35 Bible Verses about Ambush

The LORD then told Joshua, "Don't be afraid or lose heart! Take all the fighting men with you, and go up right now to Ai. Take note that I have handed over the king of Ai into your control, along with his people, his city, and his land. Do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, but take its spoil and its livestock as war booty for yourselves. Set an ambush around the city." So Joshua and all of the fighting men prepared to go out against Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 valiant warriors and sent them out by night, read more.
telling them, "Pay attention now! You are to set up an ambush around the city. Don't go very far from the city, and all of you remain on alert. I and all of the army with me will advance upon the city. When they come out after us like they did before, we'll run away from them. They'll come after us until we've drawn them away from the city, because they'll say, "They're running away from us just like they did before.' While we're running away from them, you get up from the ambush and seize the city, because the LORD your God will give it into your control. When you've taken the city, set it on fire, just as the LORD ordered. Look! These are your orders!" So Joshua sent them out, and they set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. Joshua spent that night in the camp among the army. In the morning, Joshua got up early, mustered his army, and set off for Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel in full view of the army. The entire fighting force with him attacked, approaching the city, and camped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. Taking about 5,000 men, he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai to the west of the city, stationing their forces with its main encampment north of the city and its rear guard to the west. Joshua spent that night in the valley. When the king of Ai saw what had happened, he and his army quickly got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle. He and all his people met at the place adjacent to the desert plain. But he didn't know about the ambush that had been set for him on the other side of the city. Because Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel pretended to lose the battle by running away in front of them toward the wilderness, everyone in the city followed after them. As they pursued Joshua, they were drawn away from the town. There wasn't a single man left in Ai or Bethel who didn't run out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel. Then the LORD told Joshua, "Stretch out the battle lance that's in your hand toward Ai, because I will give it into your control." So Joshua stretched out the battle lance that was in his hand toward the city. As soon as he stretched out his hand, the troops in ambush quickly got up from their place of hiding and attacked. They entered the city, seized it, and immediately set it on fire. Then the men of Ai looked back behind them and all of a sudden! smoke from the city was rising into the sky. They were unable to run in any direction, because the Israelis who had fled toward the wilderness had turned around to attack their pursuers. When Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel observed that the men who had been in ambush had seized the city and that the smoke from the city was rising, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. Then the others came out from the city against them, so the men of Ai were surrounded by the Israelis, some on one side and some on the other. Israel attacked them until no one was left to survive or escape. But the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua. When Israel had completed executing all of the residents of Ai in the open wilderness where they had chased them, and after all of them to the very last of them had been killed by swords, the entire fighting force of Israel returned to Ai and attacked it with swords.

He sent messengers to Abimelech in secret and told him, "Look out! Ebed's son Gaal and his family have arrived here in Shechem. Watch out! They're stirring up the city against you. So get up at night, take your soldiers with you, and wait in ambush out in the field. Tomorrow morning when the sun is up, get up early and attack the city. When Gaal and his army come out to fight you, do whatever you can to them."read more.
So Abimelech and his entire army got up that night and waited in ambush against Shechem in four separate companies. Ebed's son Gaal went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate while Abimelech and his army were creeping out of their ambush. When Gaal saw the army, he observed to Zebul, "Look there! People are coming down from the top of the mountains." But Zebul replied to him, "You're looking at morning shadows cast by the mountains. They just look like men to you." Gaal spoke up again to say, "Look! People are coming down from the highest part of the land, and there's a company approaching from the diviner's oak tree." So Zebul replied, "Right... So where's your boasting now? You said, "Who is Abimelech? Should we serve him?' Isn't this the army that you insulted? So go out right now and fight them!" So Gaal went out in full view of the "lords" of Shechem and fought Abimelech. Abimelech chased him, and Gaal ran away from him. Many fell wounded right up to the entrance to the city gate.

