This, however, was done only in order to give the army a sign
of the taking, and to deprive the enemy of courage. Other-
wise the Israelites would have robbed themselves of the booty
which belonged to them ; for this case was not similar to the
taking of Jericho. Joshua did not set fire to the whole town
till the Israelites had possession of the spoil. In the account
of the defeat of the enemy no express mention is made of the
inhabitants of Bethel. We cannot, however, with Clericus,
infer from this that they succeeded in saving themselves by
flight. Doubtless they were included among the inhabitants
of Ai, owing to their comparatively small number. But
Bethel itself was not conquered until later by the Josephites,
comp. Judg. i. 22-26. For at that time the only object was
to take the most important points ; conquest in detail was left
to a later time. According to ver 28, Ai was made an eternal
heap of ruins; but instead of the earlier town, which was
destroyed utterly and for ever, a new place afterwards arose of
the same name, mentioned in Isa. x. 28.
Joshua made use of this first opportunity for carrying out
a decree which Moses had given to his people on his depar-
ture, Deut. xxvii. They were to write down upon stone^



FROM TAKING OF JERICHO TO DIVISION OF THE LAND. 427

plastered over witli plaster, the whole sum of the law which
Moses had declared to them, the quintessence of the Tora,
which forms the germ of Deut. iv. 44^xxvi. 19. At the same
time they were solemnly to pronounce a blessing on those who
would keep this law, and a curse on those who should break it.
