Joshua 8:28
New International Version
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day.

New Living Translation
So Joshua burned the town of Ai, and it became a permanent mound of ruins, desolate to this very day.

English Standard Version
So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day.

Berean Standard Bible
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.

Berean Literal Bible
And Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.

King James Bible
And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.

New King James Version
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.

New American Standard Bible
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a refuse heap forever, a desolation until this day.

NASB 1995
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation until this day.

NASB 1977
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation until this day.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation until this day.

Amplified Bible
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a rubbish heap forever, a desolation until this day.

Berean Annotated Bible
So Joshua (YHWH saves) burned Ai (heap of ruins) and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.

Christian Standard Bible
Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, still desolate today.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, desolate to this day.

American Standard Version
So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day.

English Revised Version
So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a deserted mound of ruins. It is still in ruins today.

Good News Translation
Joshua burned Ai and left it in ruins. It is still like that today.

International Standard Version
Joshua burned Ai, turning it into a permanent mound of ruins, and it remains so to this day.

NET Bible
Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day).

New Heart English Bible
So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap forever, even a desolation, to this day.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation to this day.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.

World English Bible
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, even a desolation, to this day.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Joshua burns Ai, and makes it a continuous heap—a desolation to this day;

Berean Literal Bible
And Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.

Young's Literal Translation
And Joshua burneth Ai, and maketh it a heap age-during -- a desolation unto this day;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Joshua will burn Ai and set it a heap forever, a waste even to this day.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he burned the city, and made it a heap for ever:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he set fire to the city, and he caused it to be a perpetual tomb.

New American Bible
Then Joshua destroyed Ai by fire, reducing it to an everlasting mound of ruins, as it remains today.

New Revised Standard Version
So Joshua burned Ai, and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Joshua burned Ai, and made it a heap of ruins for ever to this day.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Yeshua burned Ai and he made it a heap, a desolation for eternity, until today
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Joshua burnt the city with fire: he made it an uninhabited heap for ever, even to this day.

Additional Translations ...



Context
The Conquest of Ai
27Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua. 28So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day. 29He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.…

Cross References
So Joshua burned Ai

Deuteronomy 13:16
And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.

Joshua 11:11
The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword, devoting them to destruction. Nothing that breathed remained, and Joshua burned down Hazor itself.

Judges 18:27
After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.
and made it a permanent heap of ruins,

Jeremiah 51:37
Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.

Isaiah 25:2
Indeed, You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin. The fortress of strangers is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

Micah 1:6
Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble in the open field, a planting area for a vineyard. I will pour her stones into the valley and expose her foundations.
a desolation to this day.

Jeremiah 49:33
“Hazor will become a haunt for jackals, a desolation forever. No one will dwell there; no man will abide there.”

Zephaniah 2:9
Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.”

Ezekiel 35:9
I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
2 Kings 19:25
Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble.

Isaiah 37:26
Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble.

Jeremiah 49:2
Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a heap of ruins, and its villages will be burned. Then Israel will drive out their dispossessors, says the LORD.

Amos 1:14
So I will kindle a fire in the walls of Rabbah to consume its citadels amid war cries on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of tempest.

2 Samuel 12:31
David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

1 Kings 9:16
Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

Jeremiah 50:40
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbors,” declares the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.


Treasury of Scripture

And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation to this day.

an heap

Deuteronomy 13:16
And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.

2 Kings 19:25
Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

Isaiah 17:1
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

unto this day

Joshua 4:9
And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

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Age-During Ai Burned Burneth Burnt Desolate Desolation Everlasting Heap Joshua Maketh Mass Permanent Ruins Stones Waste
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Age-During Ai Burned Burneth Burnt Desolate Desolation Everlasting Heap Joshua Maketh Mass Permanent Ruins Stones Waste
Joshua 8
1. God encourages Joshua
3. The plan whereby Ai was taken
29. The king thereof is hanged
30. Joshua builds an altar
32. writes the law on stones
33. and pronounces the blessings and curses












So Joshua burned Ai

In obedience to God’s command, Joshua destroyed Ai after Israel’s victory. Like Jericho, the city came under God’s judgment as a Canaanite stronghold resisting His purposes for Israel.

Deu 13:16 And you are to gather all its plunder in the public square…
Jos 11:11 The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword.…
Jdg 18:27 After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest…

and made it a permanent heap of ruins,

Ai was left utterly destroyed rather than occupied or restored. Its ruin demonstrated the completeness of Israel’s conquest and the certainty of God’s judgment against those who opposed Him.

Jer 51:37 Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals…
Isa 25:2 Indeed, You have made the city a heap of rubble…
Mic 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble…

a desolation to this day.

The visible ruins remained as a lasting witness to Ai’s fall and to the consequences of resisting God’s command.

