Joshua 7:1

The children of Israel — That is, one of them, by a very usual figure, as Matthew 26:8, where that is ascribed to the disciples, which belonged to Judas only, John 12:4. Accursed thing — That is, in taking some of the forbidden and accursed goods. Zabdi — Called also Zimri, 1 Chronicles 2:6. Zerah — Or, Zarah, who was Judah's immediate son, Genesis 38:30, who went with Judah into Egypt: and so for the filling up the 256 years that are supposed to come between that and this time, we must allow Achan to be, now an old man, and his three ancestors to have begotten each his son at about sixty years of age; which at that time was not incredible nor unusual. Against the children of Israel — Why did God punish the whole society for this one man's sin? All of them were punished for their own sins, whereof each had a sufficient proportion; but God took this occasion to inflict the punishment upon the society, partly because divers of them might be guilty of this sin, either by coveting what he actually did, or by concealing his fault, which it is probable could not be unknown to others; or by not sorrowing for it, and endeavoring to purge themselves from it: partly to make sin the more hateful; as being the cause of such dreadful judgments: and partly to oblige all the members of every society to be more circumspect in ordering their own actions, and more diligent to prevent the miscarriages of their brethren, which is a great benefit to them, and to the whole society.