יהושע, פרק ז׳, פסוק כ״ד

The moment of judgment reaches its climax as Achan is led outside the camp, accompanied by his family and all his possessions, to face the consequences of stealing forbidden spoils. He is identified by the name of his family's patriarch, Zerah, skipping over his immediate father simply for the sake of brevity [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The entire nation of Israelites journeys alongside Joshua to witness the event [מצודת דוד]. Their presence is required so they can observe the punishment up close and internalize the severity of the crime. This public display serves as a powerful deterrent, ensuring that no one else will dare to repeat such a terrible offense [רש״י].

The procession travels toward a nearby valley. Although moving toward a valley typically involves going down, the journey is described as an ascent. The route from the camp in Jericho required the people to first climb a mountain before they could descend into the valley below [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. The location itself was not originally known as the Valley of Achor; rather, this was a title that permanently attached itself to the area following this tragic event [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The presence of Achan's sons and daughters at the execution site raises a difficult moral question regarding their ultimate fate. The primary approach among commentators is that the children were not brought there to be put to death. Instead, they were present solely to witness their father's judgment and learn a vital lesson, as the actual punishment of stoning was carried out on him alone [רלב״ג, אברבנאל]. However, an alternative view suggests that the children were indeed punished alongside him. According to this perspective, they were very young and considered part of his household property, thereby fulfilling God's command to completely destroy the sinner and everything he owned [רלב״ג, אברבנאל]. As for his livestock, there is widespread agreement that these animals were brought to the valley to be entirely wiped out, carrying out the strict sentence placed upon the property of one who takes forbidden things [רש״י, אברבנאל].