Joshua 8:3

Thirty thousand. There is some difficulty in harmonizing the figures mentioned in this chapter, possibly because the narrative is so briefly recorded. In verses 1 and 3 the expression “all the people of war” (see also verse 11) seems to indicate that God commanded all the men of war to join in this battle. This verse mentions 30,000 who were to lie in wait “between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai” (verse 9), whereas in verse 12 he took 5,000 men and set them to lie in ambush “between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.” This latter group may have been an additional ambush later sent out on a special assignment. If so, the two ambushes together with the main body of forces with Joshua would make up the total number of men of war. In support of this suggestion is the observation that the 30,000 were directed to take the city and set it on fire at a given signal from Joshua. The 5,000, on the other hand, received no direction, as far as the record goes, as to what they were to do. It has been suggested that their assignment had to do with the proximity of hostile Bethel to Ai (see on verse 12).