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Ai (; "heap of ruins") refers to two or three places in ancient Israel:
- A royal city in Canaan, the second one taken by the Israelites. It is mentioned in Abraham's time; he is said to have pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai at the east (Genesis 12:8) . He built an altar there and visited the place again after being in Egypt.
In Joshua's time, Ai was attacked by a small force of about 3,000 soldiers, but they suffered defeat because of the sin of Achan (Joshua 7:4-15). After correction of this matter, Joshua employed a strategy against the city, setting an ambush at the rear of the city on the west side. The city was captured and set on fire and razed to the ground (Joshua 8:1-28).
Ai is identified by most archaeologists with Et-Tell southeast of Bethel; however, this identification has been disputed by Dr. Bryant Wood.*
- A city mentioned along with Heshbon in Jeremiah 49:3 *. Its location is unknown.
See also
External links
Tanakh places | Canaan | Ai (Historischer Stadtstaat) | Aï (Bible) | העי
"Ai (Bible)"