The Meaning of Joshua 8:20 Explained

Joshua 8:20

KJV: And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

YLT: And the men of Ai look behind them, and see, and lo, the smoke of the city hath gone up unto the heavens, and there hath not been in them power to flee hither and thither -- and the people who are fleeing to the wilderness have turned against the pursuer, --

Darby: And the men of Ai turned and saw, and behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way; and the people that fled to the wilderness turned upon the pursuers.

ASV: And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when the men  of Ai  looked  behind  them, they saw,  and, behold, the smoke  of the city  ascended up  to heaven,  and they had no power  to flee  this way or that way:  and the people  that fled  to the wilderness  turned back  upon the pursuers. 

What does Joshua 8:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 8:18-29 - The Enemy Completely Destroyed
Joshua's preparations were skillfully made, and in that very place where Israel had been so disastrously defeated they scored a great victory and took large spoil, especially cattle, which they drove in triumph to the camp at Gilgal.
Taught by Christ's gentle spirit, we turn our eyes away from the doom that befell the entire population. In those days notions of God's justice were not tempered by knowledge of His mercy. But the Bible records the slow growth of even the religious leaders of the race in the true knowledge of God, Acts 26:9.
Be of good cheer, you that have been repeatedly overwhelmed by your strong enemies! Your failure arises from some hidden evil lurking in your soul! Put that away! Cast it out as a cancer! Where you were defeated you shall be more than conqueror, through the grace of Christ. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 8

1  God encourages Joshua
3  The plan whereby Ai was taken
29  The king thereof is hanged
30  Joshua builds an altar
32  writes the law on stones
33  and pronounces the blessings and curses

What do the individual words in Joshua 8:20 mean?

And when looked the men of Ai behind them and they saw and behold ascended the smoke of the city to heaven so no had they power to flee this way or that way and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers
וַיִּפְנ֣וּ אַנְשֵׁי֩ הָעַ֨י אַחֲרֵיהֶ֜ם וַיִּרְא֗וּ וְהִנֵּ֨ה עָלָ֜ה עֲשַׁ֤ן הָעִיר֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה וְלֹא־ הָיָ֨ה בָהֶ֥ם יָדַ֛יִם לָנ֖וּס הֵ֣נָּה וָהֵ֑נָּה וְהָעָם֙ הַנָּ֣ס הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר נֶהְפַּ֖ךְ אֶל־ הָרוֹדֵֽף

וַיִּפְנ֣וּ  And  when  looked 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: פֹּונֶה 
Sense: to turn.
אַנְשֵׁי֩  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָעַ֨י  of  Ai 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עַי 
Sense: a city lying east of Bethel and beside Bethaven near Jericho and the 2nd city taken on the invasion of Canaan.
אַחֲרֵיהֶ֜ם  behind  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
וַיִּרְא֗וּ  and  they  saw 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְהִנֵּ֨ה  and  behold 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
עָלָ֜ה  ascended 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
עֲשַׁ֤ן  the  smoke 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עָשָׁן  
Sense: smoke.
הָעִיר֙  of  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה  to  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְלֹא־  so  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָדַ֛יִם  power 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
לָנ֖וּס  to  flee 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נוּס  
Sense: to flee, escape.
הֵ֣נָּה  this  way 
Parse: Adverb
Root: הֵנָּה  
Sense: here, there, now, hither.
וָהֵ֑נָּה  or  that  way 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: הֵנָּה  
Sense: here, there, now, hither.
וְהָעָם֙  and  the  people 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַנָּ֣ס  who  had  fled 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נוּס  
Sense: to flee, escape.
הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר  to  the  wilderness 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
נֶהְפַּ֖ךְ  turned  back 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָפַךְ  
Sense: to turn, overthrow, overturn.
הָרוֹדֵֽף  the  pursuers 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָדַף  
Sense: to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after.