Joshua 8:13 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ver. 13. And when they had set the people, &c.—on the north— Or, on the north-east. The meaning here is, that the whole army of Israel posted itself to the north or northeast of Ai, in the mountains, while the thirty or thirty-five thousand men in ambush turned behind the city to the west, and all these troops remained in this position the rest of the day and the night following: or else, this verse must be considered to express briefly what follows; namely, that Joshua, who went in the night from his camp at Gilgal at the head of thirty thousand men, took his station to the north of Ai, in a valley, where he lay under covert; that the skirt of one of his wings turned off west of the place, and that from thence he sent the five thousand, who also went and lay in ambush on the west, but lower down, between Ai and Beth-el. Now we may very well suppose, that all this was done in one night. Joshua went out in the evening; when he came to the place where he had determined to stop, and whence he detached the five thousand men, it was dark night; but after taking some little repose, he renewed his march before day, and, the day breaking, the enemy perceived and attacked them.