@article{ART003388923},
author={Eun-Pyung Ju},
title={Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification},
journal={Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies},
issn={1229-0521},
year={2026},
volume={32},
number={3},
pages={172-199},
doi={10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172}
TY - JOUR
AU - Eun-Pyung Ju
TI - Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification
JO - Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
PY - 2026
VL - 32
IS - 3
PB - Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
SP - 172
EP - 199
SN - 1229-0521
AB - This article examines the theological reversal that lies at the heart of the Achan narrative in Joshua 7, in which Israel, the community commanded to execute the ḥērem, becomes itself the object of ḥērem. While previous scholarship has observed aspects of this phenomenon in isolation, no study has systematized it as a coherent interpretive framework. This article therefore proposes “Reverse Ḥērem” as a hermeneutical model and tests its explanatory power against the text.
Methodologically, the study integrates cultic-legal analysis, narrative criticism, and inner-biblical intertextuality.
The central finding concerns the mechanism of the reversal. Contrary to interpretations that presuppose an automatic or contagious transfer of impurity, this article argues that the community's ḥērem status arises from a covenantal and cultic process. Because ḥērem objects belong exclusively to God, their private appropriation constitutes an unauthorized transfer of divine property into the camp. This breach compromises the holiness of the camp, which is the very condition of divine presence, and the resulting withdrawal of that presence (Josh 7:12) reduces the community from executor to object of judgment.
The article further demonstrates that Reverse Ḥērem is not merely punitive. The removal of the contaminating source and the subsequent restoration of the community—confirmed by the new divine commission in Josh 8:1 and the successful execution of ḥērem at Ai (Josh 8:28-29)—demonstrates that Reverse Ḥērem functions not merely as judgment but as a theological passage toward communal purification and recovery. Reverse Ḥērem thus offers a useful interpretive model for reading certain judgment texts in the Deuteronomistic History.
KW - Reverse Ḥērem;ḥērem;Achan Narrative;Divine Sphere Penetration;Communal Purification
DO - 10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
ER -
Eun-Pyung Ju. (2026). Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 32(3), 172-199.
Eun-Pyung Ju. 2026, "Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification", Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, vol.32, no.3 pp.172-199. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
Eun-Pyung Ju "Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 32.3 pp.172-199 (2026) : 172.
Eun-Pyung Ju. Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification. 2026; 32(3), 172-199. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
Eun-Pyung Ju. "Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 32, no.3 (2026) : 172-199.doi: 10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
Eun-Pyung Ju. Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 32(3), 172-199. doi: 10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
Eun-Pyung Ju. Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies. 2026; 32(3) 172-199. doi: 10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
Eun-Pyung Ju. Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification. 2026; 32(3), 172-199. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
Eun-Pyung Ju. "Reverse Ḥērem Interpretation of the Achan Narrative (Joshua 7): The Reversal of the Executor into Ḥērem and the Theology of Communal Purification" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 32, no.3 (2026) : 172-199.doi: 10.24333/jkots.2026.32.3.172
