Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 7:18
18. Achan… was taken God might have instantaneously revealed the sinner, but he chose to sift the nation thus gradually in order that the moral sense of every man might be awakened, and that the conscience of Achan, when he saw the network of conviction and punishment closing in upon him, might prompt him to confession. But he remained impenitent till he found himself within the grasp of the Divine arrest. read more
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 7:17
17. The family of Judah Some codices read families of Judah, but the singular is to be preferred. The meaning is the tribe, or collective family. He took the family of the Zarhites The lot, under Divine guidance, designated this division of Judah as containing the criminal. read more