They have also transgressed my covenant. — The law is again brought prominently forward in this scene. “The words of the covenant, the ten commandments,” are first of all a pledge that Jehovah is the God of Israel. “I am Jehovah, thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” And He brought them out that He might bring them in — and He made them the executioners of His wrath against the idolaters. They must have no other gods but Him, and they must not treat the things that had been defiled by association with idolatry as their own spoil. The words which specially apply to this case are to be found in Deuteronomy 7:25-26 : “The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire (see Joshua 7:21) the silver or gold that is on them.... Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it.”
The whole spoil of Canaan was not so treated; but concerning that of Jericho there had been express orders, possibly because the city was especially defiled with idolatry. God had proclaimed it abomination. It was ahêrem — devoted or accursed — and no Israelite was to appropriate any of it, under penalty of becoming chêrem himself, and making his household chêrem. This Achan had done.