‘ And Achan answered Joshua, and said, “Truly I have sinned against YHWH, the God of Israel, and these are the things that I have done (literally ‘thus and thus have I done'). When I saw among the spoils a beautiful robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge (‘a tongue') of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” '
Achan admitted his guilt. He knew the awfulness of what he had done and that there could be no mercy. To take a devoted thing was the most extreme of crimes and was to treat God high-handedly (Numbers 15:30; Deuteronomy 17:12). He admitted that while sacking the city he had come across a ‘beautiful robe from Babylon' (Shinar). This would have been a fine quality imported robe of great value, the kind that would be rare indeed among the continually travelling Israelites, the kind found only in rich men's houses and much to be desired. Also two hundred shekels (about twenty kilograms) weight of silver and ‘a tongue of gold' weighing 50 shekels (half a kilogram). These are the two commodities that men have lusted after almost from the beginning, measures of wealth and prestige. A ‘tongue' probably referred to a specific shape. A neo-Babylonian inscription also refers to ‘one tongue of gold, its weight one mina'.
Notice the advancing levels of sin, ‘I saw -- I coveted -- I took -- I hid.' This is the progress taken by all sins of the flesh and reflects the sin in Eden (where the same verbs are used - see Genesis 3:6-7; compare also 2 Samuel 11:2-8). We must learn to close our eyes to sin immediately we are tempted, or even run away (‘flee youthful desires' - 2 Timothy 2:22). Then covetousness will not blossom. But Achan's look lingered, then covetousness grew, and finally he could resist no longer and he took. And he had hidden them in the earth in the middle of his tent, the gold wrapped in the robe, the silver hidden beneath it, implicating his family in what he had done (he would not have returned from battle unnoticed by his family). And they had been stolen from God.
Shinar was the old name for Babylonia (see Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:2; Genesis 14:1; Genesis 14:9; Isaiah 11:11; Daniel 1:2; Zechariah 5:11). Such a robe bears witness to the regular trade between Mesopotamia and Canaan, as caravans wended their way towards Egypt and back again (compare Genesis 37:25). Canaanite sophistication would ever be a temptation to the more basic Israelites.