punishments, introduced from foreign countries, it may be well again to direct attention to the fact that the only capital punishments directed by the law of Moses are stoning and slaying with the sword." The latter punishment may have included decapitation, which, as being in use among the Egyptians (Gen. xl. 17-19), must have been known to the Hebrews. But this use of the sword is certainly not mentioned in the laws of Moses; and it would seem to have been generally left to the discretion of the executioner to destroy the convict with the sword in such way as seemed to him most convenient or effective. The expression "to fall upon," or, more properly, "to rush upon," such persons, seems to imply this liberty in the executioner. As very cruel punishments hereafter are mentioned, we are anxious to have it clearly understood that they are not sanctioned by the law of Moses. There is not, even now, any Oriental code so mild in the form of its capital and corporal punishments as that of Moses. Even stoning is less severe than it might at the first view appear; for the first stone that struck the condemned man on the head would, in most instances, render him insensible to all that afterwards passed.

26. "Raised over him a great heap of stones." See 2 Sam. xviii. 7.

"Valley of Achor." The word means "trouble," and has evident reference to the name of Achan )עכו(. Indeed it is generally agreed that the name here given to the valley )כר( is the proper name of the man; the final 1, which makes all the difference, having been written by some careless transcriber. Accordingly, the name is given as "Achar" in 1 Chron. ii. 7; and it is invariably so given in the Syriac version, and by Josephus. We know nothing about the valley. It could not have been at any great distance from Jericho; and in ch. xv. 7, we learn that it was on the northern border of the tribe of Judah.

made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.

25 And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.

26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants

of Ai.

27 Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.

28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.

29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and "raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

Num 31.22, 26. 10 Verse 2. +1 Chap. 7. 26.

31 As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

32 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.

33 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, "with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

18 Exod. 20. 25. Deut. 27. 5. 13 Deut. 11. 29, and 27. 12. 14 Deut. 31. 12. 15 Heb. walked.

Verse 4. "Lie in wait against the city." -We are certainly not anxious to prove that Joshua was a great general, or that the Israelites, as a people, could boast much prowess or skill in military matters. Indeed, this affair at Ai seems throughout to show the contrary; and so much the more clearly, therefore, are we enabled to perceive that, with their own resources, they were wholly inadequate to the great undertaking which lay before them; and, consequently, that the Divine assistance which they, by manifest miracles, received, was in the highest degree necessary to put them in possession of the promised land. On this view we are disposed fully to concur in the following remark of Michaelis, although we dissented from his opinion that the loss of thirty-six men was no adequate cause for the consternation which followed the first attempt against Ai. He says, with regard to this second attempt, "Joshua once more attacked the city of Ai (a small place, to reduce which he first thought 3000 men sufficient), with all his immense army, of which no fewer than 30,000 were thought necessary to form an ambuscade. The inhabitants of the city were too inexperienced in war to perceive the artifice: they pursued a body of some hundred thousands, that made a feint of flying before them, and while they thus left the city unprotected, the ambuscade rushed in and took possession of it. This, at the same time, plainly shows that the Canaanites were quite ignorant of the art of war. Even after the time of Joshua, until the days of David, we find so many instances of panics, surprises, routs (for example, that of the Midianites, Judg. vii.), victories gained by inconsiderable numbers, and extraordinary feats of personal powess, which seldom have much effect against good discipline and order, that we may very justly conclude the Hebrews and all their neighbours to have been, at least until David's time, very defective in real military knowledge." It must not be forgotten, however, that contrivances, which may now seem hacknied and unskilful, must at one time have been original and effective. That the people of Ai were deceived by a feint, which now appears so easily seen through, seems to show that such a stratagem had not previously been known; and, in that case, considering Joshua its author, we may rate his generalship rather more highly than Michaelis seems to do, without however exalting him into that consummate warrior whose own resources left him little need of that Divine aid which was promised and given to him. There may be some infidelity at the bottom of the encomiums we so often hear on Joshua's abilities as a general. Joshua himself knew perfectly that without God he could do nothing; nor was he less aware that he was not himself that "Captain of the Lord's host" to whom the glory of its successful warfare was due.

17. "Or in Beth-el." -The Septuagint has not these words; nor is there in this chapter any reference to Bethel or its inhabitants. The clause is therefore omitted by Houbigant, Boothroyd, and others, who regard it as evidently interpolated. 18. "Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand."-There was a flag or streamer at the end of it, to render it the more conspicuous, according to the very probable explanation of Abarbanel and other Rabbins. Although Joshua is now told when to lift up his spear, it is clear that the action itself was a preconcerted signal, well understood by the troops. They would else have been at a loss to know what intention the action expressed.

30. "Then Joshua built an altar....in mount Ebal."-For "Mount Ebal," the Samaritan reads "Mount Gerizim;" as explained, with the other circumstances of this transaction, in the notes to Deut. xxvii,

Heb. mouth.

thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, ❘ not, because the princes of the congregation

Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

9 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,

10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.

12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the

LORD.

15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation

sware unto them.

16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.

18 And the children of Israel smote them

had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.

20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.

21 And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall 'none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

24 And they answered Joshua, and said,. Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God 'commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

25 And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.

26 And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.

27 And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

2 Heb. in your hand. Or, they received the men by reason of their victuals. 4 Verse 15. 5 Heb. not be cut off from you. Deut. 7. 1, 2.

Verse 3. "Gibeon." -The name of this town imports that it was built upon a hill; and was, according to Josephus, forty furlongs north from Jerusalem, and Eusebius says that in his time it still went under its old name, and was four miles west from Bethel. The same father and Jerome say it was the capital of the Hivites, and a royal city; but the Scripture only says that it was a very important town, greater than Ai, and like a royal (or metropolitan) city (ch. x. 2). It is remarkable also that no king of Gibeon is ever mentioned; and, upon the whole, we may infer that it was the head of a confederacy or commonwealth of which the towns of Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim were also members (v. 17.) and their inhabitants included under the denomination of Gibeonites. In the division of the land all the towns were given to Benjamin, except Kirjath-jearim, which fell to the lot of Judah. And Gibeon itself was one of the four cities of Benjamin that were assigned to the priests (ch. xviii. 25; xxi. 17.) From 2 Sam. ii. 13, it appears that there was a pond or pool )ברכת, birkath, the same in Arabic) at Gibeon, which from the passage would seem to have been rather large, and is undoubtedly the same as "the great waters that are in Gibeon" of Jer. xli. 12. There was also a "great stone" or rock in Gibeon (2 Sam. xx. 8); and these circumstances taken together may hereafter serve to identify the site. Gibeon retained its importance under the Israelites. The tabernacle was there in the latter part of David's reigr (1) Chron. xxi. 29, 30), and in the early part of Solomon's (1 Kings iii. 4); but we do not know where or on what occasion it was removed thither. The presence of the tabernacle rendered Gibeon the "great high place," whither Solomon went at the beginning of his reign to offer a thousand burnt offerings upon the