In brief
Achan is an Israelite of the tribe of Judah, son of Carmi, who lived in the days of Joshua. After the fall of Jericho, the whole city was devoted to the Lord for destruction. Achan coveted a beautiful robe, silver and a bar of gold, took them and hid them in his tent. His sin brought Israel’s defeat before Ai. Singled out by the Lord, he confessed, and was then stoned in the Valley of Achor. His story shows how serious hidden sin is.
What does the name Achan mean?
Achan is the name used in the book of Joshua; 1 Chronicles 2:7 calls him Achar, the one who troubled Israel, a name that sounds in Hebrew like the verb to trouble. The account itself plays on this word, asking why he brought trouble on them and saying the Lord would trouble him that day (Joshua 7:25), and the place is named the Valley of Achor, that is, of trouble.
The story of Achan
The ban on Jericho
Joshua 6:17-19Before the capture of Jericho, Joshua warns the people: the city is devoted to the Lord for destruction. Keep yourselves from the devoted things, he says, or you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. The silver, gold, bronze and iron must go into the Lord’s treasury. The first city conquered belongs entirely to God.
An unexpected defeat at Ai
Joshua 7:1-5The account opens with a heavy sentence: Achan, of the tribe of Judah, has taken some of the devoted things, and the Lord’s anger burns against Israel. Knowing nothing of this, Joshua sends about three thousand men against Ai, which is thought easy to take. They flee, and thirty-six of them are killed. The people are dismayed and lose heart.
The devoted thing in the midst of the people
Joshua 7:6-15Joshua tears his clothes and falls on his face before the ark until evening. The Lord answers him that Israel has sinned and has transgressed the covenant he commanded them. Devoted things have been stolen and hidden among their belongings. As long as the devoted thing remains among the people, Israel cannot stand before its enemies. The guilty one must be identified.
Singled out and confessing
Joshua 7:16-21The next morning the tribe of Judah is singled out, then the clan of the Zerahites, the family of Zabdi, and finally Achan. Joshua tells him to give glory to God and confess everything. Achan answers that he saw among the plunder a beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, that he coveted them and took them.
Judgment in the Valley of Achor
Joshua 7:22-26Messengers run to the tent and find the objects hidden in the ground, the silver underneath. Achan is brought with his sons and daughters, his livestock and his tent to the Valley of Achor, where all Israel stones him. A great heap of stones is raised over him. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger.
A memory and a hope
Hosea 2:14-15Later, Israel still remembers Achan, recalling that he was not the only one to perish for his sin (Joshua 22:20). But God does not leave the valley of trouble without a future. Through the prophet Hosea, he promises to give his people the Valley of Achor as a door of hope. The place of judgment will become a place of restoration.
What Achan teaches us
- Sin often follows Achan’s path: it sees, it covets, it takes, then it hides.
- No sin is truly hidden from God, and what we conceal ends up being brought to light.
- One person’s sin can affect the whole community: holiness is never a purely private matter.
- Confession is better than concealment, and God can turn the valley of trouble into a door of hope.
Key verses
Achan himself describes the chain of his sin: he saw, he coveted, he took, then he hid. A concrete warning about the covetousness that is born of the eyes.
God explains the defeat at Ai: Israel transgressed his covenant by taking and hiding devoted things. As long as the devoted thing stays in the camp, the people cannot stand before their enemies.
The Valley of Achor, the place of Achan’s judgment, becomes in God’s mouth a door of hope. The Lord can turn the place of shame into a place of restoration.
Sermons about Achan
- From Defeat to VictoryLoïc Richard starts from the defeat at Ai, caused by Achan’s unfaithfulness after the victory at Jericho, to draw out three principles, dependence, repentance and trust, that move us from defeat to victory.
- Ark Bearer: What God Asks of You Before the PromiseThe message sees in Achan’s sin, keeping plunder in secret, the sign of a work of sanctification that had not gone deep enough before the defeat at Ai.
- Hosea 2: God Turns the Valley of Trouble into a Door of HopeThe sermon recalls that the Valley of Achor, linked to Achan’s sin and judgment, is precisely the one God promises to turn into a door of hope.
- Our Inner Deserts: God Speaks to Your HeartThe Valley of Achor, where Achan disobeyed in secret, becomes the valley of shame that God promises to transform: even where you have fallen, he wants to reveal himself and show you grace.
Frequently asked questions
What did Achan do in the Bible?
After the capture of Jericho, Achan took things devoted to destruction: a beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold of fifty shekels. He hid them in the ground inside his tent (Joshua 7:21). This sin brought Israel’s defeat at Ai, then Achan’s judgment in the Valley of Achor.
Why did all Israel suffer because of Achan’s sin?
God declares that Israel has sinned and transgressed his covenant (Joshua 7:11). The people formed a single covenant community, and the devoted thing in the midst of the camp deprived them of God’s help (Joshua 7:12). The account teaches that one member’s hidden sin touches the whole people, and that it must be removed for fellowship to be restored.
Where can I find the story of Achan in the Bible?
His story is told in Joshua 7, after Joshua’s warning about the ban in Joshua 6:18. It is recalled in Joshua 22:20 and in 1 Chronicles 2:7, where he is called Achar. Hosea 2:15 takes up the name of the Valley of Achor to announce a door of hope.