1EMPERO los hijos de Israel cometieron prevaricación en el anatema. Porque Acán hijo de Carmi, hijo de Zabdi, hijo de Zaré, de la tribu de Judá, tomó del anatema: y la ira de Jehová se encendió contra los hijos de Israel. 2Y Josué envió hombres desde Jericó en Hai, que era junto a Bet-aven hacia el oriente de Betel: y hablóles, diciendo: Subíd, y reconocéd la tierra. Y ellos subieron, y reconocieron a Hai. 3Y volviendo a Josué, dijéronle: No suba todo el pueblo, mas suban como dos mil, o como tres mil hombres: y tomarán a Hai. No fatigues a todo el pueblo allí, porque pocos son. 4Y subieron allá del pueblo como tres mil hombres, los cuales huyeron delante de los de Hai. 5Y los de Hai hirieron de ellos como treinta y seis hombres, y siguiéronlos desde la puerta hasta Sabarim, y matáronlos en una descendida: de lo cual el corazón del pueblo se derritió, como agua. 6Entónces Josué rompió sus vestidos, y se postró en tierra sobre su rostro delante del arca de Jehová hasta la tarde; él, y los ancianos de Israel, echando polvo sobre sus cabezas. 7Y Josué dijo: ¡Ah, Señor Jehová! por qué hiciste pasar a este pueblo el Jordán, para entregarnos en las manos de los Amorreos, que nos destruyan. ¡Oh, si nos hubiésemos quedado de la otra parte del Jordán! 8¡Ay, Señor! ¿que diré; Pues que Israel ha vuelto las espaldas delante de sus enemigos? 9Porque los Cananeos, y todos los moradores de la tierra, oirán esto, y nos cercarán y raerán, nuestro nombre de sobre la tierra, entónces ¿qué harás tú a tu grande nombre? 10Y Jehová dijo a Josué: Levántate: ¿Por qué te postras así sobre tu rostro? 11Israel ha pecado, y aun han quebrantado mi concierto, que yo les había mandado. Y aun han tomado del anatema, y aun han hurtado, y aun han mentido, y aun lo han guardado en sus vasos. 12Por esto los hijos de Israel no podrán estar delante de sus enemigos, mas delante de sus enemigos volverán las espaldas, por cuanto han sido en el anatema. Yo no seré más con vosotros, sino destruyereis el anatema de en medio de vosotros. 13Levántate, santifica el pueblo, y dí: Santificáos, para mañana, porque Jehová el Dios de Israel dice así: Anatema hay en medio de tí Israel, no podrás estar delante de tus enemigos, hasta tanto que hayais quitado el anatema de en medio de vosotros. 14Allegaros heis pues mañana por vuestras tribus, y la tribu que Jehová tomare, se allegará por sus familias, y la familia que Jehová tomare, se allegará por sus casas, y la casa que Jehová tomare, se allegará por los varones. 15Y el que fuere tomado en el anatema será quemado a fuego, él y todo lo que tiene, por cuanto ha quebrantado el concierto de Jehová, y ha cometido maldad en Israel. 16Josué pues levantándose de mañana hizo allegar a Israel por sus tribus, y fué tomada la tribu de Judá. 17Y haciendo allegar la tribu de Judá, fué tomada la familia de los de Zari. Y haciendo allegar la familia de los de Zari por los varones, fué tomado Zabdi. 18E hizo allegar su casa por los varones, y fué tomado Acán hijo de Carmi, hijo de Zabdi, hijo de Zaré, de la tribu de Judá. 19Entónces Josué dijo a Acán: Hijo mío, da ahora gloria a Jehová el Dios de Israel, y dále alabanza; y declárame ahora lo que has hecho; no me lo encubras. 20Y Acán respondió a Josué, diciendo: Verdaderamente yo he pecado contra Jehová el Dios de Israel, y he hecho así, y así: 21Que ví entre los despojos un manto Babilónico muy bueno, y doscientos siclos de plata, y una barra de oro de peso de cincuenta siclos; lo cual codicié, y tomé: y he aquí que está escondido debajo de tierra en el medio de mi tienda: y el dinero está debajo de ello. 22Josué entónces envió mensajeros, los cuales fueron corriendo a la tienda, y he aquí que todo estaba escondido en su tienda; y el dinero debajo de ello. 23Y tomándolo de en medio de la tienda, trajéronlo a Josué: y a todos los hijos de Israel; y pusiéronlo delante de Jehová. 24Entónces Josué tomó a Acán hijo de Zaré, y el dinero, y el manto y la barra de oro, y sus hijos y sus hijas, y sus bueyes y sus asnos, y sus ovejas, y su tienda, y todo cuanto tenía, y todo Israel con él, y lleváronlo todo al valle de Acor: 25Y dijo Josué: ¿Por qué nos has turbado? Túrbete Jehová en este día. Y todos los Israelitas le apedrearon, y los quemaron a fuego, y los apedrearon con piedras. 26Y levantaron sobre él un gran montón de piedras hasta hoy. Y Jehová se tornó de la ira de su furor. Y por esto fué llamado aquel lugar, el valle de Acor, hasta hoy.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 ACHAN'S TRESPASS. (
Josh 7:1)
the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing--There was one transgressor against the cherem, or ban, on Jericho, and his transgression brought the guilt and disgrace of sin upon the whole nation.
Achan--called afterwards "Achar" ("trouble") (
1Chr 2:7).
Zabdi--or Zimri (
1Chr 2:6).
