Josué 7

ARC · Chapter 7/24

1E trespassaram os filhos de Israel no anathema: porque Acan, filho de Carmi, filho de Zabdi, filho de Sera, da tribu de Judah, tomou do anathema, e a ira do Senhor se accendeu contra os filhos d'Israel.

2Enviando pois Josué de Jericó, alguns homens a Hai, que está junto a Bethaven, da banda do oriente de Beth-*el, fallou-lhes, dizendo: Subi, e espiae a terra. Subiram pois aquelles homens, e espiaram a Hai.

3E voltaram a Josué, e disseram-lhe: Não suba todo o povo; subam alguns dois mil, ou tres mil homens, a ferir a Hai: não fatigues ali a todo o povo, porque poucos são.

4Assim, subiram lá do povo alguns tres mil homens, os quaes fugiram diante dos homens de Dai.

5E os homens de Hai feriram d'elles alguns trinta e seis, e seguiram-n'os desde a porta até Shebarim, e feriram-n'os na descida; e o coração do povo se derreteu e se tornou como agua.

6Então Josué rasgou os seus vestidos, e se prostrou em terra sobre o seu rosto perante a arca do Senhor até á tarde, elle e os anciãos de Israel: e deitaram pó sobre as suas cabeças.

7E disse Josué: Ah Senhor Jehovah! porque, com effeito, fizeste passar a este povo o Jordão, para nos dares nas mãos dos amorrheos, para nos fazerem perecer? oxalá nos contentaramos com ficarmos d'além do Jordão.

8Ah Senhor! que direi? pois Israel virou as costas diante dos seus inimigos!

9Ouvindo isto, os cananeos, e todos os moradores da terra, nos cercarão e desarreigarão o nosso nome da terra: e então que farás ao teu grande nome?

10Então disse o Senhor a Josué: Levanta-te: porque estás prostrado assim sobre o teu rosto?

11Israel peccou, e até transgrediram o meu concerto que lhes tinha ordenado, e até tomaram do anathema, e tambem furtaram, e tambem mentiram, e até debaixo da sua bagagem o pozeram.

12Pelo que os filhos de Israel não poderam subsistir perante os seus inimigos: viraram as costas diante dos seus inimigos; porquanto estão amaldiçoados: não serei mais comvosco, se não desarreigardes o anathema do meio de vós.

13Levanta-te, sanctifica o povo, e dize: Sanctificae-vos para ámanhã, porque assim diz o Senhor, o Deus d'Israel: Anathema ha no meio de ti, Israel: diante dos teus inimigos não poderás suster-te, até que não tires o anathema do meio de vós.

14Ámanhã pois vos chegareis, segundo as vossas tribus: e será que a tribu que o Senhor tomar se chegará, segundo as familias; e a familia que o Senhor tomar se chegará por casas; e a casa que o Senhor tomar se chegará homem por homem

15E será que aquelle que fôr tomado com o anathema será queimado a fogo, elle e tudo quanto tiver: porquanto transgrediu o concerto do Senhor, e fez uma loucura em Israel.

16Então Josué se levantou de madrugada, e fez chegar a Israel, segundo as suas tribus: e a tribu de Judah foi tomada:

17E, fazendo chegar a tribu de Judah, tomou a familia de Zarchi: e, fazendo chegar a familia de Zarchi, homem por homem, foi tomado Zabdi:

18E, fazendo chegar a sua casa, homem por homem, foi tomado Acan, filho de Carmi, filho de Zabdi, filho de Serah, da tribu de Judah.

19Então disse Josué a Acan: Filho meu, dá, peço-te, gloria ao Senhor Deus de Israel, e faze confissão perante elle; e declara-me agora o que fizeste, não m'o occultes.

20E respondeu Acan a Josué, e disse: Verdadeiramente pequei contra o Senhor Deus de Israel, e fiz assim e assim.

21Quando vi entre os despojos uma boa capa babylonica, e duzentos siclos de prata, e uma cunha d'oiro do peso de cincoenta siclos, cobicei-os e tomei-os: e eis que estão escondidos na terra, no meio da minha tenda, e a prata debaixo d'ella.

22Então Josué enviou mensageiros, que foram correndo á tenda: e eis que estava escondido na sua tenda, e a prata debaixo d'ella.

23Tomaram pois aquellas coisas do meio da tenda, e as trouxeram a Josué e a todos os filhos de Israel: e as deitaram perante o Senhor.

24Então Josué e todo o Israel com elle tomaram a Acan, filho de Serah, e a prata, e a capa, e a cunha de oiro, e a seus filhos, e a suas filhas, e a seus bois, e a seus jumentos, e a suas ovelhas, e a sua tenda, e a tudo quanto tinha: e levaram-n'os ao valle de Acor.

25E disse Josué: Como nos turbaste? o Senhor te turbará a ti este dia. E todo o Israel o apedrejou com pedras, e os queimaram a fogo, e os apedrejaram com pedras.

