Joshua 7:21

When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Achan speaks to Joshua and the Israelite leadership during his public confession following the defeat at Ai. He recounts the moment he identified forbidden items among the Jericho spoils and acted on his desire.

The words — אַדֶּ֣רֶת ('a.De.ret) means a cloak or garment, and בַ/שָּׁלָ֡ל (ba./sha.Lal) denotes the plunder or booty taken from the conquered city.

The thread — The progression from sight to coveting to concealment mirrors James 1:15 on desire conceiving sin, while the prohibition against greed in Luke 12:15 and the command to turn eyes from worthless things in Psalms 119:37 trace the same pattern of temptation and hidden compromise.

Why it lands — The text requires readers to identify what they have secretly appropriated and to acknowledge how concealed disobedience damages the community. It demands immediate surrender of hoarded items and a refusal to rationalize personal gain over divine command.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וָאֵ֣רֶאva./'er.'eh'and/ I saw בַשָּׁלָ֡לva./sha.Lalamong the/ booty אַדֶּ֣רֶת'a.De.ret<the> cloak of שִׁנְעָר֩shin.'ArShinar אַחַ֨ת'a.Chatone טוֹבָ֜הto.Vahgood וּמָאתַ֧יִםu./ma.Ta.yimand/ two hundred שְׁקָלִ֣יםshe.ka.Limshekels כֶּ֗סֶףKe.sefsilver וּלְשׁ֨וֹןu./le.Shonand/ a wedge of זָהָ֤בza.Havgold אֶחָד֙'e.Chadone חֲמִשִּׁ֤יםcha.mi.Shim[was] fifty שְׁקָלִים֙she.ka.Limshekels מִשְׁקָל֔וֹmish.ka.L/oweight/ its וָֽאֶחְמְדֵ֖םva./'ech.me.De/mand/ I desired/ them וָֽאֶקָּחֵ֑םva./'e.ka.Che/mand/ I took/ them וְהִנָּ֨םve./hi.Na/mand/ there/ they טְמוּנִ֥יםte.mu.Nim[are] hidden בָּאָ֛רֶץba./'A.retzin the/ ground בְּת֥וֹךְbe./Tokhin/ [the] midst of הָאָֽהֳלִ֖יha./'o.ho.L/i<the>/ tent/ my וְהַכֶּ֥סֶףve./ha./Ke.sefand/ the/ silver תַּחְתֶּֽיהָ׃tach.Tei./ha[is] under/ it

King James Version

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Cross-references

James 1:15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Psalms 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; revive me with Your word.
Luke 12:15 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Deuteronomy 7:25 You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.
2 Peter 2:15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 6:2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
2 Samuel 11:2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
2 Kings 5:20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”