בְּעִי
𐤁𐤏𐤉
bᵉʻîy
H1164 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper noun designating a town in the central hill country of Canaan, most prominently referenced as the city destroyed in the narrative of Joshua (Josh 7–8). As a place name, Bəʿîy (Bethel-Ai) refers to a Canaanite settlement near Bethel.
Semantic Range
Ai (the Canaanite town near Bethel); place name only
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root בעה (b-ʿ-h), which possibly carries the sense 'to seek,' 'to ravage,' or 'to heap up.' The specific sense in this place name is uncertain and possibly unrelated to verbal roots; etymology uncertain, as no strong evidence links the toponym directly to a common noun or verb in biblical Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בְּעִי is a toponym, typically rendered 'Ai' in English Bibles. It is most significant for its appearance in the conquest narrative (Joshua 7–8), where it forms the backdrop for the military engagement involving the Israelites and the Canaanite inhabitants. The meaning assigned in some earlier sources ('heap, ruin') is speculative and probably results from ancient wordplay or folk etymology (cf. Joshua 8:28: 'a heap of ruins'). The name does not denote a prayer or grave in general Hebrew usage; these senses may stem from confusion with unrelated roots or translation traditions. In the Hebrew Bible, Ai is never used as a common noun but exclusively as a geographic reference. Later historical tradition sometimes conflated Ai with other locations, and ancient translators (LXX, Vulgate) preserved its status as a place-name. There is no evidence for the term representing an action, prayer, or mortuary concept within biblical or Second Temple Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בָּעָה; a prayer; grave.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בעה (b-ʿ-h) — to seek, to inquire, to ravage, to heap up
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1164-01 |
בְ֭/עִי | vei | HR/Ncmsa |
in a heap of ruins | Ai | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1164-01 |
Job 30:24 | בְ֭/עִי | vei | HR/Ncmsa |
in a heap of ruins | Ai |