Ai

Ai is a settlement named in 32 verses of the Bible. It is most likely identified with Et Tell (medium confidence; 4 other proposals below).

Location

Where scholars place it, most confident first. Confidence is OpenBible.info's score from the sources it surveys; it is not this site's judgment.

Verses

Genesis

• Genesis 12:8
  And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth–el, and pitched his tent, having Beth–el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
• Genesis 13:3
  And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth–el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth–el and Hai;From the Negev he journeyed from place to place toward Bethel, until he came to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched,

Joshua

• Joshua 7:2
  And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth–aven, on the east side of Beth–el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
• Joshua 7:3
  And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is no need to send all the people; two or three thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”
• Joshua 7:4
  So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.So about three thousand men went up, but they fled before the men of Ai.
• Joshua 7:5
  And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
• Joshua 8:1
  And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
• Joshua 8:2
  And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
• Joshua 8:3
  So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night
• Joshua 8:5
  And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.
• Joshua 8:9
  Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth–el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.
• Joshua 8:10
  And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.Joshua got up early the next morning and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched before them up to Ai.
• Joshua 8:11
  And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.Then all the troops who were with him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and the city.
• Joshua 8:12
  And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth–el and Ai, on the west side of the city.Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
• Joshua 8:14
  And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city.
• Joshua 8:16
  And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
• Joshua 8:17
  And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth–el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.
• Joshua 8:18
  And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your battle lance toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai,
• Joshua 8:20
  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.When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.
• Joshua 8:21
  And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai.
• Joshua 8:22
  And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained.
• Joshua 8:23
  And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
• Joshua 8:24
  And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well.
• Joshua 8:25
  And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
• Joshua 8:26
  For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.
• Joshua 8:28
  And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
• Joshua 8:29
  And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
• Joshua 9:1
  And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)—
• Joshua 9:3
  And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,But the people of Gibeon, having heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
• Joshua 10:1
  Now it came to pass, when Adoni–zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction—doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them.
• Joshua 10:2
  That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
• Joshua 12:9
  The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth–el, one;the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is near Bethel, one;

Notes

1. Locations from the OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
2. Verses are those where at least one of ten English translations names this place, per OpenBible.info.