But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
But the Israelites broke faith by taking things that were set apart for destruction. Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the forbidden items. Because of this, the LORD's anger burned against all the Israelites.
This verse tells us that one person's disobedience (Achan taking forbidden items from Jericho) brought God's anger upon the entire nation of Israel.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative, the Israelites had just conquered Jericho under Joshua's leadership, and God had commanded them not to take any plunder from the city because it was devoted to destruction as an act of holy judgment. Achan, a man from the tribe of Judah, disobeyed this direct order by secretly taking some of the forbidden items for himself, which represented a breach of the covenant between God and His people. This individual sin led to God's anger being directed at the entire nation, resulting in their unexpected defeat in the next battle at Ai.
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