Joshua 7:25
And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Joshua doesn't just accuse Achan; he calls out Achan's sin as the very thing that has "troubled" Israel, echoing the Hebrew word for Achan's name (Achan/Achar) and revealing how one person's sin can bring distress upon the entire community. The verse highlights not just Achan's punishment, but the collective consequence and the people's active participation in the judgment to restore order.
Following a devastating defeat at Ai due to Achan's secret sin of taking forbidden plunder, Israel's defeat is revealed as the direct consequence of this disobedience. After discovering Achan's guilt through casting lots and a confession, Joshua and all Israel lead Achan and his family, along with all his possessions, to the Valley of Achor to face judgment. This public execution is carried out as a severe demonstration of God's wrath against sin within the community and to purify Israel from the "accursed thing."
Achan’s sin didn't just affect him; it brought disaster on all of Israel. How can one person's secret sin impact so many?
Joshua confronts Achan directly in verse 25: “Why have you troubled us?” This wasn't just a personal failure; it had ripple effects that threatened the entire nation. Israel had just experienced a devastating defeat at Ai, and the reason was sin in their camp. God's presence and blessing were withdrawn because of Achan’s disobedience.
The Weight of a Nation
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The punishment for Achan's sin was severe: stoning and burning. How does this extreme judgment align with a loving God?
Verse 25 states, “The LORD shall trouble thee this day.” This wasn't Joshua's personal vengeance, but a pronouncement of God’s judgment. The execution of Achan, his family, and his possessions was a brutal but necessary act for the purification and survival of Israel.
God's Holy Standard
The place where Achan was judged became known as the Valley of Achor. What does this name signify for us today?
The passage concludes with the naming of the place: “So the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called the Valley of Achor, unto this day” (Joshua 7:26).
From Disaster to Deliverance
Understand the original words
akar · Hebrew Verb/Noun
A state of disturbance, agitation, or calamity; in a legal or covenantal sense, it refers to the ruin brought upon a community by sin.
saqal · Hebrew Verb
A form of capital punishment, often used in cases of extreme covenant violation or blasphemy, representing the execution of divine judgment by the entire community.
This passage highlights the severe consequences of sin, especially when it affects the entire community of God's people. Achan's disobedience didn't just lead to his own death; it brought disaster upon Israel and resulted in the destruction of his entire household and possessions, serving as a stark warning against 'taking from the devoted things'.
c. 1400 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
After leading the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, Joshua succeeds Moses and is commissioned by God to lead the conquest of the Promised Land. The initial victory at Jericho is astounding.
c. 1400 BC
Fall of Jericho
The walls of Jericho miraculously fall after the Israelites march around the city for seven days, as commanded by God. The city is utterly destroyed and declared 'devoted' to God, meaning nothing was to be kept.
c. 1400 BC— this verse
Achan's Sin
During the destruction of Jericho, Achan secretly takes a Babylonian garment, silver, and gold, hiding them in his tent. This act, known as taking from the 'devoted things,' violates God's direct command.
c. 1400 BC
Defeat at Ai
Following the victory at Jericho, the Israelites attempt to conquer the small city of Ai but are decisively defeated, with about thirty men killed. This shocking loss is attributed to sin within the camp.
c. 1400 BC
Discovery and Judgment of Achan
Through a divine process of elimination by lot, Achan is identified as the cause of Israel's defeat. Joshua confronts him, Achan confesses, and he, his family, and his possessions are taken to the Valley of Achor.
c. 1400 BC
Execution and Memorial
Achan is stoned and burned to death for his sin, with his family and possessions sharing his fate according to the divine judgment. A great heap of stones is raised over him, naming the place the Valley of Trouble (Achor).
This passage mirrors the command to destroy and burn the graven images of the surrounding nations, highlighting God's intense disapproval of anything that could lead Israel astray, much like Achan's stolen items.
1 Kings 18:17-18Ahab directly accuses Elijah of troubling Israel, a similar sentiment expressed by Joshua towards Achan, showing a recurring theme of blaming the messenger or the one exposing sin rather than acknowledging personal responsibility.
Acts 5:1-11The story of Ananias and Sapphira parallels Achan's sin and judgment; both tried to deceive God and the community about offerings, leading to swift, severe consequences that demonstrate God's intolerance for dishonesty within His people.
Romans 6:23This verse declares that the 'wages of sin is death,' a foundational principle clearly illustrated by Achan's fate, where his disobedience to God's direct command resulted in his ultimate demise.
1 Corinthians 10:11Paul explicitly states that the events in Israel's history, including Achan's sin and judgment, were written as warnings for believers today, urging us not to fall into similar traps of disobedience and greed.
calvinJoshua 7:19-26: "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."
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.
Vidi inter spolia pallium, Babylon…
clarkeJoshua 7:25: "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."
Why hast thou troubled us? - Here is a reference to the meaning of Achan's or Achar's name, מה עכרתנו meh Achar-tanu; and as עכר achar is used here, and not עכן achan, and the valley is called the valley of Achor, and not the valley of Achan, hence some have supposed that Achar was his proper…
Joshua doesn't just accuse Achan; he calls out Achan's sin as the very thing that has "troubled" Israel, echoing the Hebrew word for Achan's name (Achan/Achar) and revealing how one person's sin can bring distress upon the entire community. The verse highlights not just Achan's punishment, but the collective consequence and the people's active participation in the judgment to restore order.
Following a devastating defeat at Ai due to Achan's secret sin of taking forbidden plunder, Israel's defeat is revealed as the direct consequence of this disobedience. After discovering Achan's guilt through casting lots and a confession, Joshua and all Israel lead Achan and his family, along with all his possessions, to the Valley of Achor to face judgment. This public execution is carried out as a severe demonstration of God's wrath against sin within the community and to purify Israel from the "accursed thing."
Following a devastating defeat at Ai due to Achan's secret sin of taking forbidden plunder, Israel's defeat is revealed as the direct consequence of this disobedience. After discovering Achan's guilt through casting lots and a confession, Joshua and all Israel lead Achan and his family, along with all his possessions, to the Valley of Achor to face judgment. This public execution is carried out as a severe demonstration of God's wrath against sin within the community and to purify Israel from the "accursed thing."
"And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones." — Joshua doesn't just accuse Achan; he calls out Achan's sin as the very thing that has "troubled" Israel, echoing the Hebrew word for Achan's name (Achan/Achar) and revealing how one person's sin can…
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