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עַי

𐤏𐤉

Ay

H5857 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עי to be desolate, to heap up, to be a ruin

Definition

A proper noun designating a specific ancient city or settlement in the central hill country of Canaan, northeast of Bethel. Used as a place name throughout the Hebrew Bible, it most commonly refers to the site attacked and eventually captured by the Israelites following their entry into Canaan (see Joshua 7–8). In later biblical books, variant forms are used, indicating either the same site or a closely associated locality. As a name, it does not carry descriptive or generic meanings outside this toponymic context.

Semantic Range

proper noun referring to the city of Ai; by extension, name for ancient ruins or heap of ruins, feminine forms (Aija, Ajath) as variant place names

Root / Etymology

From the root עי (ע-י), likely related to the verbal/root meaning 'ruin, heap, desolation.' The word functions here as a proper noun, with the feminine forms עַיָּא and עַיָּת exhibiting typical feminine suffixes. The root core meaning relates to ruins or desolate places, but as a toponym, it came to denote a particular city.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The city עַי (Ai) is most prominent in the conquest narratives of Joshua, where it follows Jericho in the sequence of Israelite campaigns. The name itself may have originated as a descriptive term, designating the site as a 'heap of ruins' or 'desolate place' from a period predating Israelite settlement. This fits a broader tendency for ancient Near Eastern settlements to be built atop older, ruined cities (tells). In the biblical text, Ai functions exclusively as a geographical name, not a descriptor. Later forms such as עַיָּא (Aija) and עַיָּת (Ajath) appear in different periods (post-exilic, prophetic), likely reflecting dialectal or administrative changes or simply scribal variation. English translations sometimes render related forms as 'Aja' or 'Aijath,' contributing to confusion over whether these are distinct sites or variations of the same city. In the Septuagint, Greek transliterations perpetuate the name but carry no additional lexical significance. Archaeological identification of Ai remains debated. No Israelite, Judahite, or Judean ethnic or religious identity is implied by the name itself; its referent is strictly geographic.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (feminine) עַיָּא; (Nehemiah 11:31), or עַיָּת; (Isaiah 10:28), for עִי; Ai, Aja or Ajath, a place in Palestine; Ai, Aija, Aijath, Hai.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עי (ʿ-y) — ruin, heap, desolation

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5859 עִיּוֹן Iyon

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5857-04 הָ/עָֽי haay HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City 27
H5857-05 לָ/עַ֜י laay HRd/Np to Ai to Ai 4
H5857-07 וְ/הָ/עַ֣י vehaay HC/Td/Np and Ai and the Ruin-Heap 3
H5857-03 בָּ/עַ֔י baay HRd/Np in-Ai in Ai 2
H5857-01 עַ֗י ay HNp Ai Ruin-Heap (Ai) 1
H5857-08 וְ/לָ/עָֽי velaay HC/Rd/Np and to Ai and to Ai 1
H5857-02 עַיַּ֖ת ayat HNp Aiath Ruin-Heap Ajath 1
H5857-06 וְ/עַיָּ֔ה veayah HC/Np and Aija and Aiah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

40 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5857-07 Genesis 12:8 וְ/הָ/עַ֣י vehaay HC/Td/Np and Ai and the Ruin-Heap
H5857-04 Genesis 13:3 הָ/עָֽי haay HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-04 Joshua 7:2 הָ/עַ֞י haay HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-04 Joshua 7:2 הָ/עָֽי haay-2 HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-04 Joshua 7:3 הָ/עָ֑י haay HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-04 Joshua 7:4 הָ/עָֽי haay HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-04 Joshua 7:5 הָ/עַ֗י haay HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-04 Joshua 8:1 הָ/עָ֑י haay HTd/Np Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-04 Joshua 8:1 הָ/עַי֙ haay-2 HTd/Np of Ai the Ruin-City
H5857-05 Joshua 8:2 לָ/עַ֜י laay HRd/Np to Ai to Ai
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