Zerah--or Zarah, son of Judah and Tamar (
Gen 38:30). His genealogy is given probably to show that from a parentage so infamous the descendants would not be carefully trained in the fear of God.
2 THE ISRAELITES SMITTEN AT AI. (Jos. 7:2-26)
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai--After the sacking of Jericho, the next step was to penetrate into the hills above. Accordingly, spies went up the mountain pass to view the country. The precise site of Ai, or Hai, is indicated with sufficient clearness (
Gen 12:8;
Gen 13:3) and has been recently discovered in an isolated tell, called by the natives Tell-el-Hajar, "the mount of stones," at two miles', or thirty-five minutes' distance, east southeast from Beth-el [VAN DE VELDE].
Beth-aven--("house of vanity")--a name afterwards given derisively (
Hos 4:15;
Hos 5:8;
Hos 10:5), on account of its idolatries, to Beth-el, "house of God," but here referred to another place, about six miles east of Beth-el and three north of Ai.
3 Let not all the people go up, . . . for they are but few--As the population of Ai amounted to twelve thousand (
Josh 8:25), it was a considerable town; though in the hasty and distant reconnoitre made by the spies, it probably appeared small in comparison to Jericho; and this may have been the reason for their proposing so small a detachment to capture it.
4 they fled before the men of Ai--An unexpected resistance, and the loss of thirty-six of their number diffused a panic, which ended in an ignominious rout.
5 chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim--that is, unto the "breakings" or "fissures" at the opening of the passes.
and smote them in the going down--that is, the declivity or slope of the deep, rugged, adjoining wady.
wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water--It is evident that the troops engaged were a tumultuary, undisciplined band, no better skilled in military affairs than the Bedouin Arabs, who become disheartened and flee on the loss of ten or fifteen men. But the consternation of the Israelites arose from another cause--the evident displeasure of God, who withheld that aid on which they had confidently reckoned.
6 Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth . . . before the ark . . . he and the elders--It is evident, from those tokens of humiliation and sorrow, that a solemn fast was observed on this occasion. The language of Joshua's prayer is thought by many to savor of human infirmity and to be wanting in that reverence and submission he owed to God. But, although apparently breathing a spirit of bold remonstrance and complaint, it was in reality the effusion of a deeply humbled and afflicted mind, expressing his belief that God could not, after having so miraculously brought His people over Jordan into the promised land, intend to destroy them, to expose them to the insults of their triumphant enemies, and bring reproach upon His own name for inconstancy or unkindness to His people, or inability to resist their enemies. Unable to understand the cause of the present calamity, he owned the hand of God.
10 the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up--The answer of the divine oracle was to this effect: the crisis is owing not to unfaithfulness in Me, but sin in the people. The conditions of the covenant have been violated by the reservation of spoil from the doomed city; wickedness, emphatically called folly, has been committed in Israel (
Ps 14:1), and dissimulation, with other aggravations of the crime, continues to be practised. The people are liable to destruction equally with the accursed nations of Canaan (
Deut 7:26). Means must, without delay, be taken to discover and punish the perpetrator of this trespass that Israel may be released from the ban, and things be restored to their former state of prosperity.
16 So Joshua rose up early, and brought Israel by their tribes--that is, before the tabernacle. The lot being appealed to (
Pro 16:33), he proceeded in the inquiry from heads of tribes to heads of families, and from heads of households in succession to one family, and to particular persons in that family, until the criminal was found to be Achan, who, on Joshua's admonition, confessed the fact of having secreted for his own use, in the floor of his tent, spoil both in garments and money [
Josh 7:19-
Josh 7:21]. How dreadful must have been his feelings when he saw the slow but certain process of discovery! (
Num 32:23).
19 Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give . . . glory to God--a form of adjuration to tell the truth.
21 a goodly Babylonish garment--literally, "a mantle of Shinar." The plain of Shinar was in early times celebrated for its gorgeous robes, which were of brilliant and various colors, generally arranged in figured patterns, probably resembling those of modern Turkish carpets, and the colors were either interwoven in the loom or embroidered with the needle.
two hundred shekels of silver--equivalent to Ł22 10s. sterling, according to the old Mosaic shekel, or the half of that sum, reckoning by the common shekel.
a wedge of gold--literally, an ingot or bar in the shape of a tongue.
22 Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent--from impatient eagerness not only to test the truth of the story, but to clear Israel from the imputation of guilt. Having discovered the stolen articles, they laid them out before the Lord, "as a token of their belonging to Him" on account of the ban.
24 Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan--He with his children and all his property, cattle as well as movables, were brought into one of the long broad ravines that open into the Ghor, and after being stoned to death (
Num 15:30-
Num 15:35), his corpse, with all belonging to him, was consumed to ashes by fire. "All Israel" was present, not only as spectators, but active agents, as many as possible, in inflicting the punishment--thus testifying their abhorrence of the sacrilege, and their intense solicitude to regain the divine favor. As the divine law expressly forbade the children to be put to death for their father's sins (
Deut 24:16), the conveyance of Achan's "sons and daughters" to the place of execution might be only as spectators, that they might take warning by the parental fate; or, if they shared his punishment (
Josh 22:20), they had probably been accomplices in his crime, and, indeed, he could scarcely have dug a hole within his tent without his family being aware of it.
26 they raised over him a great heap of stones--It is customary to raise cairns over the graves of criminals or infamous persons in the East still.
the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor--("trouble"),
unto this day--So painful an episode would give notoriety to the spot, and it is more than once noted by the sacred writers of a later age (
Isa 65:10;
Hos 2:15).