Jer 49:33 Hazor will become a haunt for jackals, a desolation forever.…
Zep 2:9 Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts,…
Ezk 35:9 I will make you a perpetual desolation.…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Joshua
The leader of the Israelites after Moses, tasked with leading the people into the Promised Land. He is a central figure in the conquest of Canaan.

2. Ai
A Canaanite city that was the site of a significant battle between the Israelites and the inhabitants of the land. Its destruction was a pivotal moment in Israel's conquest of Canaan.

3. The Burning of Ai
This event marks the complete destruction of the city, symbolizing God's judgment and the fulfillment of His promise to give the land to Israel.
Teaching Points
God's Judgment and Justice
The destruction of Ai serves as a reminder of God's righteous judgment against sin and rebellion. It underscores the seriousness with which God views disobedience and idolatry.

The Fulfillment of God's Promises
The event demonstrates God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to Israel. Despite previous setbacks, God ensures victory for His people when they align with His will.

The Consequences of Sin
Ai's destruction is a stark reminder of the consequences of sin. It calls believers to examine their lives and repent of any disobedience to avoid similar spiritual desolation.

The Importance of Obedience
Joshua's leadership and obedience to God's commands were crucial in the victory over Ai. This teaches the importance of following God's guidance in our own lives.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Joshua 8:28?

2. How does Joshua 8:28 demonstrate God's judgment and justice on Ai's sin?

3. What lessons can we learn from Ai's destruction about obedience to God?

4. How does Joshua 8:28 connect with God's promises in Deuteronomy 9:3?

5. How can we apply the principle of divine justice in our daily lives?

6. What does the "heap of ruins" symbolize about the consequences of disobedience to God?

7. Why did Joshua burn Ai and make it a permanent heap of ruins?

8. How does Joshua 8:28 reflect God's justice and mercy?

9. What archaeological evidence supports the destruction of Ai as described in Joshua 8:28?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Joshua 8?


(28) An heap for ever.--Heb., Tel-olam; modern name, Et-tel.

Verse 28. - And Joshua burnt Ai. He continued the work of destruction which the ambush had begun, until the city was entirely destroyed. The word in ver. 19 (שׂרפ) has rather the sense of kindling a fire; the word here (יצת), more the sense of destruction by fire. A heap forever. טֵל־עולָם a heap of eternity; i.e., a heap forever, at least up to the time of our writer. But the Ai mentioned in Ezra 2:28 may have been a city built, not on precisely the same spot, but near enough to it to take its name. And if Ai signifies ruins, and Dean Stanley be right in regarding it as referring to ruins in the days of the Philistines, the name would be particularly suitable to this particular city. Travellers have identified the place with Tel-el. Hajar, immediately to the south of the Wady Mutyah. But see note on ch. 7:2 for Robinson's conclusion, which is confirmed by Canon Tristram, from the belief that Tel-el-Hajar does not answer to the description of Ai in the Scripture narrative. Hanged on a tree. Literally, "on the tree." Perhaps after his death, But see Genesis 40:22; Deuteronomy 21:22. Until eventide. We find here a remarkable coincidence with the precept in Deuteronomy 21:23. The fact that no notice is here taken of that passage is conclusive against its having been inserted with a view to that precept in later times, and this affords a strong presumption against the Elohist and Jehovist theory. Heap. Here גַּל, an expression usually applied to a heap of stones, a cairn, though not always in precisely this sense (see Jeremiah 9:10).

CHAPTER 8:30-35. THE COPY OF THE LAW. -

Joshua 8:28 records a real event with enduring lessons: God’s commands are to be taken seriously, His judgments are decisive, and obedience brings lasting victory. The smoldering heap that once was Ai stands as a monument to divine holiness and as a call for us to walk in faithful, uncompromising obedience to the Lord who both judges sin and offers redemption.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Joshua
יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ (yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3091: Joshua -- 'the LORD is salvation', Moses' successor, also the name of a number of Israelites

burned
וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף (way·yiś·rōp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8313: To be, on fire

Ai
הָעָ֑י (hā·‘āy)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5857: Ai -- a Canaanite city

and made it
וַיְשִׂימֶ֤הָ (way·śî·me·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

a permanent
עוֹלָם֙ (‘ō·w·lām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

heap of ruins,
תֵּל־ (têl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8510: A mound

a desolation
שְׁמָמָ֔ה (šə·mā·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8077: Devastation, astonishment

to
עַ֖ד (‘aḏ)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

this
הַזֶּֽה׃ (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

day.
הַיּ֥וֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day


Additonal Resources
Joshua 8:28 Blue Letter Bible
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OT History: Joshua 8:28 So Joshua burnt Ai and made it (Josh. Jos)

Joshua 8:27
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