So Israel set soldiers in ambush around Gibeah. The Israelis went out against the descendants of Benjamin on the third day, arraying themselves against Gibeah as they had done previously. They attacked the army and were drawn away from the city as they began to inflict casualties on the soldiers along the roads to Bethel and Gibeah, just as they had done the other times. About 30 soldiers from Israel fell in battle there and in the fields.read more.
Then the descendants of Benjamin told themselves, "They're falling right in front of us, just like before!" But the army of Israel told themselves, "Let's draw them away by escaping to the highways from the city." So the entire army of Israel moved from their location and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamer while that part of their army moved from their ambush positions from Maareh-geba. As 10,000 of Israel's best soldiers came to fight Gibeah, the battle became fierce, but the army of Benjamin didn't know that disaster was close at hand. The LORD struck Benjamin in the full view of Israel. As a result, the Israelis destroyed 25,100 soldiers of Benjamin that day, all expert swordsmen. Then the descendants of Benjamin realized that they had been defeated. The army of Israel pretended to retreat from the army of Benjamin, knowing that they had set some soldiers in ambush near Gibeah. The soldiers in ambush rushed out to attack Gibeah, deploying in force and executing the entire city with swords. Meanwhile, the army of Israel had arranged to signal their soldiers who had been hiding in ambush by sending up a cloud of smoke from the city. The army of Israel turned around in the battle, and the army of Benjamin began to attack and kill about 30 soldiers, thinking, "Now we're really defeating them, just like before." But then the smoke began to rise from the city in a column. The army of Benjamin observed behind them that the whole city was going up in flames straight into the sky! At that point, as the army of Israel turned back to face the army of Benjamin, the army of Benjamin was filled with terror, because they realized that disaster was about to overtake them. So they turned tail and ran away from the army of Israel toward the wilderness, but they were overtaken in battle when soldiers came out from the cities to destroy them. They surrounded the army of Benjamin, pursuing them ceaselessly until they defeated them near the east-facing border of Gibeah. That's how 18,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin fell in battle, all of whom were valiant soldiers. The rest of them turned and ran into the wilderness in the direction of the rock of Rimmon, but 5,000 of them were killed on the highways while 2,000 of them were overtaken and killed near Gidom. To sum up, the soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin who died that day totaled 25,000 men, all of them expert swordsmen and valiant soldiers. However, 600 soldiers ran into the wilderness in the direction of the rock of Rimmon, where they remained as fugitives for four months. Meanwhile, the army of Israel went back to fight the surviving descendants of Benjamin. They attacked the entire city with swords, including its cattle and everyone they could find. Then they set fire to all of the cities that they could find.

When David asked the LORD about it, he said, "Don't attack them directly. Instead, go around to the rear and attack them opposite those balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching coming from the tops of the balsam trees, then be sure to act quickly, since the LORD will have gone out ahead of you to cut down the Philistine army." So David did exactly what the LORD ordered him to do, and he struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

So Joshua and all of the fighting men prepared to go out against Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 valiant warriors and sent them out by night, telling them, "Pay attention now! You are to set up an ambush around the city. Don't go very far from the city, and all of you remain on alert. I and all of the army with me will advance upon the city. When they come out after us like they did before, we'll run away from them. read more.
They'll come after us until we've drawn them away from the city, because they'll say, "They're running away from us just like they did before.' While we're running away from them, you get up from the ambush and seize the city, because the LORD your God will give it into your control. When you've taken the city, set it on fire, just as the LORD ordered. Look! These are your orders!" So Joshua sent them out, and they set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. Joshua spent that night in the camp among the army. In the morning, Joshua got up early, mustered his army, and set off for Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel in full view of the army. The entire fighting force with him attacked, approaching the city, and camped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. Taking about 5,000 men, he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai to the west of the city, stationing their forces with its main encampment north of the city and its rear guard to the west. Joshua spent that night in the valley. When the king of Ai saw what had happened, he and his army quickly got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle. He and all his people met at the place adjacent to the desert plain. But he didn't know about the ambush that had been set for him on the other side of the city. Because Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel pretended to lose the battle by running away in front of them toward the wilderness, everyone in the city followed after them. As they pursued Joshua, they were drawn away from the town. There wasn't a single man left in Ai or Bethel who didn't run out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.

The "lords" of Shechem sent out men to ambush him on the mountain tops, and they robbed everyone who came by them along the roads, and this was reported to Abimelech.

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab brought him aside within the gateway to talk to him alone and then stabbed him in the abdomen. So he died for shedding the blood of Joab's brother Asahel.

Later, the Philistines once again marched out and encamped in the Rephaim Valley. When David asked the LORD about it, he said, "Don't attack them directly. Instead, go around to the rear and attack them opposite those balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching coming from the tops of the balsam trees, then be sure to act quickly, since the LORD will have gone out ahead of you to cut down the Philistine army." read more.
So David did exactly what the LORD ordered him to do, and he struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

They gather together and hide in ambush. They watch my every step as they lie in wait for my life.

"Evil men are found among my people. They lie in wait like someone who traps birds. They set a trap, but they do so to catch people.

Don't go out into the field, and don't travel on the road, because the enemy has a sword, and terror is on every side.

Now on the day after Gedaliah was killed, when as yet no one knew about it, eighty men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria came with their beards shaved, their clothes torn, and their bodies slashed. They had grain offerings and incense with them to present at the LORD's Temple. Nethaniah's son Ishmael went out from Mizpah to meet them, crying as he went. As he met them he told them, "Come meet with Ahikam's son Gedaliah." read more.
When they reached the middle of the city, Nethaniah's son Ishmael and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.

If they say, "Come with us! Let's lie in wait for blood; let's ambush some innocent person for no reason at all.

If he didn't lie in wait, but God let him fall into his reach, then I'll appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

The words of the wicked lead to bloodshed, but the speech of the upright delivers them.

Surely she lies in wait like a bandit, increasing those who are faithless among mankind.

Our pursuers were swifter than soaring eagles; they pursued us over the mountains, lying in wait for us in the wilderness.

