Joshua

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Joshua 7 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Joshua 7 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

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.

(7:1) "Achan, the son of Carmi ... took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel."
Who Was Achan's father?

In Biblical, and Ancient Middle East, usage the phrase “son of” has a broader range of meaning then in our days. As in many other cases it also covers being a grandson, great grandson, Hebrew didn't even have a separate word for grandson! etc. As this verse makes clear, Achan's father was Carmi, and Zerah was his great grandfather, i.e. his tribal identification.

2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel, 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.

(7.4) “There went up … about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.”

If you are interested in archaeology, this series by Bryant Wood is fascinating viewing.

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.

(7:1-10) Joshua and all the elders tear their clothes, fall on their faces, and put dust on their heads because the Israelites lost a battle. [God was punishing them because one man (Achan) "took of the accursed thing."]
(7:6) "And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell ... upon his face ... until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads."
(FOF)

The author of the SAB dismisses the story with: all because they lost a single battle? But God had promised to conquer the land of Canaan for them, and especially after the fall of Jericho, they expected God to fight for them. But that did not happen. The author of the SAB also questions if this was right: only one man took of the accursed thing. But if a nation wants God to fight for them in such a special manner, that nation as a whole should be clean. Achan had done something that was expressly forbidden and therefore brought a separation between that nation and God. Moreover, where the others blameless? Could they not have guarded Jericho better? Had they sincerely sought God before the battle to ask him if everything was well?
John Gill adds:

this was done, not by the whole body of the people, only by one of them; but it not being discovered who it was, it was imputed to the whole, on whom it lay to find out the guilty person and punish him, or else the whole must suffer for it:

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?

(7.9) “For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it.”
What will the neighbors say? Joshua worries that neighboring tribes will make fun of them for being defeated by the Amorites.

Joshua wasn't so much concerned about his name, but with God's name: if they would not inherit Canaan, which God has promised they would, would this not be blamed on God?

10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

(7:10) "And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?"

The meaning is that God would come to his help: there was no longer a need to be prostrate..

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.

(7:15) "He that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath."
If you happen to see "the accursed thing," don't touch it. If you do, you, your family, and all of your animals must be burned to death.
What the Bible says about burning people to death

God had charged the Israelites not to take anything from Jericho, see chapter 6:18. What to do when someone deliberately sins? Human law reserves the highest punishment for those who most deliberate and most intentionally trespass, so here the highest punishment is asked for this most intentional disregard for God's law.

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.

(7:24-25) "And Joshua ... took Achan ... and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his sheep... And all of Israel stoned them with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones."
This is because Achan "took of the accursed thing" -- whatever that means. But why would God require that Achan's sons and daughters (and even his animals) be stoned to death along with him? The Bible doesn't say. But it does tell us that "the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger" when Achan, his children, and his animals were burned and stoned to death.
God's 32nd Killing
What the Bible says about stoning
(7:24) "Achan the son of Zerah"
Who Was Achan's father?

This chapter clearly explains what the accursed thing was that Achan took in this same verse! I.e. Achan had from the ruins from Jericho taken silver, a the garment, and a wedge of gold.
Achan's sons and daughters would not have perished with Achan if they had not consented and participated in this act. Else they would have been spared like Korah's children (Num. 26:11).
On who Achan's father was, see verse 1.

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.