John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai , etc.] Which was the next city of importance, though not so large as Jericho, and was, as the Jews say f96 , three miles distant from it; Abarbinel says four miles, and so Bunting f98 ; Jerom says, that in his times very few ruins of it appeared, only the place was shown where it stood: which [is] beside Bethaven ; a name by which Bethel in later times was called, ( Hosea 4:15); but here it is manifestly a distinct place from it; just hard by or near to this place, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it, was the city of Ai: Bethaven seems to have been the suburbs of it, or however was very near unto it: on the east side of Bethel ; near to which Abraham built an altar, as did Jacob also, and which in former times was called Luz, ( Genesis 12:8) ( Genesis 35:1,3,6,7); and was well known in later ages by the name of Bethel; it was reckoned about a mile from Ai: the situation of this city is so particularly described to distinguish it from another city of this name, Ai of the Amorites, ( Jeremiah 49:3); and is here called “that Ai”, that well known Ai, as Kimchi observes: and spake unto them ; at the time he sent them, when he gave them their orders to go thither: saying, go up and view the country ; the mountainous part of it; for they were now in a plain, where Jericho was seated; and observe what place was most proper to attack next, and which the best way of coming at it: and the men went up and viewed Ai ; what a sort of a city it was, how large, and what its fortifications, and what avenues were to it: by this it appears that Ai was built upon a hill, or at least was higher than Jericho and its plains; and with this agrees what a traveller says of it, it is a village full of large ruins (in this he differs from Jerom) and from hence are seen the valley of Jericho, the dead sea, Gilgal, and Mount Quarantania, and many other places towards the east.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - Achan took some of the spoil of Jericho. The love of the world is tha root of bitterness, which of all others is most hardly rooted up. We should take heed of sin ourselves, lest by it many be defiled of disquieted, Heb 12:15; and take heed of having fellowship with sinners lest we share their guilt. It concerns us to watch over one another to prevent sin, because others' sins may be to our damage. The eas conquest of Jericho excited contempt of the enemy, and a disposition to expect the Lord to do all for them without their using proper means Thus men abuse the doctrines of Divine grace, and the promises of God into excuses for their own sloth and self-indulgence. We are to wor out our own salvation, though it is God that works in us. It was a dea victory to the Canaanites, whereby Israel was awakened and reformed and reconciled to their God, and the people of Canaan hardened to their own ruin.
Original Hebrew וישׁלח7971 יהושׁע3091 אנשׁים376 מיריחו3405 העי5857 אשׁר834 עם5973 בית און1007 מקדם6924 לבית אל1008 ויאמר559 אליהם413 לאמר559 עלו5927 ורגלו7270 את853 הארץ776 ויעלו5927 האנשׁים376 וירגלו7270 את853 העי׃5857
