Joshua 7:6-16

6 Yehoshua tore his clothes, and fell to the dirt on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the Zakenim of Yisra'el; and they put dust on their heads.

7 Yehoshua said, Alas, Lord GOD, why have you at all brought this people over the Yarden, to deliver us into the hand of the Amori, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and lived beyond the Yarden!

8 Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Yisra'el has turned their backs before their enemies!

9 For the Kana`anim and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will compass us round, and cut off our name from the eretz: and what will you do for your great name?

10 The LORD said to Yehoshua, Get you up; why are you thus fallen on your face?

11 Yisra'el has sinned; yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yes, they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also; and they have even put it among their own stuff.

12 Therefore the children of Yisra'el can't stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you any more, except you destroy the devoted thing from among you.

13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus says the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, Yisra'el; you can not stand before your enemies, until you take away the devoted thing from among you.

14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come near by families; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come near by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come near man by man.

15 It shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has; because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done folly in Yisra'el.

16 So Yehoshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Yisra'el near by their tribes; and the tribe of Yehudah was taken:

Joshua 7:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 7

For the trespass of Achan the children of Israel were smitten and put to flight by the men of Ai, Jos 7:1-5; which gave him and the elders of the people great concern, both for Israel and for the name of the Lord, which was expressed by Joshua in prayer to God, Jos 7:6-9; when the Lord informed him of the reason of it, and gave him directions for finding out the guilty person, and for the punishment of him, Jos 7:10-15; which directions Joshua followed, and the person was found out, who being urged to a confession made one, Jos 7:16-21; upon which he and all he had, with the things he had taken, were burnt with fire, Jos 7:22-26.