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| 1 And the sons of Israel commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, taketh of the devoted thing, and the anger of Jehovah burneth against the sons of Israel. |
Accursed – Should read "devoted." All the spoils of Jericho were devoted to the Lord in advance. R5350:6
Achan – Typifying those who come into outward conformity with the Lord but secretly try to hold on to some sins. R3087:5
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| 2 And Joshua sendeth men from Jericho to Ai, which [is] near Beth-Aven, on the east of Bethel, and speaketh unto them, saying, 'Go up and spy the land;' and the men go up and spy Ai, |
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| 3 and they turn back unto Joshua, and say unto him, 'Let not all the people go up; let about two thousand men, or about three thousand men, go up, and they smite Ai; cause not all the people to labour thither; for they [are] few.' |
Let not all – Anticipating their enemies to be terror-stricken, so as to render little or no defense. R5350:3
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| 4 And there go up of the people thither about three thousand men, and they flee before the men of Ai, |
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| 5 and the men of Ai smite of them about thirty and six men, and pursue them before the gate unto Shebarim, and they smite them in Morad; and the heart of the people is melted, and becometh water. |
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| 6 And Joshua rendeth his garments, and falleth on his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah till the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they cause dust to go up on their head. |
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| 7 And Joshua saith, 'Ah, Lord Jehovah, why hast Thou at all caused this people to pass over the Jordan, to give us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us and oh that we had been willing and we dwell beyond the Jordan! |
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| 8 Oh, Lord, what do I say, after that Israel hath turned the neck before its enemies |
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| 9 and the Canaanite and all the inhabitants of the land do hear, and have come round against us, and cut off our name out of the earth; and what dost Thou do for Thy great name ' |
Unto thy great name – Pray, pleading God's glory. R5380:6*
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| 10 And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, 'Rise for thee, why [is] this thou [art] falling on thy face |
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| 11 Israel hath sinned, and also they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, and also taken of the devoted thing, and also stolen, and also deceived, and also put [it] among their vessels, |
Accursed – Should read "devoted." All the spoils of Jericho were devoted to the Lord in advance. R5350:6
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| 12 and the sons of Israel have not been able to stand before their enemies; the neck they turn before their enemies, for they have become a devoted thing; I add not to be with you if ye destroy not the devoted thing out of your midst. |
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| 13 'Rise, sanctify the people, and thou hast said, Sanctify yourselves for to-morrow; for thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, A devoted thing [is] in thy midst, O Israel, thou art not able to stand before thine enemies till your turning aside of the devoted thing out of your midst; |
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| 14 and ye have been brought near in the morning by your tribes, and it hath been, the tribe which Jehovah doth capture doth draw near by families, and the family which Jehovah doth capture doth draw near by households, and the household which Jehovah doth capture doth draw near by men; |
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| 15 and it hath been, he who is captured with the devoted thing is burnt with fire, he and all that he hath, because he hath transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he hath done folly in Israel.' |
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| 16 And Joshua riseth early in the morning, and bringeth Israel near by its tribes, and the tribe of Judah is captured; |
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| 17 and he bringeth near the family of Judah, and he captureth the family of the Zarhite; and he bringeth near the family of the Zarhite by men, and Zabdi is captured; |
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| 18 and he bringeth near his household by men, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah is captured. |
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| 19 And Joshua saith unto Achan, 'My son, put, I pray thee, honour on Jehovah, God of Israel, and give to Him thanks, and declare, I pray thee, to me, what thou hast done hide not from me.' |
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| 20 And Achan answereth Joshua, and saith, 'Truly I have sinned against Jehovah, God of Israel, and thus and thus I have done; |
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| 21 and I see among the spoil a goodly robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and one wedge of gold, whose weight [is] fifty shekels, and I desire them, and take them; and lo, they [are] hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.'
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| 22 And Joshua sendeth messengers, and they run unto the tent, and lo, it is hidden in his tent, and the silver under it; |
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| 23 and they take them out of the midst of the tent, and bring them in unto Joshua, and unto all the sons of Israel, and pour them out before Jehovah. |
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| 24 And Joshua taketh Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, and the robe, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his ox, and his ass, and his flock, and his tent, and all that he hath, and all Israel with him, and they cause them to go up the valley of Achor. |
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| 25 And Joshua saith, 'What! thou hast troubled us! Jehovah doth trouble thee this day;' and all Israel cast stones at him, and they burn them with fire, and they stone them with stones, |
And Joshua said – As a good illustration of the technique of the so-called Higher Critics, see their comments on this verse contained in article R3397:5
Burned them – Picturing the Second Death, which will be the ultimate punishment of all who willfully reject the Lord's ways; Achan himself will share in the redemption. R5351:1
Stoned them with stones – Representing the Millennial age rule, when all who even secretly love evil will be manifest and destroyed. R3091:2
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| 26 and they raise up over him a great heap of stones unto this day, and Jehovah turneth back from the heat of His anger, therefore hath [one] called the name of that place 'Valley of Achor' till this day. |
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