Israel's Defeat at Ai
Study note
Unknown to Joshua, an Israelite named Achan from the tribe of Judah had taken some of the items that were supposed to be destroyed at Jericho. Because of this sin, God's anger burned against all of Israel. When Joshua sent spies to check out the city of Ai, they came back saying it was a small place and only two or three thousand soldiers were needed. But when the Israelites attacked, the men of Ai chased them away and killed about thirty-six of them. The people of Israel were shocked and terrified.
1 But the Israelites broke faith regarding the things marked for destruction. Achan -- son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, great-grandson of Zerah, from Judah's tribe -- took some of the forbidden items. Because of this, the Lord's anger erupted against all of Israel. 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 From Jericho, Joshua sent men to Ai, a city near Beth-aven east of Bethel. He told them, "Go scout out the land." So the men went and investigated Ai. 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 When they returned, they told Joshua, "Do not bother sending the whole army. Two or three thousand soldiers should be plenty to take Ai. It is a small place -- no need to tire out the entire force." 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 roughly three thousand soldiers marched up to attack Ai. But the men of Ai drove the Israelites back. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
5 The defenders of Ai killed about thirty-six Israelites and chased the rest from the city gate to the stone quarries, cutting them down as they fled. The Israelites were shaken to the core. 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.
Joshua Cries Out to God
Study note
Joshua tore his clothes and fell face down before the Ark of the Lord. Tearing clothes and putting dust on your head were signs of extreme grief and distress in ancient Israel. Joshua cried out to God, asking why he had brought them across the Jordan only to be destroyed. He worried that the Canaanites would hear about the defeat, surround them, and wipe them out.
6 Joshua ripped his clothes in grief and threw himself face-down in front of the Ark of the Lord, staying there until evening. The Israelite elders did the same, pouring dust over their heads. 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 Joshua cried out, "O Lord God, why did you bring us across the Jordan just to let the Amorites wipe us out? We should have been content staying on the other side!" 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 can I possibly say now that Israel has been chased away by its enemies?" O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
9 "When the Canaanites and everyone else in the region hear about this, they will gang up on us and erase our name from the earth. What will that do to your great reputation?" 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?
God Reveals the Problem
Study note
God's response was direct: "Get up! Why are you lying on your face?" God told Joshua that Israel had sinned by taking items that were supposed to be destroyed. They had stolen, lied, and hidden the forbidden things among their own belongings. God said he would no longer be with Israel until they removed the sinful items from among them. God gave Joshua a process to identify the guilty person: tribe by tribe, family by family, household by household, until the guilty man was found.
10 The Lord responded to Joshua, "Get up off the ground! Why are you lying there on your face?" And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
11 "Israel has sinned. They have violated the covenant I gave them. They grabbed some of the things I said must be destroyed. They stole them, covered it up with lies, and stuffed them in with their own belongings." 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 Israelites cannot stand against their enemies and run away instead -- they have made themselves unclean. I will not be with you any longer unless you get rid of the forbidden things hiding among you." 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 "Get up! Tell the people to prepare themselves for tomorrow. The Lord, Israel's God, says: 'There are forbidden things concealed among you, Israel. You cannot defeat your enemies until you remove them.'" 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 "Tomorrow morning, come forward tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord singles out will come forward by families. The family the Lord singles out will come forward by households. Then each person in that household will come forward individually." 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 "The person caught with the banned items will be burned with fire. Everything they own will burn too. They broke the Lord's covenant. They brought shame on Israel." 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.
Achan Is Found and Punished
Study note
The next morning, Joshua brought Israel forward tribe by tribe. The lot fell on the tribe of Judah, then on the clan of Zerah, then on the family of Zabdi, and finally on Achan. Joshua urged Achan to confess and give glory to God. Achan admitted he had seen a beautiful robe from Babylon, about five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing about one and a quarter pounds. He had coveted them and hidden them under his tent. The items were found exactly where he said. Achan and everything he had were taken to the Valley of Achor, where he was stoned and everything was burned. The name Achor means 'trouble,' marking this as a place of consequences for sin.
16 Joshua got up early the next morning and had Israel step forward tribe by tribe. The tribe of Judah was identified. So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
17 He brought Judah's clans forward, and the Zerahite clan was identified. He brought the Zerahite clan forward family by family, and Zabdi was identified. 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 He brought Zabdi's household forward one by one. Achan was pointed out. He was the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, great-grandson of Zerah. He was from the tribe of Judah. 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 Joshua said to Achan, "My son, honor the Lord, the God of Israel, and tell the truth. Confess what you did. Do not hide anything from me." 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 Achan replied, "It is true -- I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. Here is exactly what I did:" And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21 "In the plunder I spotted a gorgeous Babylonian robe, about five pounds of silver, and a gold bar weighing over a pound. I wanted them so badly that I grabbed them. They are buried in the ground inside my tent, with the silver on the bottom." 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 Joshua sent messengers running to Achan's tent. Sure enough, everything was hidden there, with the silver underneath. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
23 They pulled the items out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the people of Israel. They spread them out before the Lord. 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 Then Joshua and all of Israel took Achan son of Zerah. They also took the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, donkeys, sheep, his tent, and everything he owned. They brought them all to the Valley of Achor. 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 Joshua said, "Why did you bring this disaster on us? Now the Lord will bring disaster on you." All of Israel stoned Achan and his family, then burned everything. 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 They stacked a great heap of rocks over Achan, which can still be seen today. After that, the Lord's fierce anger cooled down. Therefore the place has been called the Valley of Achor -- meaning 'disaster' -- ever since. 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.