Topic
Ai
23 passages cited, from 4 classic reference works.
These works date from 1884–1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Jeremiah 49:3Easton · Smith · ISBE · Nave 2. A city of the Ammonites
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.
- Ezra 2:28Easton · ISBE · Nave 1. A royal city of the Canaanites — Rebuilt
The men of Beth-el and Ai, two hundred twenty and three.
- Nehemiah 11:31Easton · ISBE · Nave 1. A royal city of the Canaanites — Also called AIJA
The children also of Benjamin from Geba dwelt at Michmash, and Aija, and Beth-el, and in their villages,
- Genesis 12:8Easton · ISBE
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.
- Genesis 13:3Easton · ISBE
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;
- Joshua 10:1Easton · Smith
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…
- Nehemiah 7:32Easton · ISBE
The men of Beth-el and Ai, an hundred twenty and three.
- Isaiah 10:28ISBE · Nave 1. A royal city of the Canaanites — And AIATH
He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:
- Joshua 7:1–26ISBE
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.…
- Joshua 7:2–5Easton
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. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the…
- Joshua 7:2Smith
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.
- Joshua 7:3–5Smith
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. So there went up thither of the people about…
Show 11 more
- Joshua 7:8 Nave 1. A royal city of the Canaanites — Conquest and destruction of
- Joshua 8:1–29 Easton
- Joshua 8:1 Smith
- Joshua 8:1–35 ISBE
- Joshua 8:9 Smith
- Joshua 8:25 Nave 1. A royal city of the Canaanites — Population of
- Joshua 8:28 ISBE
- Joshua 9:3 Smith
- Joshua 10:2 Smith
- Joshua 12:9 Smith
- Isaiah 15:1 Easton
In the reference works
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · 10 references
Ruins. (1.) One of the royal cities of the Canaanites (Josh. 10:1; Gen. 12:8; 13:3). It was the scene of Joshua’s defeat, and afterwards of his victory. It was the second Canaanite city taken by Israel (Josh. 7:2-5; 8:1-29). It lay rebuilt and inhibited by the Benjamites (Ezra 2:28; Neh. 7:32; 11:31). It lay to the east of Bethel, “beside Beth-aven.” The spot which is most probably the site of this ancient city is Haiyan, 2 miles east from Bethel. It lay up the Wady Suweinit, a steep, rugged valley, extending from the Jordan valley to Bethel.
(2.) A city in the Ammonite territory (Jer. 49:3). Some have thought that the proper reading of the word is Ar (Isa. 15:1).
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884) · 9 references
- A city lying east of Bethel and "beside Bethaven." (Joshua 7:2; 8:9) It was the second city taken by Israel after the passage of the Jordan, and was "utterly destroyed." (Joshua 7:3-5; 8:1; Joshua 9:3; 10:1,2; 12:9)
- A city of the Ammonites, apparently attached to Heshbon. (Jeremiah 49:3)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 12 references
a'-i (`ay, written always with the definite article, ha-`ay, probably meaning "the ruin," kindred root, `awah):
(1) A town of central Palestine, in the tribe of Benjamin, near and just east of Bethel (Ge 12:8). It is identified with the modern Haiyan, just south of the village Der Diwan (Conder in HDB; Delitzsch in Commentary on Ge 12:8) or with a mound, El-Tell, to the north of the modern village (Davis, Dict. Biblical). The name first appears in the earliest journey of Abraham through Palestine (Ge 12:8), where its location is given as east of Bethel, and near the altar which Abraham built between the two places. It is given similar mention as he returns from his sojourn in Egypt (Ge 13:3). In both of these occurrences the King James Version has the form Hai, including the article in transliterating. The most conspicuous mention of Ai is in the narrative of the Conquest. As a consequence of the sin of Achan in appropriating articles from the devoted spoil of Jericho, the Israelites were routed in the attack upon the town; but after confession and expiation, a second assault was successful, the city was taken and burned, and left a heap of ruins, the inhabitants, in number twelve thousand, were put to death, the king captured, hanged and buried under a heap of stones at the gate of the ruined city, only the cattle being kept as spoil by the people (Jos 7; 8). The town had not been rebuilt when Jos was written (Jos 8:28). The fall of Ai gave the Israelites entrance to the heart of Canaan, where at once they became established, Bethel and other towns in the vicinity seeming to have yielded without a struggle. Ai was rebuilt at some later period, and is mentioned by Isa (Isa 10:28) in his vivid description of the approach of the Assyrian army, the feminine form (`ayyath) being used. Its place in the order of march, as just beyond Michmash from Jerusalem, corresponds with the identification given above. It is mentioned also in post-exilic times by Ezr 2:28 and Ne 7:32, (and in Ne 11:31 as, `ayya'), identified in each case by the grouping with Bethel.
(2) The Ai of Jer 49:3 is an Ammonite town, the text probably being a corruption of `ar; or ha-`ir, "the city" (BDB).
Edward Mack
In the topical indexes
Texts: Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897); Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915); Nave's Topical Bible (1896), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.