Ai, There’s the Rub
Joshua Chapter 7, the Strange and the Spectacular
Vital Stats:
Verses: 26
Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.
Famous Quotes/Phrases: Fans of 1980s one-hit wonders, rejoice! Verse 7 begins with Joshua exclaiming “A-ha!” (“אֲהָה”), though the Hebrew word is usually translated as “Ah!” Appropriately enough, Joshua says this to take God on. (Rim shot.)
Basic Plot: Remember when God commands the Israelites not to take treasure reserved for God from the destroyed city of Jericho? Unfortunately, a man named Achan ignores the command and takes a couple of forbidden items and hides them in his tent. At first, his fellow Israelites don’t realize it, and when they plan to conquer the city of Ai, their advance scouts advise Joshua to send a modest number of soldiers to do the job. But the fighters of Ai decisively defeat Israel’s truncated army, causing a frustrated Joshua to cry out to God, demanding a reason for the defeat. God responds that it’s because of Achan’s transgression. The next morning, all of the Israelites assemble as the guilty party is revealed, and after Achan confesses, the community participates in destroying him and his family.
What’s Strange: Joshua’s frustration after the defeat at Ai is noteworthy in a couple of ways. First, he addresses God with the phrase “Adonai Elohim”, a word combination not seen in the Torah but used frequently in the books of the Prophets. In his book God, A Human History, Reza Aslan notes that “Scholars have known for centuries that there were two distinct deities [‘Yahweh’ and ‘El’] worshiped by the Israelites in the Bible, each with a different name, different origins, and different traits. … When the nation of Israel became the kingdom of Israel around 1050 B.C.E., the merging of Yahweh and El was reinforced.” The use of this phrase reflects how divergent Israelite religious behavior began to consolidate in the days of the prophets.
A second curiosity involves what Joshua actually says to God — that it would have been better if the Israelites had never crossed over the Jordan River. This complaint is almost identical to Israelite grievances during the 40 years of wandering after the Exodus, when they wish to be back in Egypt. Why would Joshua take a page from the generation that isn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land? Maybe it’s because Joshua is a member of that very generation, one of only two people permitted to cross the Jordan. Still, it’s surprising that he would utilize the same kind of complaint that frustrates God throughout the days of Moses. Old habits die hard, perhaps?
What’s Spectacular: Upon re-reading this chapter, I was frustrated that God sets the Israelites up for defeat in the city of Ai. After all, God knows of Achan’s transgression before Joshua does. Why doesn’t God tell Joshua before he sends soldiers into Ai if God already realizes that Achan’s sin is a barrier to the soldiers’ success? Does God allow these soldiers to die in battle for nothing?
God’s conduct in this case is undoubtedly problematic. But perhaps we can glean that, now that the Israelites have arrived home, they need to be more self-sufficient. It’s not up to God to monitor every Israelite’s wrongdoing. A couple of chapters before, after the people cross the Jordan, God stops providing them with mannah. Just as the Israelites are now responsible for their food supply, they’re apparently also on the hook to ensure that their soldiers stay in line and act with honor. Maybe it’s too much self-governance for them to handle all at once, and I would argue that God should have given Joshua a heads-up about Achan prior to the botched Ai invasion. But for better or for worse, the Israelites are on notice: they need to be accountable, and fast.
Shabbat Shalom!