The first Battle of Ai: Ai=0? Israelites=36
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2022 9:12 pm
This is a most significant battle for Joshua. God did not fight for Israel because a guy named Achan couldn’t resist taking booty from Jericho despite a direct prohibition from God. The result is Israel’s only defeat. They sent only 3000 troops against the small city of Ai and lost 36. That’s a 1.2 % casualty rate and it so stunned and disheartened the Israelites that Joshua ripped his clothes and considered quitting. These 36 are the only recorded casualties in the 5 years of war Israel waged on the peoples of Canaan. Remember, these are guys running at each other with spears, swords, and knives, and swinging them around. I think 1% sounds like an expected accident rate.
For comparison the US had about a 1% annual death rate in 2020. That means if the Israelites had the same death rate then as the US has today in a population of 1.5 million, they would expect 41 people to die that day from various causes.
Since these deaths were clearly traumatizing for the Israelites and no other deaths are mentioned, I make the assumption that there were no other combat casualties in the conquest of the promised land. This may not be accurate, but the rest of the time God was fighting for/with them. Many think God added His combat power via the Ark of the Covenant. That was the basis for the Indiana Jones movie.
For comparison the US had about a 1% annual death rate in 2020. That means if the Israelites had the same death rate then as the US has today in a population of 1.5 million, they would expect 41 people to die that day from various causes.
Since these deaths were clearly traumatizing for the Israelites and no other deaths are mentioned, I make the assumption that there were no other combat casualties in the conquest of the promised land. This may not be accurate, but the rest of the time God was fighting for/with them. Many think God added His combat power via the Ark of the Covenant. That was the basis for the Indiana Jones movie.