“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.”
My Notes
What Does Joshua 7:24 Mean?
After God reveals Achan as the source of contamination, Joshua takes everything: Achan, the stolen silver, garment, and gold, and his sons, daughters, oxen, donkeys, sheep, tent, and all that he had. They're brought to the Valley of Achor (trouble). The consequences extend beyond Achan to everything connected to him.
The comprehensiveness of the judgment matches the comprehensiveness of the contamination. Achan's sin didn't affect only Achan. It affected everything associated with him — family, livestock, possessions. The accursed thing spread to the accursed person spread to the accursed household. The circle of contamination determines the circle of judgment.
The Valley of Achor (trouble) — named for the trouble Achan brought — becomes a geographic memorial. The place where sin is judged gets a permanent name. Israel will pass this valley for generations, and every time, the name tells the story: this is where trouble was dealt with.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the scope of Achan's judgment (family, possessions, everything) feel proportional — and what does that reveal about sin's reach?
- 2.How does your sin affect the people and things connected to you — even when you think it's private?
- 3.What 'Valley of Achor' might your choices be creating — a lasting mark on the landscape of your community?
- 4.Does the geographic memorial (a place named 'Trouble') teach you about the permanence of sin's consequences?
Devotional
They took everything. Achan. The silver. The garment. The gold. His sons. His daughters. His animals. His tent. Everything. Down to the valley of Trouble.
The judgment is total because the contamination was total. Achan's sin didn't stay in Achan. It spread to everything he touched, everything he owned, everything connected to him. The accursed thing in his tent made his tent accursed. And everything in the tent came under the same judgment.
This is the most sobering picture of sin's collateral damage in the Old Testament. Achan made a choice. His family paid for it. His livestock paid for it. His tent — the shelter that covered them all — was brought to the valley with everything in it.
The Valley of Achor. Trouble. Named for what happened there. A place name that became a permanent sermon: this is what hidden sin produces. Not just personal consequence. Communal devastation. A valley named after your trouble.
The geography of judgment is its own message. Every Israelite who passed the Valley of Achor for the next thousand years walked past the testimony: someone took what was forbidden. Someone hid it in their tent. And everything connected to them was brought here.
Your sin doesn't stay in your tent. It touches your family. Your community. Your household. The things connected to you absorb the contamination you thought was private. The valley is named after you — not because God is vindictive, but because the trouble you caused marked the landscape.
Don't make the valley. Deal with the tent. Before everything in it comes to Achor.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah,.... Joshua and all Israel are mentioned, to show the…
The sin had been national (Jos 7:1 note), and accordingly the expiation of it was no less so. The whole nation, no doubt…
Joshua - took Achan - and all that he had - He and his cattle and substance were brought to the valley to be consumed;…
We have in these verses,
I. The discovery of Achan by the lot, which proved a perfect lot, though it proceeded…
son of Zerah Strictly, his great-grandson.
and his sons, and his daughters Some have thought they were brought to the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture