יהושע, פרק ז׳, פסוק ד׳

The initial assault on the city of Ai results in a swift and shocking failure for the Israelite army. Rather than a hard-fought conflict, the encounter collapses almost instantly into an immediate retreat.

Despite marching into the area with a clear numerical advantage of about three thousand men, the Israelites are completely defeated [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In truth, the army does not even manage to engage in actual combat. Instead of fighting, the soldiers immediately turn and flee directly away from the defending forces [מצודת ציון]. This sudden rout is particularly striking because the Israelite troops run from the limited local forces of Ai alone. The defenders do not even need assistance from the neighboring city of Bethel to repel the attack [מלבי״ם].