Broken Places

View in Eastern Benjamin, to the east of biblical Ai, where the Wadi Makkuk has deeply cut into the limestone to form a deep canyon that has cliff sides.

My friend, Jim Monson, has identified this place as the "broken places" (= Hebrew השׁברים) mentioned in Joshua 7:5 where the Israelite army, led by Joshua, was trapped by the pursuing men of Ai . . .

"who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate [of Ai, eastward] as far as the stone quarries (= Monson "broken places" = Hebrew השׁברים) and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water."