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)
Joshua's question, "Why did you trouble us?", echoes Ahab's cry to Elijah, highlighting how one person's sin can disrupt an entire community's relationship with God. The verse's shift from singular to plural ("stoned him... burned them") doesn't necessarily mean Achan's children were stoned; it more likely refers to Achan and his possessions, emphasizing that the entire lot associated with his sin was purged.
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)
After Israel's shocking defeat at Ai due to Achan's hidden sin, Joshua and the people identify Achan, confessing his theft of forbidden spoils from Jericho. Consequently, Achan, his family, and all his possessions are brought to the Valley of Achor, where they are judged and executed as a purification for Israel. This public, severe punishment is carried out to remove the "accursed thing" and restore God's favor to the community, making the valley a permanent reminder of this difficult but necessary act of obedience.
Why did Achan's sin bring defeat on the entire Israelite army? Discover how individual actions can ripple outward to impact the whole community.
Joshua confronts Achan with the question, “Why did you bring trouble on us?” (v. 25). This isn't just about Achan's personal guilt; it’s about the corporate impact of his sin. In the ancient Near East, and especially in Israel, the community was deeply interconnected. When one person sinned, especially in a way that violated God's specific commands regarding plunder (the "accursed thing"), it was seen as a corporate offense. This sin corrupted the entire community, making them vulnerable and offensive to God. The defeat at Ai wasn't just a military setback; it was a consequence of God's presence being withdrawn due to Achan's disobedience. Achan didn't just steal; he “troubled” the entire nation, jeopardizing their mission and relationship with God.
The punishment of Achan is severe, even involving his family and possessions. What does this tell us about God's view of sin and obedience?
The execution of Achan and his family, along with the destruction of his possessions by stoning and burning, demonstrates the intense seriousness with which God viewed his sin. The "accursed thing" (the plunder from Jericho that Achan had stolen) was not to be kept by Israel; it was devoted to God. Achan’s coveting and stealing not only broke a specific commandment but also defied God’s holy authority and the sanctity of His commands.
The dual punishment of stoning and burning signifies God's utter detestation. Stoning was a public, communal act of judgment, while burning represented complete destruction and eradication. While the inclusion of his family raises difficult questions about corporate punishment, the text emphasizes that Achan's sin had contaminated the entire community and their covenant relationship with God. God’s response underscores that obedience is not optional; it is foundational to His people’s relationship with Him and their success.
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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 devastating consequences of sin within a community consecrated to God. Achan's individual act of disobedience and greed not only caused military defeat but led to his entire household's destruction, underscoring the communal impact of sin and God's absolute demand for obedience.
c. 1405 BC
Conquest of Jericho
Joshua and the Israelites conquer the heavily fortified city of Jericho under miraculous circumstances. They are warned by God not to take any spoils from the city, as it is 'devoted to destruction'.
Immediately after Jericho
Defeat at Ai
Following Jericho, the Israelites attempt to conquer the smaller city of Ai but are soundly defeated, with many men killed. This stunning reversal shocks and demoralizes the army.
Following the defeat at Ai— this verse
Discovery of Achan's Sin
Joshua and the elders are devastated by the defeat. Through a divine process involving lots, Achan is identified as the one who took forbidden plunder from Jericho.
Following Achan's confession
Judgment in the Valley of Achor
Achan confesses his sin and leads Joshua to the hidden stolen goods. He, his family, and his possessions are then taken to the Valley of Achor and put to death by stoning and burning as a sacrifice to the Lord.
After Achan's execution
Re-conquest of Ai
With the sin purged, God promises to be with Israel again. Joshua leads a successful second assault on Ai, this time capturing and destroying the city.
This passage outlines the severe punishment for sexual immorality involving a father and daughter-in-law, which includes both stoning and burning, directly paralleling the intense judgment Achan faced.
Deuteronomy 13:16This text describes the destruction by fire of a city that has turned to idolatry, emphasizing a total ban and annihilation of everything within it, similar to how Achan's possessions were consumed.
1 Kings 18:17-18Here, Ahab accuses Elijah of troubling Israel, a sentiment echoed by Joshua's accusation against Achan, showing how leaders often blame righteous figures when sin causes national distress.
John 9:24This verse describes the Pharisees adjuring the formerly blind man to give glory to God and confess his sin, mirroring Joshua's charge to Achan to confess and glorify God before judgment.
Galatians 6:7This New Testament principle states that whatever a person sows, they will also reap, serving as a timeless reminder of the inevitable consequences of sin, just as Achan and his family reaped trouble for his transgression.
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's question, "Why did you trouble us?", echoes Ahab's cry to Elijah, highlighting how one person's sin can disrupt an entire community's relationship with God. The verse's shift from singular to plural ("stoned him... burned them") doesn't necessarily mean Achan's children were stoned; it more likely refers to Achan and his possessions, emphasizing that the entire lot associated with his sin was purged.
After Israel's shocking defeat at Ai due to Achan's hidden sin, Joshua and the people identify Achan, confessing his theft of forbidden spoils from Jericho. Consequently, Achan, his family, and all his possessions are brought to the Valley of Achor, where they are judged and executed as a purification for Israel. This public, severe punishment is carried out to remove the "accursed thing" and restore God's favor to the community, making the valley a permanent reminder of this difficult but necessary act of obedience.
After Israel's shocking defeat at Ai due to Achan's hidden sin, Joshua and the people identify Achan, confessing his theft of forbidden spoils from Jericho. Consequently, Achan, his family, and all his possessions are brought to the Valley of Achor, where they are judged and executed as a purification for Israel. This public, severe punishment is carried out to remove the "accursed thing" and restore God's favor to the community, making the valley a permanent reminder of this difficult but necessary act of obedience.
"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's question, "Why did you trouble us?", echoes Ahab's cry to Elijah, highlighting how one person's sin can disrupt an entire community's relationship with God. The verse's shift from singular t…
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Last reviewed October 2026