26E levantaram sobre elle um grande montão de pedras, até o dia de hoje; assim o Senhor se tornou do ardor da sua ira: pelo que se chamou o nome d'aquelle logar o valle d'Acor, até ao dia de hoje.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Achan disobeys and hides objects from Jericho that were meant to be destroyed. Because of this, Israel is defeated at Ai. Achan is identified by lot and stoned along with his family.

Explanation

One man's hidden sin affects the whole community, revealing the strong sense of collective solidarity in the Old Testament: Israel acts and is judged as a single body. The unexpected defeat at Ai, a small city, shocks the people because it contradicts the pattern of previous victories, leading Joshua to seek out the cause before God instead of simply attacking again. The severity of the punishment reflects the seriousness of deliberately breaking a sacred commitment right after the great miracle of the Jordan. The practical lesson is that hidden sins rarely stay isolated - they affect the relationships and communities around them.

Fun facts

  • The name of the valley where Achan was judged, 'Achor,' means 'trouble,' a direct Hebrew wordplay on the verb Joshua uses ('why have you troubled us?').
  • Centuries later, the prophet Hosea (2:15) transforms the Valley of Achor into a symbol of hope, calling it a 'door of hope' for a restored Israel.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Josué 7:1The verb used here to describe what Achan did, keeping for himself objects from Jericho that should have been destroyed or handed over to the Lord’s treasury, is the same one used for the betrayal of a covenant. This explains why the divine response right after is so harsh.
  2. Josué 7:2After the victory at Jericho, Joshua sends spies to scout out Ai, a much smaller city, expecting the next conquest to be an easy one.
  3. Josué 7:3The spies come back confident: since the city is small, they recommend sending only part of the army, without wearing out the whole people for nothing.
  4. Josué 7:4About three thousand men go up to attack Ai, but, contrary to expectations, they end up fleeing before the city’s defenders.
  5. Josué 7:5The defeat is unexpected and humiliating: thirty-six soldiers die, and the people’s morale collapses — the same people who had just seen Jericho fall.
  6. Josué 7:6Joshua reacts with the traditional signs of mourning and despair: he tears his clothes, falls facedown to the ground before the ark, and puts dust on his head, along with the elders of the people.
  7. Josué 7:7Joshua questions God, almost in despair, asking whether it would not have been better never to have crossed the Jordan, since now they seem to be losing.
  8. Josué 7:8He feels at a loss for words in the face of the defeat: Israel, coming off victories, has now fled from the enemy.
  9. Josué 7:9Joshua’s fear is that this defeat will encourage the other peoples to attack Israel, and that it will tarnish God’s own reputation before the nations.
  10. Josué 7:10God interrupts Joshua’s lament bluntly, asking why he is lying facedown — as if to say that grieving will not solve the problem.
  11. Josué 7:11God reveals the real reason for the defeat: someone among the people disobeyed, stealing something that should have been entirely devoted to God, and lied about it besides.
  12. Josué 7:12Because of this hidden sin, the whole people lose God’s protection in battle; the defeat was not a lack of military strength, it was a consequence of disobedience.
  13. Josué 7:13God tells Joshua to organize the people to find out who sinned, making clear that no one will succeed until the guilty party is identified.
  14. Josué 7:14The process of identification is done by elimination, starting with the tribes, then the families, then the households, until it comes down to one person.
  15. Josué 7:15The penalty for whoever is identified is harsh: death by fire, both the person and everything he has, for having broken the covenant with God.
  16. Josué 7:16Joshua carries out the process the very next morning, and the tribe of Judah is singled out.
  17. Josué 7:17Within the tribe of Judah, the process points to the family of Zerah, and within it, Zabdi.
  18. Josué 7:18Finally, the process of elimination narrows down to a single man: Achan, of the family of Zabdi.
  19. Josué 7:19Joshua asks Achan to confess honestly, giving glory to God instead of hiding what he did.
  20. Josué 7:20Achan admits it plainly: he sinned against God, without trying to deny it or make excuses.
  21. Josué 7:21He tells what he did: he saw a beautiful robe, silver, and gold among the spoils of Jericho, coveted them, and hid it all under his own tent.
  22. Josué 7:22Joshua sends messengers to the tent, and they find exactly what Achan had confessed.
  23. Josué 7:23The stolen objects are brought and laid out before the Lord and all the people, as public proof of what happened.
  24. Josué 7:24Achan’s family is taken along with him to be punished, a detail that is troubling because it seems to fall on those who did not commit the theft. In the ancient world, the family shared the legal responsibility of the head of the household, especially when the stolen object was hidden inside his own tent.
  25. Josué 7:25Joshua confronts Achan before the execution, saying that the same trouble he brought on the people will now fall on him.
  26. Josué 7:26The place is named the Valley of Achor, recalling the trouble caused by Achan’s sin, and the heap of stones there remains as a permanent memorial.

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