And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.

JOSHUA 8:25KJV
Know the Bible

Joshua 8:25 (KJV)

What does Joshua 8:25 mean?

Joshua 8:25 gives the human cost of Israel’s capture of Ai. The narrator says that 12,000 people fell that day, counting both men and women and identifying them as the people of Ai.

The word “fell” describes people being killed in the fighting. Following the account of the battle in verse 24, the narrator gives a total for that day rather than a count of soldiers alone.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 8:25

  • “fell” — נָפַל (naphal): This word can mean to fall, and it is also used for falling in battle. Here, “fell” is a way of reporting deaths.
  • “men” — אֱנוֹשׁ (enosh): This word can refer to human beings or people. In the closing phrase, “all the men of Ai,” it helps explain why the total includes women as well as men.

Why Joshua 8:25 matters

  • The count reaches beyond the battlefield. Joshua 8:24 describes Israelites pursuing Ai’s men and then striking the city; verse 25 brings the deaths into one total.
  • The verse presents the capture as complete. Its closing phrase, “even all the men of Ai,” describes the total as the whole population of the city.

Where else these words appear

“Ai” Hebrew H5857 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
  • Joshua 8:11 And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.
  • Joshua 8:28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.