After success, therefore, comes failure – and sin is at the heart of that failure. Indeed, in this case the importance of sin is highlighted at the very beginning as we are told that the people of Israel broke faith in respect of the things devoted to destruction at Jericho. Although the text then immediately goes on to identify Achan as the individual responsible for this because he took some of the devoted items, he is not isolated from the community as a whole; it is still Israel that have broken faith with Yahweh.