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Where is Ai in the Bible?

Ai was a Canaanite city located near Bethel, east of Jerusalem. Ai appears in 30 verses across 4 books of the Bible.

What happened at Ai?

Ai was a Canaanite city located near Bethel, east of Jerusalem. It is first mentioned in Genesis 12:8 and 13:3, where Abraham built an altar between Bethel and Ai. During the conquest of Canaan, Joshua sent spies to Ai, who reported that the city was small and could be easily defeated (Joshua 7:2-3). However, the Israelites were initially defeated because of Achan's sin (Joshua 7:4-5). After dealing with Achan, Joshua set an ambush and conquered Ai, killing its inhabitants and burning the city (Joshua 8). The king of Ai was hanged, and a heap of stones was raised over his body (Joshua 8:29). The conquest of Ai opened the way for the Israelites to advance into the heart of Canaan (Joshua 9:3; 10:1-2). Ai is listed among the cities defeated by Joshua (Joshua 12:9). After the Babylonian exile, some people from Ai returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:28; Nehemiah 7:32). Ai was resettled by the Benjamites (Nehemiah 11:31). The city is also mentioned in Isaiah 10:28 as part of a prophetic description of the Assyrian invasion of Judah. The exact location of Ai is debated, but it is generally identified with et-Tell, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Bethel.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Ai appear in the Bible?

Ai is referenced in 30 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Joshua 26Genesis 2Ezra 1Nehemiah 1

Showing the first 24 of 30.

Open all 30 references in Protos

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Ai.

JoshuaBethelJerichoTentWildernessGate

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Ai?

Ai appears in 30 verses across 4 books, most often in Joshua, which accounts for 26 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Ai?

Joshua, Genesis, Ezra, Nehemiah.

Where can I read every verse about Ai?

This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 30, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Joshua with Ai explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

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