Translation commentary on Joshua 7:1

This verse is not simply the statement about one man’s sin; all the Israelites suffer as a consequence of his sin: The LORD was furious with the Israelites.

The first sentence of Good News Translation is difficult because it contains (a) two negatives (not to take; was not obeyed) and (b) a series of four events: command, take, destroy, and obey. The complexity may be somewhat eased as follows: “The LORD commanded the people of Israel to destroy Jericho and everything in it. But a man named Achan did not obey the LORD’s command, and so the LORD was very angry with the people of Israel.” Or, if repetition is more effective: “… but not everyone obeyed this command. A man named Achan disobeyed what the LORD had said….” Direct discourse may be employed for the Lord’s command: “The LORD had told the people of Israel, ‘Destroy Jericho and everything in it.’ ….”

Achan’s disobedience is spoken of as treachery, as “an act of unfaithfulness” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). He defied the Lord’s explicit command and “took some of the devoted things” (Revised Standard Version), that is, “things devoted to destruction.” Achan’s lineage is given: Carmi, Zabdi, Zerah, and tribe of Judah (see verses 16-18). In identifying Achan Good News Translation follows the order of the Hebrew: son of … grandson of … clan of … tribe of…. Some languages may prefer to go from the larger units of tribe and clan to that of the family.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 7:1

Section 7:1–26 Achan sinned and God punished him

Achan disobeyed God. He took some of the things from Jericho that God told them to destroy. Because of his sin, the Israelites lost the battle against the town of Ai. Yahweh showed the Israelites that Achan was the one who had sinned, and they punished Achan.

Here are some other possible section headings:

The defeat at Ai
-or-
Achan’s sin

Paragraph 7:1

Yahweh was angry with Israel because Achan disobeyed Yahweh’s command.

7:1a

The Israelites, however: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as however indicates a contrast with what precedes it in chapter 6. The contrast compares Yahweh’s command not to take any devoted things and Achan’s disobedience of that command.

The Israelites: Even though only one man took something, God considered all The Israelites to be guilty.

acted unfaithfully: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as acted unfaithfully means that the Israelites were not faithful to Yahweh. They disobeyed Yahweh by taking some of the devoted things.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the Israelites did not keep their promise to Yahweh
-or-
the Israelites did not obey the Lord (New Century Version)

7:1b

regarding the things devoted to destruction: The phrase regarding the things devoted to destruction can also be translated “about the devoted things.” In 6:17-18 Yahweh told the Israelites to destroy everything in Jericho. In that way they would give these things to Yahweh. See how you translated the phrase things devoted to destruction in 6:18.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

about the things that must be destroyed
-or-
about the things that belong to Yahweh

7:1c

The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated but some English versions translate as “for” introduces an explanation of the way that the Israelites disobeyed Yahweh. Many English versions do not include this conjunction. Do whatever is most natural in your language.

Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah: This means that Carmi was the son of Zabdi, and that Zabdi was the son of Zerah.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Achan was the son of Carmi, the grandson of Zabdi, and the great-grandson of Zerah
-or-
Achan was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, and belonged to the clan of Zerah, a part of the tribe of Judah (Good News Translation)

Zabdi: There is a textual issue with the word Zabdi.

(1) The Hebrew text says “Zabdi.”

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version)

(2) The Septuagint translation into Greek says “Zimri.”

(New International Version, New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow option (1). It is best to follow the Hebrew text unless there are strong reasons to take a different reading.

took some of what was set apart: This means that Achan stole some of the things that belonged to Yahweh.

7:1d

So: The Hebrew prefix that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces the next event in the storyline. Some versions do not translate this word. Introduce this next event in a way that is natural in your language.

God’s anger in 7:1d is the next event, and it is also the result of 7:1a-c. Some English versions express this as a result.

Here are some ways to express result:

therefore
-or-
and so (Good News Translation)

You can express this connector as either introducing the next event, or as introducing a result.

the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites: The phrase the anger of the LORD burned is a Hebrew idiom. It means that:

Yahweh was very angry at the people of Israel

General Comment on 7:1

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of this verse. For example:

1a But Israel violated the instructions 1b about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, 1d so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites. 1c Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah. (New Living Translation (2004))

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