Category:Ai

A"i, n.; pl. Ais. Etym: [Braz. aï, haï, from the animal's cry: cf. F. aï.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) of South America. See Sloth.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Ai - Ruins.

(1.) One of the royal cities of the Canaanites (Joshua 10:1; Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3). It was the scene of Joshua's defeat, and afterwards of his victory. It was the second Canaanite city taken by Israel (Joshua 7:2; Joshua 8:1-29). It lay rebuilt and inhibited by the Benjamites (Ezra 2:28; Nehemiah 7:32; Nehemiah 11:31). It lay to the east of Bethel, "beside Beth-aven." The spot which is most probably the site of this ancient city is Haiyan, 2 miles east from Bethel. It lay up the Wady Suweinit, a steep, rugged valley, extending from the Jordan valley to Bethel.

(2.) A city in the Ammonite territory (Jeremiah 49:3). Some have thought that the proper reading of the word is Ar (Isaiah 15:1).