Joshua 7:17

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 7:16-26

We have in these verses, I. The discovery of Achan by the lot, which proved a perfect lot, though it proceeded gradually. Though we may suppose that Joshua slept the better, and with more ease and satisfaction, when he knew the worst of the disease of that body of which, under God, he was the head, and was put into a certain method of cure, yet he rose up early in the morning (Josh. 7:16), so much was his heart upon it, to put away the accursed thing. We have found Joshua upon other occasions... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:17

And he brought the family of Judah ,.... That is, the tribe of Judah, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it, F26 So R. Sol. Ohel Moed, fol. 94. 2. ; or rather, the several families in that tribe, even the heads of them: and he took the family of the Zarhites : which descended from Zerah the son of Judah; that was taken by lot: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man ; and cast lots on them: and Zabdi was taken : that part of the family of the Zarhites which... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 7:17

And he brought the family of Judah - Dr. Kennicott observes, "All Israel came near by Tribes, and one tribe was fixed on; then that tribe came by its Families, and one family was fixed on; then came that family by its Households, and one household was fixed on, and then that household, coming Man by Man, one man was fixed on. Yet according to the present text, in the execution of this command, all Israel came, and the tribe of Judah was fixed on; secondly came the families of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 7:16-26

The detection. Objections have been raised to the morality of the whole narrative. We will deal first with this subject, and then turn to the religious and moral questions involved. I. WHY DID GOD NOT REVEAL THE OFFENDER WHEN HE REVEALED THE OFFENCE ? The answer is, that He might still further display the hardness of Achan's heart. He did not at once come forward and confess his crime. He not only had offended against God's laws, but he persisted in his offence.... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Joshua 7:17

Joshua 7:17. The family Either, 1st, The tribe or people, as the word family sometimes signifies; or, 2d, The families, as Joshua 7:14, the singular number being put for the plural, the chief of each of their five families, Numbers 26:20-21. Man by man Not every individual person, as is evident from Joshua 7:18, but every head of the several houses or lesser families of that greater family of the Zarhites, of which see 1 Chronicles 2:6. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Joshua 7:1-26

Achan’s sin (7:1-26)God was angry that Israel had not been fully obedient to him in the conquest of Jericho. One of the people, Achan, secretly kept for himself what he should have destroyed (7:1). Therefore, when the Israelites moved on to attack the much smaller town of Ai, God allowed them to be driven back and to suffer losses (2-5). Joshua was distressed, not just because Israel had been defeated, but because their defeat would encourage the Canaanites. If all the Canaanites joined forces,... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Joshua 7:17

family Some codices, with Septuagint and Vulgate, read plural "families". man by man . Some codices, with two early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "by their households". read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Joshua 7:1-26

2. Defeat at Ai ch. 7At Jericho, Israel learned God’s strength. At Ai, she learned her own weakness. She could only conquer her enemies as she remained faithful to God’s covenant."We are never in greater danger than right after we have won a great victory." [Note: Henry Jacobsen, Claiming God’s Promises: Joshua, p. 62.] "The pinching of the [east-west] ridge route by Ai . . . makes it a natural first line of defense for the Hill Country around Bethel. Therefore, tactically speaking, the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Joshua 7:16-26

Even though Achan’s sin carried a punishment that he could not decrease or postpone, Achan could at least reduce his guilt by confessing his sin. This he did in response to Joshua’s paternal entreaty (Joshua 7:19). Confessing one’s sin is one way to glorify God.Achan’s confession clearly revealed the process involved in yielding to temptation (Joshua 7:21). He allowed the sight of something attractive to grow into covetousness. Then he took the step from covert mental sin to overt physical sin.... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 7:1-26

Repulse at Ai, due to Achan’s SinThe capture of Jericho is followed by an attempt upon Ai, a place of strategic importance, as commanding a main entrance into the interior of Canaan westward; the upper entrance into the valley of Aijalon being commanded by Ai and Bethel. This chapter has an interest of its own, as exhibiting Joshua in a new light, as the spiritual guide, drawing out, with the mingled sweetness and severity of a father (Joshua 7:19), the sinner’s detailed confession (see on... read more

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