Original Word: עַי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `iy
Pronunciation: ah-tah-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (ee)
KJV: heap
NASB: heap of ruins, ruins
Word Origin: [from H5753 (עָוָה - To bend)]

1. a ruin (as if overturned)

heap

From avah; a ruin (as if overturned) -- heap.

see HEBREW avah

Word Origin
from avah
Definition
a ruin, heap of ruins
NASB Translation
heap of ruins (3), ruins (2).

עִי noun [masculine] ruin, heap of ruins; — ׳ע absolute Job 30:24, construct Micah 1:6; plural עִיִּין (Aramaic form) Micah 3:12, but עִיִּים in the quotation Jeremiah 26:18, and Psalm 79:1.

Essential Concept

עַי (Strong’s Hebrew 5856) conveys the picture of a “heap of ruins,” a devastated mound left after judgment or conquest. Scripture uses the term not for ordinary rubble but as a vivid emblem of covenant breach and the consequent desolation God permits when His people spurn His word.

Canonical Appearances

Psalm 79:1, Jeremiah 26:18, Micah 1:6, and Micah 3:12 employ the noun to describe threatened or actual destruction of Jerusalem or Samaria. The settings differ, yet each passage intertwines three themes: divine holiness, human sin, and the reverent plea for restoration.

• Psalm 79:1 laments, “They have reduced Jerusalem to ruins,” identifying foreign invasion as an instrument of God’s discipline.
• Micah 1:6 warns, “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble in the open field,” portraying complete dismantling of a proud capital.
• Jeremiah 26:18 cites Micah’s earlier prophecy concerning Zion, bringing past prophetic warnings into a new crisis.
• Micah 3:12 repeats and intensifies the sentence upon Jerusalem, exposing corrupt leaders who presume upon the temple’s presence.

Historical Background and Fulfillment

The prophetic uses span the eighth to the sixth centuries B.C. Micah pronounces judgment during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; his words foreshadow the Assyrian threat to Samaria and the later Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Jeremiah, prophesying a century later, recalls Micah to validate his own message that persisted rebellion will indeed overturn Zion. Psalm 79 reflects the aftermath: the Babylonian invasion (586 B.C.) has already reduced Jerusalem to the predicted “heap of ruins.” Thus עַי traces a chronological arc from warning, to citation, to fulfillment.

Archaeological layers in both Samaria (Sebaste) and Jerusalem reveal burn layers and collapsed fortifications corresponding to these dates, lending external corroboration to the biblical narrative of devastation and exile.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Accountability: The repetition of עַי underlines that privilege without obedience invites judgment (Deuteronomy 28:49–52).
2. The Temple and True Worship: Zion’s reduction to ruins exposes the folly of trusting in outward forms while neglecting righteous living (Jeremiah 7:4–11).
3. Redemptive Hope: Even while describing ruin, Micah continues to foresee a future glory for Zion (Micah 4:1–7). The heap is not the final word; restoration springs from repentant hearts.
4. Typological Picture of Sin and Salvation: The imagery of collapse mirrors the human condition outside Christ—broken, unable to rebuild itself. God’s later promise to raise up a new temple in the resurrected Messiah (John 2:19–22) answers the cry of Psalm 79.

Ministry and Devotional Insights

• Preaching and Teaching: עַי supplies concrete language for illustrating the destructive power of sin and the certainty of divine discipline, while leaving room to proclaim the hope of renewal.
• Pastoral Counseling: Ruin imagery resonates with individuals who feel their lives are in shambles; the biblical pattern moves from confession to restoration, offering a gospel roadmap for personal rebuilding.
• Intercession: Psalm 79 models corporate lament. Churches may employ its structure—acknowledging God’s justice, confessing communal sin, pleading for mercy—to pray for revival amid societal decline.

Practical Application for Today

1. Urban Missions: Cities can become modern “heaps of ruins” through moral decay. Believers are called to seek the welfare of the city (Jeremiah 29:7) and serve as agents of reconstruction.
2. Leadership Accountability: Micah 3:12 indicts corrupt authority. Christian leaders must remember that misuse of power invites God’s corrective hand.
3. Eschatological Watchfulness: Just as the prophets announced collapse before it occurred, the New Testament warns of future judgment. The record of עַי urges readiness and faithfulness while there is still time to repent.

Summary

עַי symbolizes the sobering reality of divine judgment yet also serves as a backdrop for the grace that rebuilds. From the toppled stones of Samaria and Jerusalem rises the invitation to return, to trust, and to behold the God who alone turns ruins into a dwelling place of righteousness.

לְעִ֥י לְעִיִּֽים׃ לעי לעיים׃ עִיִּ֣ים עִיִּ֣ין עיים עיין ‘î·yîm ‘î·yîn ‘îyîm ‘îyîn iYim iYin lə‘î lə‘îyîm lə·‘î lə·‘î·yîm leI leiYimInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts