Joshua 7:26

26 and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor[a] to this day.

Joshua 7:26 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 7:26

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this
day
That is, at the place where he suffered, or where they laid his ashes, they heaped up a pile of stones over him, as a monument whereby it might be known hereafter where he was executed and was buried; and which pile continued to the writing of this history: such sort of funeral monuments were usual with the Heathens F19 also as well as with the Jews, see ( Joshua 8:29 ) ( 2 Samuel 18:17 ) ; so the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger; or the effects of it ceased; the outward face of things was altered, the dealings of God in his providence with Israel were changed; though, properly speaking, there is no change in God, nor such affections and passions in him as in man:

wherefore the name of the place was called the valley of Achor unto
this day;
from the trouble Achan met with, and the people of Israel on his account, see ( Joshua 7:24 ) ; and so it was called in the days of Isaiah and Hosea, ( Isaiah 65:10 ) ( Hosea 2:15 ) ; and where it is prophesied of as what should be in time to come: according to Bunting F20, it was twelve miles from Jerusalem; Jerom F21 says it was at the north of Jericho, but Lamy F23, following Bonfrerius, places it to the south; see ( Joshua 15:7 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F19 Vid. Pausan. Arcadica, sive, l. 8. p. 477. & Phocica, sive, l. 10. p. 616, 617.
F20 Travels of the Patriarchs p. 98.
F21 De loc. Heb. fol. 88. B.
F23 Apparat. Geograph. p. 61.

Joshua 7:26 In-Context

24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
25 Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? Today the Lord will trouble you!" So all Israel stoned him to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them,
26 and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.

Footnotes 1

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