Joshua 7:21 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Achan recounts how he saw the fine garment, silver, and gold, coveted and took them, and hid them in his tent.
What Does Joshua 7:21 Mean?
Achan traces the whole course of his sin in his own words: 'I saw... I coveted... I took... I hid.' A fine imported robe, silver, and a bar of gold caught his eye among the spoil that belonged to God, and step by step desire became theft and theft became concealment beneath his tent floor.
His confession reads like the anatomy of every temptation. The eye lingers, the heart craves, the hand reaches, and then comes the burying of the evidence. It echoes the first sin in the garden, where what was seen and desired was taken. The verse lays bare how small a beginning can lead to ruin, and why Scripture so often warns us to guard the heart at the first look, before coveting hardens into deeds we must hide.
Joshua 7:21 in the Original Language
chamad (חָמַד), 'coveted' -- to desire and long for, the same craving the commandment forbids: 'thou shalt not covet.'
Frequently Asked Questions About Joshua 7:21
What does Joshua 7:21 mean?
Achan recounts how he saw the fine garment, silver, and gold, coveted and took them, and hid them in his tent.