G² J 1. Achan's trespass committed. Jericho.
K 2-9. Consequence. Defeat at Ai.
K 10-12. Cause of defeat explained.
J 13-26. Achan's trespass to be put away. Achor.
1451 B.C.
Joshua 7)
1: But the sons of Israel committed a trespass (= a treachery, unfaithfulness. Cp. Lev. 6:2. Deut. 32:51. 1 Chron.v5:25: breach of trust) in the devoted thing (cp. 6:17, &c.): for Achan(= Troubler; called Achar, 1 Chron.2:7), the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took for themselves of the devoted thing (i.e. sacrilege. Same word as in Acts 5:1,2 of Ananias and Sapphira): and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the sons of Israel.
K m 2. Joshua's mission.
n 3. Advice given.
n 4,5. Advice taken. Result.
m 6-9. Joshua's mourning.2: And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (= heap of ruins. Near Beth-el), which is beside Beth-aven (= House of vanity), on the east side of Bethel (= House of God. Here Father is pointing out to you that Satan sets up camp close to His children. Satan is a great imitator. Be careful), and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and view the country.” And the men went up and viewed Ai.
3: And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Let not all the people go up (= go toilingly to that place); but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor to that place; for they are but few.”
4: So there went up to that place 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 to Shebarim (= the breaches), and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted (= became as water. Fig. Hyberbole), and became as water.
6: And Joshua tore 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 (Adonai Yahaveh), why have You at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God (Heb. "would that". No "to God" in Heb. text) we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
8: O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel has once turned 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 will You do to Your great name?”
(There is a minute correspondence between vv.10-12 and 13, and Extended Alternation of five members each; also between v.14 and 16-18)
10: And the Lord said to Joshua, “Get you up; why do you lie thus upon your face?
11: Israel has sinned, and (note the many "ands". All these "ands might well be rendered "moreover") they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: and they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12: Therefore the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were devoted: neither will I be with you any more, except you all destroy the devoted from among you.
J o q 13-15. The trouble to be removed.
r 16-18. The troubler to be discovered.
p 19-21. Joshua and Achan. Conviction.
p 22-24. Joshua and Achan. Proof.
q 25,26-. The troubler stoned.
o -26. The trouble removed.
13: Up, sanctify the People, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, O Israel: you can not stand before your enemies, until you all take away the devoted thing from among you.
14: In the morning therefore you all shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord takes by lot shall come according to the families thereof (i.e. by the Urim and Thummim. See Ex. 28:30 and Num. 26:55. The Urim stone bringing to "light" the guilty, and the Thummim declaring the "perfection" or innocence); 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 (Heb. geber, denotes man in respect of his physical strength).
15: And it shall be, that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt up with fire (not necessarily alive), he and all that he has: because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has wrought folly in Israel.’’”
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 families of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man (some codices read "by their families"); and Zabdi (= my gift) 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 to Achan, “My son, give, I pray you, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him; and tell me now what you have 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 one goodly Babylonish garment (Heb. = "of Shinar", i.e. of Babylonia), and two hundred shekels of silver (aprox. 100 oz.), and a bar (Heb. tongue: put for a coin of this shape) of gold of fifty shekels weight (aprox. 1 lbs.), 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.” (Feminine. Probably referring to the garment)
22: So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to 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 to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.
24: And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah (put for great-grandson), and the silver (emphasizing each particular), and the garment, and the bar 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 have you troubled us? the Lord shall trouble you this day.” And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones (i.e. the people, not the property).
26: And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day.
So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, to this day.