ACHAN, the name of the son of Carmi, of the tribe of Judah, and he who purloined a costly Babylonish garment, an ingot of gold, and 200 shekels of silver, from among the spoils of Jericho, against the express injunction of God, who had devoted to utter destruction the city and all that it contained, Josh. vi. 18, &c. Some days after this trans action, Joshua sent 3000 men against the town of Ai, which stood a short distance from Jericho, but 30 of them were killed, and the others obliged to flee. This occurrence was the cause of much discouragement to Joshua and the people, and they addressed them selves to the Lord by prayer, to discover the reason of their discomfiture. The Lord answered, that one among them had sinned ; and commanded them to select him out, by the use of the sacred lot, and to burn him, with all that was his, vii. 3 — 15. On the next day, therefore, Joshua assembled all Israel ; and having cast lots, the lot fell first on the tribe of Judah, then on the family of Zarhi, then on the house of Zabdi, and at last on the person of Achan ; to whom Joshua said, " My son, give glory to the Lord, con fess what you have done, without concealing any thing." Achan, being thus detected, replied, " Having seen among the spoils a handsome Babylonish cloak, and 200 shekels in silver, with an ingot of gold, of fifty shekels weight, I took them, and hid them in my tent." Messengers were immediately despatched to his tent, to fetch the accursed articles, and the proofs of the crime being produced in the presence of all Israel, Joshua laid them out before the Lord. Then taking Achan, the gold, silver, furniture, tent, and all belonging to him, into the valley of Achor, a place north of Jericho, he said to him, " Since thou hast troubled us, the Lord shall trouble thee, this day." They then stoned Achan and his family and all his property, and afterwards consumed them by fire. They then raised over them a great heap of stones, ver. 16, sec. 26.

The sentence passed on the family of Achan may be justified by reflecting, (1.) that probably he was assisted by them in this theft ; for, if not, (2.) he could never have secreted such articles in the earth under his tent, without being observed and detected by them, who ought to have opposed him, or immediately to have given notice of the transaction to the elders. As they did not do this, they became, by concealment, at least partakers of his crime.