stones and reads everything commanded before the whole assembly. Challoner’s sole note explains the relation between five thousand and thirty thousand without a new tactical theory.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The flight has a stated purpose and a recorded result. Josue explains that pursuers will think Israel is fleeing as before and be drawn away. The actual pursuit leaves both Hai and Bethel open, and the king is unaware of the hidden force.
2
The two troop numbers belong together in Challoner’s explanation. The five thousand are part of the thirty thousand, not an added five thousand. The account also preserves the army’s north and west positions and the valley between it and Hai.
3
The public law reading is complete and includes the full assembly. The people, elders, princes, judges, native-born and strangers stand by the ark; the concluding description expressly includes women and children. Blessing comes first, then the reading omits nothing Moses commanded.

Test your recall

Why does Josue plan to flee as before, and what happens to Hai and Bethel while their men pursue?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 23056–23092
Josue Chapter 8 Hai is taken and burnt, and all the inhabitants slain. An altar is built, and sacrifices offered. The law is written on stones, and the blessings and cursings are read before all the people. 8:1. And the Lord said to Josue: Fear not, nor be thou dismayed: take with thee all the multitude of fighting men, arise, and go up to the town of Hai: Behold I have delivered into thy hand the king thereof, and the people, and the city, and the land. 8:2. And thou shalt do to the city of Hai, and to the king thereof, as thou hast done to Jericho, and to the king thereof: but the spoils, and all the cattle, you shall take for a prey to yourselves: lay an ambush for the city behind it. 8:3. And Josue arose, and all the army of the fighting men with him, to go up against Hai: and he sent thirty thousand chosen valiant men in the night, 8:4. And commanded them, saying: Lay an ambush behind the city: and go not very far from it: and be ye all ready. 8:5. But I, and the rest of the multitude which is with me, will approach on the contrary side against the city. And when they shall come out against us, we will flee, and turn our backs, as we did before: 8:6. Till they pursuing us be drawn farther from the city: for they will think that we flee as before. 8:7. And whilst we are fleeing, and they pursuing, you shall rise out of the ambush, and shall destroy the city: and the Lord your God will deliver it into your hands. 8:8. And when you shall have taken it, set it on fire, and you shall do all things so as I have commanded.
Lines 23094–23115
8:9. And he sent them away, and they went on to the place of the ambush, and abode between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the city of Hai. But Josue staid that night in the midst of the people, 8:10. And rising early in the morning, he mustered his soldiers, and went up with the ancients in the front of the army, environed with the aid of the fighting men. 8:11. And when they were come, and were gone up over against the city, they stood on the north side of the city, between which and them there was a valley in the midst. 8:12. And he had chosen five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the same city: Five thousand.... These were part of the thirty thousand mentioned above, ver. 3. 8:13. But all the rest of the army went in battle array on the north side, so that the last of that multitude reached to the west side of the city. So Josue went that night, and stood in the midst of the valley.
Lines 23117–23129
8:14. And when the king of Hai saw this, he made haste in the morning, and went out with all the army of the city, and set it in battle array, toward the desert, not knowing that there lay an ambush behind his back. 8:15. But Josue, and all Israel gave back, making as if they were afraid, and fleeing by the way of the wilderness. 8:16. But they shouting together, and encouraging one another, pursued them. And when they were come from the city, 8:17. And not one remained in the city of Hai and of Bethel, that did not pursue after Israel, leaving the towns open as they had rushed out,
Lines 23131–23153
8:18. The Lord said to Josue: Lift up the shield that is in thy hand, towards the city of Hai, for I will deliver it to thee. 8:19. And when he had lifted up his shield towards the city, the ambush, that lay hid, rose up immediately: and going to the city, took it, and set it on fire. 8:20. And the men of the city, that pursued after Josue, looking back, and seeing the smoke of the city rise up to heaven, had no more power to flee this way or that way: especially as they that had counterfeited flight, and were going toward the wilderness, turned back most valiantly against them that pursued. 8:21. So Josue, and all Israel, seeing that the city was taken, and that the smoke of the city rose up, returned, and slew the men of Hai. 8:22. And they also that had taken and set the city on fire, issuing out of the city to meet their own men, began to cut off the enemies who were surrounded by them. So that the enemies being cut off on both sides, not one of so great a multitude was saved. 8:23. And they took the king of the city of Hai alive and brought him to Josue.
Lines 23155–23174
8:24. So all being slain that had pursued after Israel, in his flight to the wilderness, and falling by the sword in the same place, the children of Israel returned and laid waste the city. 8:25. And the number of them that fell that day, both of men and women, was twelve thousand persons, all of the city of Hai. 8:26. But Josue drew not back his hand, which he had stretched out on high, holding the shield, till all the inhabitants of Hai were slain. 8:27. And the children of Israel divided among them, the cattle and the prey of the city, as the Lord had commanded Josue. 8:28. And he burnt the city, and made it a heap forever: 8:29. And he hung the king thereof on a gibbet, until the evening and the going down of the sun. Then Josue commanded, and they took down his carcass from the gibbet: and threw it in the very entrance of the city, heaping upon it a great heap of stones, which remaineth until this present day.
Lines 23176–23201
8:30. Then Josue built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount Hebal, 8:31. As Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded the children of Israel, and it is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of unhewn stones, which iron had not touched: and he offered upon it holocausts to the Lord, and immolated victims of peace offerings. 8:32. And he wrote upon stones, the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had ordered before the children of Israel. 8:33. And all the people, and the ancients, and the princes, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark, before the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, both the stranger and he that was born among them, half of them by Mount Garizim, and half by Mount Hebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord, had commanded. And first he blessed the people of Israel. 8:34. After this, he read all the words of the blessing and the cursing, and all things that were written in the book of the law. 8:35. He left out nothing of those things which Moses had commanded, but he repeated all before all the people of Israel, with the women and children, and strangers, that dwelt among them.