יהושע, פרק כ״ב, פסוק כ׳

The history of the Israelites contains clear warnings about mutual responsibility, particularly concerning offenses committed against sacred things. While it is natural to assume that a sinner alone will bear the consequences of their actions, past events prove that a single person's crime can endanger an entire community [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The tribes recall the incident of Achan, who stole dedicated property, using his story as a severe warning against the two and a half tribes who recently built an independent altar. This new construction is viewed as a similar violation of holy matters. The argument relies on a direct logical progression: if the sin of just one man caused God to hide His face and remove His protection from the entire nation, an offense committed by two and a half tribes will undoubtedly cause God to withdraw His care from the whole community [מלבי״ם].

Commentators offer two complementary ways to understand the tragic outcome of that historical event. One approach explains that the guilty individual did not die alone. Even though the original offense was the isolated act of one person rather than a public rebellion, God's anger struck the entire nation, meaning the sinner was not the only one who paid the price [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A second approach focuses on the sequence of the punishment itself. Rather than the sinner dying immediately from a direct, personal strike, his crime first manifested as a broad national crisis where God removed His divine protection from the general public [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].