So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
We have here an account of the improvement which the Israelites made of their victory over Ai. 1. They put all to the sword, not only in the field, but in the city, man, woman, and child, none of them remained, Jos 8:24.
Commenting on Joshua 8:23-29
And Joshua burnt Ai,.... The whole city, fire being only set before to a few houses, to make a smoke as a signal; he did with it as he had done with Jericho, for so he was ordered, Jos 8:2, and made it an heap for ever; that is, for a long time, for it appears to have been rebuilt, and to have been inhabited...
Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever--"For ever" often signifies "a long time" (Gen 6:3). One of the remarkable things with regard to the tell we have identified with Ai is its name--the tell of the heap of stones--a name which to this day remains [VAN DE VELDE].