The king of Jericho The king of Ai, near Bethel
Parallel translations
- WEB the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;
- KJV The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;
- BSB the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is near Bethel, one;
- NKJV the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;
- NASB the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The roll call of defeated western kings begins with Jericho and Ai, the first two cities Israel took.
Overview
Jericho fell by faith at God's command (Joshua 6), and Ai after Israel dealt with sin in the camp (Joshua 7-8). Heading the list with them recalls how the conquest began in obedience and dependence on God. Each 'one' tallied marks a victory the Lord granted.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Josh 8:29–35He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until the evening, and at sundown Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree, and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised a great heap of stones on it that remains to this day.
- Josh 6:2–21Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor.
- Josh 8:1Yahweh said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed. Take all the warriors with you, and arise, go up to Ai. Behold, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, with his people, his city, and his land.
- Josh 8:17There was not a man left in Ai or Beth El who didn’t go out after Israel. They left the city open, and pursued Israel.
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 12:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.