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Associates for Biblical Research
Bronze dagger found at Khirbet Nisya brings to mind the Biblical description of Joshua’s conquest of Ai. Joshua 8:18–19 records that “ … the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Point towards Ai with the dagger you are holding, for I will deliver the city into your hands.’ So Joshua pointed with his dagger toward Ai. At his signal, the men … rose quickly … and, entering the city at a run, took it and promptly set fire to it.” The six-inch-long, five-ribbed dagger dates to the Middle Bronze II period, which ended about 1420 B.C., according to the authors.