Joshua 22:20

20 Was not Achan ^[a] son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, ^[b] bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’”

Joshua 22:20 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 22:20

Did not Achan the son of Zerah
One that descended from Zerah the son of Judah, ( Joshua 7:18 ) ;

commit a trespass in the accursed thing;
in taking what was devoted to sacred uses:

and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel?
and which was what was feared now; and this instance is brought to show that such fears were not groundless:

and that man perished not alone in his iniquity:
which seems to confirm the notion of those who think that his children suffered with him; though it may be observed, that it was through his sin that thirty six men were slain by the men of Ai, ( Joshua 7:5 ) .

Joshua 22:20 In-Context

18 And now, would you turn away from the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

19 If indeed the land of your inheritance is unclean, then cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

20 Was not Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’”

21 Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:

22 “The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today.

Footnotes

• [a]. Achan means troubler; also called Achar in 1 Chronicles 2:7.
• [b]. Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.