Ai in the Bible

Meaning: mass; heappar

Exact Match

And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto Jehovah, and called upon the name of Jehovah.

Verse ConceptsAi, The CityCalling upon GodNomadsShrinesTentsAbraham, The Friend Of GodAbraham, Calling And LifePrayer, Described AsAltars To The LordBuilding AltarsEast And West

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 Ai,

Verse ConceptsNomadsParticular Journeys

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

Verse ConceptsAi, The CityLand, As A Divine GiftSpiesSpyingGradual Conquest Of The Land

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.

Verse ConceptsTwo ThousandThree Thousand And UpUnderestimation

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.

Verse ConceptsHuman EmotionHeart, HumanMeltingThirty SomeLosing Courage

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:

Verse ConceptsLand, As A Divine GiftWarfare, Nature OfResisting DiscouragementGradual Conquest Of The LandThose God Gave Into Their Hands

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.

Verse ConceptsCattle

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.

Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

Verse ConceptsWaitingWest Sides

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.

Verse ConceptsRising Early, Examples OfMustering TroopsThose Who Rose Early

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.

And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

Verse ConceptsFive ThousandWest Sides

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.

Verse ConceptsNot Knowing The FutureThose Who Rose Early

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.

Verse ConceptsBringing People Out Of Other Places

And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

Verse ConceptsEmpty CitiesUnguarded

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.

Verse ConceptsSpearsThose God Gave Into Their Hands

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.

Verse ConceptsFugitivesConflagrations

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.

Then the others came out of the city to confront the men of Ai [as they returned], so that they were trapped in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side; then Israel struck them until none of them survived or escaped.

Verse ConceptsThe Middle

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.

Verse ConceptsCarnageConquest

And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.

Verse ConceptsEleven To Nineteen Thousand

For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

Verse ConceptsAnnihilation

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.

Verse ConceptsGallowsGatesHangingPunishment, Legal Aspects OfSunsetsCairnsPeople Hung To DeathPlaces To This Day

When all the kings heard about Jericho and Ai, those who were west of the Jordan in the hill country, in the Judean foothills, and all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—

Verse ConceptsMediterranean SeaBeyond JordanGentile RulersThe Shephelah

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek 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;

Verse ConceptsAi, The CityTreatyAnnihilation

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.

Verse ConceptsCityLargenessFearing Other People

The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

the Amorites persisted in dwelling in Har-heres, in Ai'jalon, and in Sha-al'bim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily upon them, and they became subject to forced labor.

Verse ConceptsForced Labour

Then Elon the Zeb'ulunite died, and was buried at Ai'jalon in the land of Zeb'ulun.

Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.

Verse ConceptsAi, The CitySackcloth And AshesAfflictions Of The WickedExiled Foreigners

Thematic Bible



He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he lays up his baggage.


The sons of Benjamin also [dwelt] from Geba [onward], at Michmash and Aija, and at Bethel and the towns of it,


And all who fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.


The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three.


Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste. Cry, ye daughters of Rabbah. Gird you with sackcloth. Lament, and run to and fro among the fences. For Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his rulers together.


Oh, LORD, what shall I say after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!


Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste. Cry, ye daughters of Rabbah. Gird you with sackcloth. Lament, and run to and fro among the fences. For Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his rulers together.


And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai. Do not make all the people to toil there, for they are but few. So there went up there of the people about three thousand men. And they fled before the men of Ai.

And LORD said to 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. And thou shall do to Ai and her king as thou did to Jericho and her king. Only the spoil of it, and the cattle of it, ye shall take for a prey to yourselves. Set thee an ambush for the city behind it. So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them forth by night. read more.
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lay in ambush against the city, behind the city. Go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready, and I, and all the people that are with me, will approach to the city. And it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them. And they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first. So we will flee before them. And ye shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city, for LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be, when ye have seized upon the city, that ye shall set the city on fire. According to the word of LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you. And Joshua sent them forth, and they went to the ambushment, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai, but Joshua lodged that night among the people. And Joshua arose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. And all the people, [even] the [men of] war who were with him, went up, and drew near, and came before the city, and encamped on the north side of Ai. Now there was a valley between him and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. So they set the people, even all the army that was on the north of the city, and their ambushment that were on the west of the city, and Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hastened and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the Arabah, but he did not know And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them, and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. And they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. And LORD said to Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai, for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and took it. And they hastened and set the city on fire.