יהושע, פרק ז׳, פסוק ה׳

The sudden defeat at the city of Ai marks a dramatic breaking point, transforming a highly confident Israelite army into a retreating, anxiety-stricken force. Following a failed attempt to breach the city, the defenders pursue the retreating soldiers and inflict casualties, leaving a deep physical and mental scar on the nation. A literal reading of the event suggests a precise death toll of thirty-six men [רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. However, another tradition reveals that only a single man died. This was Yair the son of Manasseh, a leader so significant that his individual worth was equal to thirty-six men, representing the majority of the high court [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. By strict justice, the Israelites deserved a much harsher punishment due to the sin committed in the camp, which was the fundamental reason for the military failure [רד״ק]. Yet, the merit of Abraham, who had previously built an altar in that very region, protected the people and limited the loss of life [רד״ק].

The pursuit began right at the front of the city gate, the exact location where the Israelites had initially arrived to launch their attack [רד״ק]. From there, the defenders chased the retreating fighters down a steep mountain slope [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ] until they reached an area known as Shebarim. While some view this simply as the geographic name of the location [ביאור שטיינזלץ], the primary approach among commentators is that the area earned this name from the event itself, as it was the specific place where the Israelites were broken and defeated by their enemies [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק].

The outcome of this rout was a devastating collapse of national morale. The sheer fact that the men of Ai possessed the audacity to chase the Israelites was enough to spark immense terror [מלבי״ם]. This profound psychological shattering is vividly captured by the imagery of the people's hearts melting and turning to water. When a person faces mortal fear, their heart might melt like wax, but wax retains the ability to harden and recover once the danger has passed and a solution is found. In this instance, however, their hearts turned to water. This represents a state of absolute weakness and deep despair that prevents any return to resilience or bravery. All hope was completely lost, leaving the people feeling as though they were already dead [אלשיך].