Who was Achan and what exactly did he do wrong in this passage?

Achan was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. When Israel took Jericho, God had said that certain things were devoted to Him and must not be kept as personal spoil. Achan saw a fine Babylonian garment, silver, and a bar of gold among the spoils. He wanted them for himself, took them, and hid them in his tent. The passage says this was stealing and breaking God’s covenant. Though only one man did it, his hidden sin brought guilt and trouble on the whole nation until it was confessed and dealt with.

Why did Israel lose the battle at Ai after winning so strongly at Jericho?

Israel expected Ai to be easy to defeat, so they sent only a small group of soldiers. But the real reason for their loss was not poor planning. God’s anger was against them because of Achan’s sin. The text says they could not stand before their enemies because they were now under a curse. God tells Joshua that He will not be with them any more unless the accursed thing is removed. Their defeat was meant to wake them up, lead them to search out the sin, and bring them back to obedience.

What does it mean that Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing?

The “accursed thing” is what God had ordered to be destroyed or given to Him alone, not taken for personal use. When the passage says Israel committed a trespass in it, it means someone among them took what God had set apart. Even though only Achan physically took the items, the sin is spoken of as Israel’s, because they were one people before God. This shows that disobedience to God’s clear command is not a small matter, and that hidden sin in one person can affect the whole group.

Why did Joshua tear his clothes and question why God brought them over Jordan?

When Joshua hears of the defeat and the people’s fear, he is deeply troubled. He tears his clothes, falls on his face before the ark, and stays there until evening. His words show his confusion and distress: he wonders why God brought them over the Jordan if they are now to be destroyed and even says it might have been better to stay on the other side. This shows the weakness that even a strong leader can feel when God seems distant. Yet in his prayer he also cares about God’s name and how the nations will speak about the Lord.

What does God’s command to sanctify the people teach about dealing with sin?

God tells Joshua to get up, stop lying on his face, and sanctify the people. They are to set themselves apart, because there is an accursed thing among them. Until it is removed, they cannot stand before their enemies. This shows that sorrow alone is not enough; there must be action. The people are called to prepare their hearts and submit to God’s way of exposing the sin. Only when the wrong is brought into the light and put away can fellowship with God be restored and His help return to the community.

Why was Achan punished so severely, and why did it involve all he had?

Achan’s sin was not just taking a few things. He broke God’s clear covenant command, brought defeat and death on fellow Israelites, and then hid what he had done. After God singles him out, he confesses, and the stolen items are laid out before the Lord. The judgment is very severe: he and all he has are destroyed in the valley of Achor. This shows how serious God is about holiness among His people at this key moment in their history. It also warns that sin can bring harm not only on the sinner but on those closely bound to him.

What is the meaning of the valley of Achor in this passage?

The people take Achan, his family, his goods, and the stolen items to a place that comes to be called the valley of Achor, which means something like “trouble.” Joshua says, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord shall trouble you this day.” They stone him, burn them with fire, and heap up a great pile of stones that remains as a sign. The name of the place becomes a reminder of the trouble caused by hidden sin and of the way God’s anger turned away only after the sin was judged and removed from Israel.

What does this passage teach about God’s presence and the sin of one person?

This passage shows that God’s presence with His people is closely tied to their obedience. God says He will not be with them any more unless the accursed thing is destroyed. Even though only Achan sinned, the whole nation felt the loss of God’s help in battle. The story teaches that God sees what is hidden, that sin is not a private matter when we belong to His people, and that He mercifully exposes sin so that it can be confessed and taken away, restoring the relationship between Him and His people.

Josh.7.1

Joshua 7:1

KJV

But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

The Defeat at Ai

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

6 ¶ And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

10 ¶ And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man.

15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

The Sin of Achan

16 ¶ So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

22 ¶ So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.

24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

Cross References

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