The conquest and the judges · Joshua 7–8
Achan’s Sin and the Capture of Ai
Jericho has fallen, but Achan, of the tribe of Judah, has taken things set apart for destruction, and the LORD’s anger burns against Israel. About three thousand men go up against Ai, thought to be an easy target; they flee, and thirty-six of them are killed. Joshua tears his clothes and lies facedown before the ark until evening. The LORD answers him: “Israel hath sinned,” and has the guilty man singled out tribe by tribe, family by family. Achan confesses: “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.” Everything is hidden in his tent. Achan is brought to the valley of Achor, where Israel stones him. Then the LORD says to Joshua: “Fear not!” By an ambush, Israel captures Ai and burns it.
What happens
- Achan takes things set apart for destruction Joshua 7:1
- Three thousand men flee before Ai; thirty-six are killed Joshua 7:4–5
- “Israel hath sinned”: the LORD reveals the cause of the defeat Joshua 7:10–12
- Achan confesses: “then I coveted them, and took them” Joshua 7:20–21
- Achan is stoned in the valley of Achor Joshua 7:24–26
- Joshua stretches out his spear: the men in ambush capture Ai Joshua 8:18–19
Who is in this story
The lesson
Sin begins with a glance: Achan saw, coveted, took, and hid (7:21), and his secret sin cost thirty-six men their lives. God leaves nothing in the dark, but once the evil is removed from among the people, he gives victory again.
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.
Quick quiz on this story
Which tribe is Achan from?
Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, is “of the tribe of Judah”; it is this tribe the LORD singles out when Israel comes forward tribe by tribe. Joshua 7:1
To which valley is Achan taken to be stoned?
Joshua and all Israel bring Achan, along with all that belonged to him, to the valley of Achor; the place keeps that name “unto this day.” Joshua 7:24–26
What signal does Joshua give to the men waiting in ambush behind Ai?
The LORD says, “Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai.” As soon as Joshua stretches it out, the men in ambush rise up, take the city, and set it on fire. Joshua 8:18–19
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