Joshua 7:25

25 where Joshua said, For thou hast troubled us, the Lord shall full out trouble thee in this day. And all Israel stoned him; and all things that were his, were wasted by fire. (where Joshua said, For thou hast brought forth trouble upon us, the Lord shall now bring trouble upon thee. And then all Israel stoned him; and all his things were destroyed by fire.)

Joshua 7:25 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 7:25

And Joshua said, why hast thou troubled us?
&c.] Been the occasion of so much trouble to us, by committing this sin:

the Lord shall trouble thee this day;
by the destruction of him and all that belonged to him: this is said to show that his punishment was of God, and according to his will: in the Misnah F18 an emphasis is laid on the phrase "this day", and it is observed,

``this day thou shalt be troubled, but thou shalt not be troubled in the world to come;''

suggesting that though temporal punishment was inflicted on him, yet his iniquity was forgiven, and he would be saved with an everlasting, salvation; and as it may be hoped from the ingenuous confession that he made, that he had true repentance for it, and forgiveness of it:

and all Israel stoned him with stones;
hence some gather, that only Achan himself suffered death, and not his sons and daughters:

and burnt them with fire after they had stoned them with stones;
which the Jewish commentators understand of his oxen, asses, and sheep; so Jarchi, Ben Gersom, and Abarbinel: likewise his tent, and household goods, the Babylonish garment, gold and silver, were burnt, and he himself also, for that is the express order, ( Joshua 7:15 ) ; the Jews say, as particularly Jarchi observes, that he was stoned because he profaned the sabbath, it being on the sabbath day that Jericho was taken, and stoning was the punishment of the sabbath breaker, and he was burnt on the account of the accursed thing; so Abendana.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Sanhedrin ut supra. (Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 18. sect. 6.)

Joshua 7:25 In-Context

23 and they took these things away from the tent, and they brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel (and to all the Israelites); and they casted them forth before the Lord.
24 Then Joshua took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the golden rule, and his sons, and daughters, his oxen, asses, and sheep, and the tabernacle itself, and all the purtenance of his household; and all Israel with Joshua; and they led them to the valley of Achor; (Then Joshua took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the gold bar, and his sons, and daughters, and his oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and the tent itself, and all the purtenance of his household; and all Israel went with Joshua; and they led them to the valley of Achor;)
25 where Joshua said, For thou hast troubled us, the Lord shall full out trouble thee in this day. And all Israel stoned him; and all things that were his, were wasted by fire. (where Joshua said, For thou hast brought forth trouble upon us, the Lord shall now bring trouble upon thee. And then all Israel stoned him; and all his things were destroyed by fire.)
26 And they gathered upon him a great heap of stones, the which abide there still into this day. And the strong vengeance of the Lord was turned away from Israel; and the name of that place is called the valley of Achor unto this day.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.