Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 2:28
The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty and three.
28. Beth-el ] one of the most ancient towns in the country (cf. Jos 12:9), called Luz ‘at the first’ and famous in the history of the Patriarch Jacob (Gen 28:19; Gen 35:15), captured from the Canaanites by Ephraim (Jdg 1:22-26), situated on the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin (Jos 16:1; Jos 18:13; Jos 18:22). It was reputed of special sanctity. We find the ark at Beth-el (Jdg 20:18; Jdg 20:26-27). It was included in Samuel’s circuit (1Sa 7:16). It was the home of one of ‘the schools of the prophets’ (2Ki 2:3). It was selected by Jeroboam as the southern sanctuary for the calf-worship which he instituted (1Ki 12:28 &c.). Thenceforth its name chiefly occurs in connexion with the sins of idolatry (Amo 3:14; 2Ki 23:15).
It is about 2 miles N.E. of Beeroth. Its site is generally identified with the extensive ruins of Beitin.
Ai ] E. of Beth-el (Gen 12:8; Jos 7:2), an ancient royal town (Jos 12:9) destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 7, 8), but afterwards rebuilt. It is called Aiath in Isa 10:28, in which passage its position shows that it lay to the N. of Michmash. In Neh 11:31 it appears as Aija. The name denotes ‘ruinous heaps’ and thus corresponds with Tell-el-ajar (‘mound of stones’), a place about 2 miles S. E. of Bethel, on the S. side of the Wadi-el-Mat-y, from which the path leads through the hills to Jericho. In the Pal. Expl. map it is identified with Khan Haiyan, 2570 ft. high, E. of Beeroth, and S. of Dr Diwn.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
[See comments on Ezr 2:3].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ai: Gen 12:8, Hai. Jos 7:2, Jos 8:9, Jos 8:17, Neh 7:33. 133
Reciprocal: Neh 7:32 – Bethel