The First Battle of Ai

EA Baker
Jan 8
8 min read

Updated: Feb 10

Wars of the Bible

In the last installment of Wars of the Bible, we examined the fall of Jericho. The city was not taken by siegecraft or battlefield brilliance, but by obedience. Israel followed the Lord’s command precisely, and the walls fell. It was a moment meant to demonstrate that victory did not depend on numbers, weapons, or tactics, but on faithfulness to the Lord.

That triumph, however, carried a warning. Jericho was placed under ḥerem—the ban—meaning everything within it was devoted to the Lord. Nothing was to be taken, nothing claimed as spoil. The conquest of the land was not a series of wars for profit or glory, but a sacred undertaking. What happened next shows just how seriously that command was meant to be taken.

After this success, Israel turned its attention to the next objective—Ai. Compared to Jericho, Ai appeared insignificant. The scouts’ report was confident, almost dismissive. This would be a small action, a routine engagement, barely worth committing the full force of Israel’s fighting men. Yet what should’ve been an easy victory became Israel’s first defeat in the Promised Land.

Israel Defeated at Ai

7 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.

2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”

The Sin of Achan

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction.[a] I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’”

Joshua 7:1-15

The Historicity of the First Battle of Ai

The account of Israel’s defeat at Ai presents a challenge for historians precisely because it describes a failure rather than a triumph. Ancient conquest narratives—biblical or otherwise—rarely preserve embarrassing defeats unless they serve a deeper explanatory purpose. In Joshua 7, Israel’s loss is not attributed to tactical miscalculation alone, but to covenantal violation. From a historiographical perspective, this lends the narrative a degree of credibility: it preserves an uncomfortable memory and embeds it within a theological framework rather than erasing it.

That said, the question of historicity hinges on chronology. If the events of Joshua are placed in the Late Bronze Age (roughly the 13th century BCE), as many conservative scholars argue, then the account must be evaluated against what is known of settlement patterns and regional power structures during that period. The story presumes the existence of a fortified or at least defensible settlement at Ai, capable of inflicting casualties and pursuing a retreating force—suggesting something more than a handful of huts, but less than a major city-state like Jericho.

The narrative also reflects realistic military behavior: reconnaissance before engagement, reliance on intelligence assessments, and the morale collapse that follows an unexpected defeat. These details fit well within what is known of small-scale Bronze Age warfare in the Levant.

The Geography of Ai

The biblical text places Ai near Beth-aven and east of Bethel, situating it in the central hill country of Canaan. This region is characterized by rugged terrain, steep ascents, narrow passes, and limited arable land—conditions that favor defenders familiar with the landscape. The description of Israel being chased “from the gate as far as Shebarim” and struck “at the descent” strongly suggests a topography involving ridgelines and downhill routes, which aligns well with the hill country environment.

Aerial view of a hilly landscape with labeled sites: Khirbet el-Maqatir, Beth-aven, et-Tell, and others. Green fields, roads, and houses visible. — Aerial view of the central hill country east of Bethel, showing the traditional site of Ai at et-Tell and the surrounding terrain. Visible are the Dibwan Ridge, Wadi Jaya, and nearby Khirbet el-Maqatir—features that illustrate the rugged geography described in Joshua 7 and the challenges faced by Israel during the first battle of Ai.

Traditional identification has long associated Ai with et-Tell, a large archaeological mound east of modern Deir Dibwan. Et-Tell, however, presents a significant problem: it appears to have been destroyed around 2400 BCE and was largely unoccupied during the Late Bronze Age. This discrepancy has led many scholars to conclude either that Ai was misidentified or that the biblical account reflects an earlier tradition.

In response, alternative sites have been proposed, most notably Khirbet el-Maqatir, a smaller site west of et-Tell. Excavations there have uncovered evidence of a modest Late Bronze Age settlement, including fortifications and destruction layers that some researchers argue align more closely with the biblical narrative. While consensus has not been reached, the geography of these sites—particularly their proximity to Bethel and their defensible positions—fits the tactical details described in Joshua.

The People of Ai

Unlike Jericho, Ai is not presented as a major Canaanite city-state ruled by a king of regional importance. Instead, it appears to have been a smaller hill settlement, likely inhabited by local Canaanites or Amorites. Such settlements often functioned as fortified villages, controlling nearby agricultural land and key routes through the highlands.

The men of Ai are portrayed as confident enough to pursue the Israelites beyond their gate, indicating a population accustomed to defending itself and perhaps emboldened by Israel’s unexpected retreat. This behavior is consistent with hill-country warfare, where local knowledge and terrain could offset numerical inferiority.

The narrative does not dwell on the culture or leadership of Ai’s inhabitants, which itself may be telling. Ai serves less as a political enemy and more as a theological instrument—an adversary whose success exposes Israel’s internal failure rather than its own strength.

Archaeological and Extrabiblical Evidence

There is no direct extrabiblical reference to the battle of Ai, nor should one be expected. Ai was not a major power, and minor engagements rarely appear in contemporary records unless they involved imperial forces like Egypt or Assyria. The absence of textual corroboration, therefore, does not meaningfully undermine the account.

Archaeologically, the picture is mixed. Et-Tell’s lack of Late Bronze Age occupation remains the strongest argument against a straightforward reading of the text if that site is assumed to be Ai. However, the identification of Ai is not explicitly settled by Scripture, and alternative locations like Khirbet el-Maqatir demonstrate that smaller, fortified settlements did exist in the correct region during the proposed time frame.

It is also worth noting that the First Battle of Ai does not describe a city’s destruction—only Israel’s defeat. As such, the lack of a clear destruction layer does not necessarily contradict the biblical account. The Second Battle of Ai, described later in Joshua, would be the more appropriate episode to expect archaeological traces of destruction.

My Spiritual Takeaways

The Israelite defeat at Ai once again highlights a common theme with not just God’s people but men in general. We are consistently disobedient to God’s word and his plans, going against him, in this case, for selfish reasons. As such, the Israelites suffered the consequences as God punished their overconfidence due to their disobedience.

So the lesson here is quite simple.

Obey God.

God demands our obedience. But we are a broken people that live in a broken world filled with temptation. We cannot live a perfect life (the Israelites illustrate this time and time again). That’s why we needed Jesus. When we put God’s commands first, his blessing pours into our lives. Inevitably, we will stumble and falter. But fortunately, we have a forgiving and all-knowing God. We cannot hide our sin from him. So when we fail, we must repent and return in alignment with God’s commands.

In the next blog, we’ll look at how the Israelites repent for their sins and realign themselves obediently with God, setting the stage for the events of the Second Battle of Ai.

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Sources

BibleGateway.com. (n.d.). Joshua 7 (English Standard Version). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%2B7&version=ESV
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Hess, R. S. (1996). Joshua: An introduction and commentary. InterVarsity Press.
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Klingbeil, G. A. (2008). Warfare in the Old Testament. In T. D. Alexander & D. W. Baker (Eds.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (pp. 873–887). InterVarsity Press.
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