Yosua 7:1

Achan Sins and is Punished

7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. ¹  Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, ²  son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. ³  The Lord was furious with the Israelites. ⁴ 

Yosua 7:5

7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures ⁵  and defeated them on the steep slope. ⁶  The people’s ⁷  courage melted away like water. ⁸ 

Yosua 7:11-12

7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ⁹  They have taken some of the riches; ¹⁰  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ¹¹  7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. ¹²  I will no longer be with you, ¹³  unless you destroy what has contaminated you. ¹⁴ 

Yosua 22:20

22:20 When Achan son of Zerah disobeyed the command about the city’s riches, the entire Israelite community was judged, ¹⁵  though only one man had sinned. He most certainly died for his sin!’” ¹⁶ 

[7:1]  ¹ tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ² tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).

[7:1]  ³ tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.”

[7:1]  sn This incident illustrates well the principle of corporate solidarity and corporate guilt. The sin of one man brought the Lord’s anger down upon the entire nation.

[7:5]  ⁵ tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).

[7:5]  ⁶ sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.

[7:5]  ⁷ tn Or “army’s.”

[7:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”

[7:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

[7:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

[7:12]  ¹² tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the Lord].”

[7:12]  ¹³ tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.

[7:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”

[22:20]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Is it not [true that] Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord] and against all the assembly of Israel there was anger?”

[22:20]  ¹⁶ tn The second half of the verse reads literally, “and he [was] one man, he did not die for his sin.” There are at least two possible ways to explain this statement: (1) One might interpret the statement to mean that Achan was not the only person who died for his sin. In this case it could be translated, “and he was not the only one to die because of his sin.” (2) Another option, the one reflected in the translation, is to take the words וְהוּא אִישׁ אֶחָד (vÿhu’ ’ish ’ekhad, “and he [was] one man”) as a concessive clause and join it with what precedes. The remaining words (לֹא גָוַע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ, lo’ gava’ ba’avono) must then be taken as a rhetorical question (“Did he not die for his sin?”). Taking the last sentence as interrogative is consistent with the first part of the verse, a rhetorical question introduced with the interrogative particle. The present translation has converted these rhetorical questions into affirmative statements to bring out more clearly the points they are emphasizing. For further discussion, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 240.