Joshua 7: The Sin of Achan
Hidden sin in the camp brings defeat at Ai, until Achan's theft of the devoted things is exposed and judged before the Lord.
Joshua 7 (WEB)
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against the children of Israel.
2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land.” The men went up and spied out Ai.
3 They returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Don’t let all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Don’t make all the people to toil there, for there are only a few of them.”
4 So about three thousand men of the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai.
5 The men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them, and they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and struck them at the descent. The hearts of the people melted, and became like water.
6 Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before Yahweh’s ark until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.
7 Joshua said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? I wish that we had been content and lived beyond the Jordan!
8 Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!
9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?”
10 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you fallen on your face like that?
11 Israel has sinned. Yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. Yes, they have even taken of the devoted things, and have also stolen, and also deceived. They have even put it among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel can’t stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will not be with you any more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
13 “Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, “There is a devoted thing in your midst, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.”
14 “‘In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. It shall be that the tribe which Yahweh selects shall come near by families. The family which Yahweh selects shall come near by households. The household which Yahweh selects shall come near man by man.
15 It shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of Yahweh, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel near by their tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected.
17 He brought near the family of Judah; and he selected the family of the Zerahites. He brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was selected.
18 He brought near 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 selected.
19 Joshua said to Achan, “My son, please give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done! Don’t hide it from me!”
20 Achan answered Joshua, and said, “I have truly sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done.
21 When I saw among the plunder a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. Behold, it was hidden in his tent, with the silver under it.
23 They took them from the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel. They laid them down before Yahweh.
24 Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.
25 Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you this day.” All Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.
26 They raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Yahweh turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called “The valley of Achor” to this day.
Joshua 7 (KJV)
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.
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.
Joshua 7 (ASV)
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted thing: and the anger of Jehovah 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 spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out 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; make not all the people to toil 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; and they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them at the descent: and 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 Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads.
7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and dwelt beyond the Jordan!
8 Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies!
9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will compass us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do for thy great name?
10 And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus fallen upon thy face?
11 Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also; and they have even put it among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you any more, except ye destroy the devoted thing from among you.
13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow: for thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the devoted thing from among you.
14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought near by your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which Jehovah taketh shall come near by families; and the family which Jehovah shall take shall come near by households; and the household which Jehovah shall take shall come near man by man.
15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath; because he hath transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
17 and he brought near the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zerahites: and he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
18 and he brought near 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 Jehovah, the 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, Of a truth I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21 when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, 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 from the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel; and they laid them down before Jehovah.
24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, 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 up unto the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.
26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones, unto this day; and Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
Summary
After Jericho, Israel suffers a sudden, shocking defeat. Unknown to the nation, Achan of the tribe of Judah has taken some of the devoted things, and so the Lord's anger burns against Israel. Confident after Jericho, Joshua sends only a few thousand men against the small town of Ai, and they are routed, with thirty-six killed, and the hearts of the people melt like water. Joshua tears his clothes and falls before the ark in grief, crying out to God and fearing for his great name among the nations. But the Lord tells him to get up: Israel has sinned, transgressing the covenant by taking devoted things, and God will not be with them until the sin is removed. The next morning, by a process of selection tribe by tribe and family by family, the lot finally falls on Achan. Joshua urges him to give glory to God and confess, and Achan admits he saw a beautiful robe, silver, and a wedge of gold, coveted them, took them, and hid them in his tent. The items are found and brought out, and Achan, his family, and his possessions are taken to the Valley of Achor, where they are stoned and burned. A great heap of stones is raised over him, and the Lord turns from his fierce anger. The chapter is a sober reminder that sin, even when hidden, defiles the whole community and must be dealt with honestly before God.
Main Characters
- Achan — A man of Judah who secretly takes devoted things from Jericho, brings defeat on Israel, and is exposed, confesses, and is judged at the Valley of Achor.
- Joshua — Israel's leader, who grieves over the defeat at Ai, intercedes before God, and carries out the Lord's command to remove the sin from the camp.
- The army of Israel — The men routed at Ai because of hidden sin, whose hearts melt like water until the cause of defeat is uncovered and dealt with.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The holy God whose anger burns against covenant-breaking, who exposes the hidden sin and turns from his fierce anger once it is judged.
Key Verse
Joshua 7:13 (WEB)
“Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, “There is a devoted thing in your midst, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.”
Lessons Learned
- Hidden sin in one person can bring trouble on a whole community.
- Spiritual defeat often has a deeper cause than the circumstances reveal.
- Sin must be honestly confronted and confessed, not covered up.
- Coveting leads to taking, hiding, and ruin, a chain seen clearly in Achan's words.
- Sin is never as private as it feels. Because of one man's theft, “Yahweh’s anger burned against the children of Israel” (Joshua 7:1, WEB). Personal sin has communal consequences.
- God's presence cannot coexist with cherished sin. “I will not be with you any more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you” (Joshua 7:12, WEB). Unrepented sin forfeits God's help.
- Confession gives glory to God. Joshua urges Achan, “give glory to Yahweh… and make confession” (Joshua 7:19, WEB). Honest admission honors God's truth and justice.
- Coveting bears bitter fruit. Achan says, “I saw… I coveted… and took” (Joshua 7:21, WEB). Sin grows from desire to deed to disaster when left unchecked.
- Why does Israel, fresh from victory at Jericho, suffer such a humiliating defeat at Ai?
- What does the chapter teach about how one person's hidden sin affects the whole community?
- Trace Achan's own account in verse 21: "I saw… I coveted… I took… I hid." What does this reveal about how sin works?
- How does Joshua's call for Achan to "give glory to Yahweh" reframe the act of confession?
- Is there a hidden "devoted thing" you have been holding onto that is hindering your walk with God? What would honest confession look like?
- The defeat is not a military failure but the consequence of sin in the camp (7:1, 11-12). God had warned Israel about the devoted things, and Achan's disobedience broke fellowship with him. Help the group see that spiritual problems often underlie practical failures.
- Though only Achan sinned, all Israel is affected, suffering defeat and death (7:1-5). Scripture takes seriously the way individual sin damages the whole body. Without excusing harshness, help the group grasp the communal weight of sin and the call to mutual responsibility.
- Achan's confession traces the anatomy of temptation: he saw, he coveted, he took, he hid (7:21). Desire unguarded becomes action, and action breeds concealment. Invite the group to recognize this pattern and the importance of stopping it early.
- Joshua frames confession not as mere admission but as giving glory to God, agreeing with his truth and justice (7:19). Confession honors God by siding with him against our sin. Encourage the group to view repentance as an act of worship.
- This is a personal-application question. Handle it gently and without forcing disclosure. Invite members to bring hidden things into God's light privately, assuring them that God's purpose in exposing sin is restoration, and pointing ahead to the grace that fully deals with sin in Christ.