What Does Joshua 8:6 Mean in the King James?
(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The retreat is bait: pursuit pulls the enemy away from the protection of the city.
THE MEANING
The verse shows a retreat built to be read as defeat: the pursuers follow until they are drawn away from the city. Their interpretation, “They flee before us”, is part of what makes the deception work. What looks like lost ground is the chosen route for pulling them from their protection.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The false belief is that whoever appears to flee has already lost; here, retreat is deliberately used to make the pursuer leave protected ground.
THE ROOT
הַתִּיקֵנוּ
hattîqēnû
GROWS FROM
נתק
To pull away, tear loose, or detach.
“drawn” in this verse is hattîqēnû. The verb carries the force of detaching: the pursuers are pulled loose from the city that protects them. The staged flight does more than lead them elsewhere; it separates them from their shelter.
ALSO GROWS
nāṯaq: To pull away or tear off.
נָתַק
This is the root’s basic action: something is loosened from where it was held.
waynatteqēm: “And he snapped them apart” (Judges 16:9).
וַיְנַתְּקֵם
The same root describes cords torn loose, giving a physical edge to the separation from the city in this verse.
נָסִים
nāsîm
GROWS FROM
נוס
To flee, retreat, or escape.
This root family includes both fleeing and refuge: מָנוֹס (mānôs) means “refuge” or “escape.” Here, “they flee” is an appearance the pursuers trust, and that trust helps draw them away from safety.
ALSO GROWS
nûs: To flee or escape.
נוּס
The visible flight is the signal the pursuers mistake for a rout.
mānôs: Refuge or escape.
מָנוֹס
The same root connects fleeing with seeking safety, sharpening the contrast between apparent flight and the pursuers’ loss of protection.
THE PATTERN
A deliberate withdrawal can redirect pursuit and change where danger and safety lie.
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.THE THREAD
Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.The verb translated “drawn” comes from נתק, the same root used when Samson snaps the cords apart. That scene gives the word a tangible edge: here, the pursuers are pulled loose from the city that shelters them.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us