He is like a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding.

Don't lie in wait like an outlaw to attack where the righteous live;

But the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, so he came and got into the barracks and told Paul.

Do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, but take its spoil and its livestock as war booty for yourselves. Set an ambush around the city." So Joshua and all of the fighting men prepared to go out against Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 valiant warriors and sent them out by night, telling them, "Pay attention now! You are to set up an ambush around the city. Don't go very far from the city, and all of you remain on alert. read more.
I and all of the army with me will advance upon the city. When they come out after us like they did before, we'll run away from them. They'll come after us until we've drawn them away from the city, because they'll say, "They're running away from us just like they did before.' While we're running away from them, you get up from the ambush and seize the city, because the LORD your God will give it into your control. When you've taken the city, set it on fire, just as the LORD ordered. Look! These are your orders!" So Joshua sent them out, and they set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai.

Taking about 5,000 men, he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai to the west of the city, stationing their forces with its main encampment north of the city and its rear guard to the west. Joshua spent that night in the valley. When the king of Ai saw what had happened, he and his army quickly got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle. He and all his people met at the place adjacent to the desert plain. But he didn't know about the ambush that had been set for him on the other side of the city. read more.
Because Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel pretended to lose the battle by running away in front of them toward the wilderness, everyone in the city followed after them. As they pursued Joshua, they were drawn away from the town. There wasn't a single man left in Ai or Bethel who didn't run out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel. Then the LORD told Joshua, "Stretch out the battle lance that's in your hand toward Ai, because I will give it into your control." So Joshua stretched out the battle lance that was in his hand toward the city. As soon as he stretched out his hand, the troops in ambush quickly got up from their place of hiding and attacked. They entered the city, seized it, and immediately set it on fire. Then the men of Ai looked back behind them and all of a sudden! smoke from the city was rising into the sky. They were unable to run in any direction, because the Israelis who had fled toward the wilderness had turned around to attack their pursuers. When Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel observed that the men who had been in ambush had seized the city and that the smoke from the city was rising, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai.

So he took his army, divided it into three separate companies, and laid in ambush out in the field. When Abimelech noticed the people coming out from the city, his army attacked them and killed them.

So Israel set soldiers in ambush around Gibeah. The Israelis went out against the descendants of Benjamin on the third day, arraying themselves against Gibeah as they had done previously. They attacked the army and were drawn away from the city as they began to inflict casualties on the soldiers along the roads to Bethel and Gibeah, just as they had done the other times. About 30 soldiers from Israel fell in battle there and in the fields.read more.
Then the descendants of Benjamin told themselves, "They're falling right in front of us, just like before!" But the army of Israel told themselves, "Let's draw them away by escaping to the highways from the city." So the entire army of Israel moved from their location and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamer while that part of their army moved from their ambush positions from Maareh-geba. As 10,000 of Israel's best soldiers came to fight Gibeah, the battle became fierce, but the army of Benjamin didn't know that disaster was close at hand. The LORD struck Benjamin in the full view of Israel. As a result, the Israelis destroyed 25,100 soldiers of Benjamin that day, all expert swordsmen. Then the descendants of Benjamin realized that they had been defeated. The army of Israel pretended to retreat from the army of Benjamin, knowing that they had set some soldiers in ambush near Gibeah. The soldiers in ambush rushed out to attack Gibeah, deploying in force and executing the entire city with swords. Meanwhile, the army of Israel had arranged to signal their soldiers who had been hiding in ambush by sending up a cloud of smoke from the city.

Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

Look, they lie in ambush for my life; these violent men gather together against me, but not because of any transgression or sin of mine, LORD.

Lift up the battle standard against Babylon's walls. Strengthen the guard; post watchmen. Set men in position for an ambush. For the LORD will both plan and carry out what he has declared against the inhabitants of Babylon.

When the Gazites were informed, "Samson has come here!" they surrounded him, intending to lay in wait for him at the city gate throughout the entire night. They kept quiet all night, telling each other, "At first light, let's kill him!"

Meanwhile, some kidnappers were hiding inside an inner room, waiting for her signal. So she told him, "The Philistines are attacking you!" But he snapped the cords as one might break a burned candle wick. So his secret remained undiscovered.

So Delilah grabbed some new ropes and tied him up. Then she told him, "The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!" because some kidnappers were hiding inside an inner room. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like thread.

But all of you have conspired against me, and no one tells me about my son's covenant with Jesse's son. None of you feels sorry for me and tells me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as he's doing this day."

Then Saul asked him, "Why have you conspired against me you and Jesse's son by giving him food and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him, so he can rise up against me to lie in wait, as he's doing today?"

Don't believe them, because more than 40 of them are planning to ambush him. They've taken an oath not to eat or drink before they've killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent."

and asking Festus to have Paul brought to Jerusalem as a favor. They were laying an ambush to kill him on the road.

but these people lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves.