7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures11 and defeated them on the steep slope.12 The people’s13 courage melted away like water.14
tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shévarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4HT (60:2ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).
12
sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.