diff --git a/.changeset/seven-shoes-call.md b/.changeset/seven-shoes-call.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..deda4688b22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/seven-shoes-call.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@clerk/backend": patch
+---
+
+Fix JWT array audience validation
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/assertions.test.ts b/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/assertions.test.ts
index f1ccef09fe8..63ac0169296 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/assertions.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/assertions.test.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,12 @@ describe('assertAudienceClaim(audience?, aud?)', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it('throws error when audience string[] has no intersection with aud string[]', () => {
+    expect(() => assertAudienceClaim([audience], [invalidAudience])).toThrow(
+      `Invalid JWT audience claim array (aud) ${JSON.stringify([audience])}. Is not included in "${JSON.stringify([invalidAudience])}".`,
+    );
+  });
+
   it('throws error when aud is a substring of audience', () => {
     expect(() => assertAudienceClaim(audience.slice(0, -2), audience)).toThrow(
       `Invalid JWT audience claim (aud) "${audience.slice(0, -2)}". Is not included in "${JSON.stringify([audience])}".`,
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/verifyJwt.test.ts b/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/verifyJwt.test.ts
index c1a6ab4cbe6..d14e536d2e7 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/verifyJwt.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/jwt/__tests__/verifyJwt.test.ts
@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@ import {
   mockJwt,
   mockJwtHeader,
   mockJwtPayload,
+  mockM2MJwtPayload,
   mockOAuthAccessTokenJwtPayload,
   pemEncodedPublicKey,
+  pemEncodedSignKey,
   publicJwks,
   signedJwt,
   someOtherPublicKey,
 } from '../../fixtures';
 import { mockSignedOAuthAccessTokenJwt, mockSignedOAuthAccessTokenJwtApplicationTyp } from '../../fixtures/machine';
+import { signJwt } from '../signJwt';
 import { decodeJwt, hasValidSignature, verifyJwt } from '../verifyJwt';
 
 const invalidTokenError = {
@@ -234,6 +237,50 @@ describe('verifyJwt(jwt, options)', () => {
     expect(error?.message).toContain('Expected "at+jwt, application/at+jwt"');
   });
 
+  it('verifies JWT when array aud includes the configured audience', async () => {
+    const audience = 'https://my-resource.example.com';
+    const { data: jwtWithArrayAud } = await signJwt(
+      {
+        ...mockM2MJwtPayload,
+        aud: ['https://other-resource.example.com', audience],
+      },
+      pemEncodedSignKey,
+      {
+        algorithm: mockJwtHeader.alg,
+        header: mockJwtHeader,
+      },
+    );
+
+    const { data } = await verifyJwt(jwtWithArrayAud || '', {
+      key: pemEncodedPublicKey,
+      audience,
+    });
+
+    expect(data?.aud).toEqual(['https://other-resource.example.com', audience]);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects JWT when array aud does not include the configured audience', async () => {
+    const { data: jwtWithArrayAud } = await signJwt(
+      {
+        ...mockM2MJwtPayload,
+        aud: ['https://attacker.example.com'],
+      },
+      pemEncodedSignKey,
+      {
+        algorithm: mockJwtHeader.alg,
+        header: mockJwtHeader,
+      },
+    );
+
+    const { errors: [error] = [] } = await verifyJwt(jwtWithArrayAud || '', {
+      key: pemEncodedPublicKey,
+      audience: 'https://my-resource.example.com',
+    });
+
+    expect(error).toBeDefined();
+    expect(error?.message).toContain('Invalid JWT audience claim array');
+  });
+
   it('rejects an expired JWT when clockSkewInMs is explicitly 0', async () => {
     vi.setSystemTime(new Date((mockJwtPayload.exp + 1) * 1000));
     const inputVerifyJwtOptions = {
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/jwt/verifyJwt.ts b/packages/backend/src/jwt/verifyJwt.ts
index b96055126c4..fa0785af73b 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/jwt/verifyJwt.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/jwt/verifyJwt.ts
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ export async function verifyJwt(
     const { azp, sub, aud, iat, exp, nbf } = payload;
 
     assertSubClaim(sub);
-    assertAudienceClaim([aud], [audience]);
+    assertAudienceClaim(aud, audience);
     assertAuthorizedPartiesClaim(azp, authorizedParties);
     assertExpirationClaim(exp, clockSkew);
     assertActivationClaim(nbf, clockSkew);