Biblical Archaeology Review

On this mountain, between Bethel and Ai Abraham built an altar and for the first time invoked the Lord by his name, Yahweh.

According to Zevit, the Hebrew letter ayin ([), the first letter of Ai in Hebrew, was polyphonous in Biblical times—that is, it had two sounds, a guttural sound and a g-type sound, as in Arabic gazza (English, Gaza). The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible known as the Septuagint distinguishes between the two sounds and uses a gamma to translate the Hebrew ayin. Thus, concludes Zevit, the Hebrew name was pronounced Gai, not Ai, probably referring to some topological feature of the site.

See “Is the Cultic Installation at Dan Really an Olive Press?” BAR 10:06.

See Ze’ev Yeivin, “Has Another Lost Ark Been Found?” BAR 09:01.

Sometimes “Talmud” is used to refer to the Gemarah alone; at other times “Talmud” refers in the aggregate to the Mishnah, the Gemarah and other commentaries usually printed with these earlier treatises.

The work in the 1980s was conducted under the auspices of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums and the National Parks Authority.

These excavations were conducted on behalf of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums.