Joshua 7:11

Jos 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put [it] even among their own stuff.

Ver. 11. Israel hath sinned.] See Jos 7:1.

For they have even taken of the accursed thing, &c.] God aggravateth Achan’s sin by the several circumstances, laying open how many transgressions were wrapped up in that sin of his, as Lev 16:21. This Achan himself should have done, and so prevented the Lord; {1Co 11:31} which because he did not, God did it for him: as because the scholar will not parse his lesson, scan his verses, the master will do it for him to his cost.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Israel

The sin of Achan and its results teach the great truth of the oneness of the people of God, Jos 7:11. "Israel hath sinned." See in illustration; 1Co 5:1-7; 1Co 12:12-14; 1Co 12:26. The whole cause of Christ is injured by the sin, neglect, or unspirituality of one believer.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 11. Israel hath sinned] It is impossible that God should turn against his people, if they had not turned away from him. They have taken of the accursed thing, notwithstanding my severe prohibition. They have also stolen, supposing, if not seen by their brethren, I should either not see or not regard it. They have dissembled - pretended to have kept strictly the command I gave them; and have put it among their own stuff - considered it now as a part of their own property.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(11) They have also transgressed my covenant.—The law is again brought prominently forward in this scene. “The words of the covenant, the ten commandments,” are first of all a pledge that Jehovah is the God of Israel. “I am Jehovah, thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” And He brought them out that He might bring them in—and He made them the executioners of His wrath against the idolaters. They must have no other gods but Him, and they must not treat the things that had been defiled by association with idolatry as their own spoil. The words which specially apply to this case are to be found in Deu_7:25-26 : “The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire (see Jos_7:21) the silver or gold that is on them. . . . Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it.”

The whole spoil of Canaan was not so treated; but concerning that of Jericho there had been express orders, possibly because the city was especially defiled with idolatry. God had proclaimed it abomination. It was ahêrem—devoted or accursed—and no Israelite was to appropriate any of it, under penalty of becoming chêrem himself, and making his household chêrem. This Achan had done.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Israel hath sinned,.... For though one only had committed the sin, others might have known of it, and connived at it; however, there was sin committed among them, and it must be discovered, the guilt charged, and punishment inflicted:

and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; not the law given on Mount Sinai, called the covenant, though in general that was now broken, inasmuch as they then promised to hear and obey all that the Lord should say unto them, Exo 24:7; but it particularly means the command given, Jos 6:18; that they should take nothing of that which was devoted the Lord, and thereby make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it; and which shows that that was not a command given by Joshua of himself, but what he had from the Lord:

for they have even taken of the accursed thing; somewhat of that which was devoted to sacred uses:

and have also stolen; taken it away, not openly, but by stealth, as being conscious they ought not to have done what they did, and so sinned both against God and their own consciences:

and dissembled also; or "lied" (u); pretended they had not taken any of the accursed thing when they had; and it is probable that the people in general, each of the tribes, families, and houses, were examined by proper officers, whether they had taken any of the spoil, or not, to themselves, and they all denied they had, and he that had taken it among the rest; and perhaps was particularly asked the question, which he answered in the negative:

and they have put it even amongst their own stuff; their household stuff, mixed them with their own goods that they might not be known; or put them "in their own vessels" (w), for their own use and service.

(u) "mentiti sunt", Pagninus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. (w) "in vasis suis", Montanus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Also stolen, and dissembled also - The anger of God and the heinousness of Israel’s sin are marked by the accumulation of clause upon clause. As a climax they had even appropriated to their own use the consecrated property purloined from God.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Lied. Each one, on delivering up what he had taken, made profession, at least by his behaviour, (Haydock) that he retained nothing. Achan did like the rest, but he kept back of the plunder. (Calmet) --- He lied, and did not comply with the promise made by all Israel, which he was bound to observe, as much as if he had made it with his own mouth.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Israel; some or one of them, as before See Poole "Jos 7:1".

Transgressed my covenant, i.e. broken the conditions of my covenant which I have commanded them, and they have promised to perform, viz. obedience to all my commands, Exo 19:8; 24:7, whereof this was one, not to meddle with the accursed thing.

Of the accursed thing, which I charged them not to meddle with.

And have also stolen, i.e. taken my portion which I had reserved, Jos 6:19.

Dissembled; covered the fact with deep dissimulation, and a real, if not verbal, profession of their innocency. Possibly Achan might be suspected; and being accused, had denied it, or was resolved to deny it.

Put it even among their own stuff; converted it to their own use, and added obstinacy and resolvedness to the crime; thus he loads this sin with divers aggravations.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11. Israel hath sinned — For the sense in which the sin of an individual is that of a nation, see note on Jos_7:1. Jehovah then rehearses the aggravated character of that sin. It was a treacherous violation of covenant obligations into which they had entered, (Exo_19:8; Exo_24:7;) it was a sacrilege, inasmuch as a consecrated thing had been put to a private use; it was theft, because the appropriation had been made clandestinely; it was a lie, acted if not spoken. “The first three clauses describe the sin in its relation to God; the following three refer to the actual nature of the sin itself, as theft, concealment, and misappropriation to their own use of the stolen goods.” — Keil.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Israel hath sinned. A simple but satisfactory explanation. It is not God who changes. It is we who frustrate His counsels of love and protection against our enemies. We have here another assertion of the principle that if one member suffer all the members suffer with it. Achan"s sin was the sin of all Israel. So the sin of one man is still the sin of the whole Church. And have also stolen. The accusation is cumulative. Israel, which was all involved in the sin of one among their number, had

(1) broken a solemn vow;

(2) had stolen what was not theirs;

(3) had acted deceitfully (vjK); and

(4) had appropriated to themselves what belonged to God, which, as Keil remarks, was the last and gravest feature of their crime.

This is strongly brought out by the fivefold repetition of in the original.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Israel - Some or one of them. Transgressed my covenant - That is, broken the conditions of my covenant which they have promised to perform, whereof this was one, not to meddle with the accursed thing. Stolen - That is, taken my portion which I had reserved, chap. vi, 19. Dissembled - Covered the fact with deep dissimulation. Possibly Achan might be suspected, and being accused, had denied it. Among their own stuff - Converted it to their own use, and added obstinacy to the crime.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.