Achan : The Man Who Brought Trouble to a Nation

Achan, Achar, Achor [Ā'chăn,Ā'chär, Ā'chôr]—trouble. The son of Carmi of the tribe of Judah (Josh. 7; 1 Chron. 2:7).

The Man Who Brought Trouble to a Nation

It did not take Joshua long to discover that his defeat at Ai, after a succession of victories, was due to some transgression of the divine covenant (Josh. 7:8-12). Thus, as the result of an inquiry, Achan was exposed as the transgressor, and confessing his sin in stealing and hiding part of the spoil taken at the destruction of Jericho, was put to death in consequence. In keeping with the custom of those days, Achan was probably stoned with his immediate relatives, and their dead bodies burned—the latter making punishment more terrible in the eyes of the Israelites. Achan was put to death in “the valley of Achor” meaning “the valley of trouble”—the valley being called atter Achan who had been the troubler of Israel (Josh. 7:25,26). Thus in 1 Chronicles 2:7 Achan is spelled as Achar. But “the valley of trouble” became a “door of hope” all of which is spiritually suggestive (Isa. 65:10; Hos. 2:15).

Americans Split on Whether Being Homosexual is a Sin

DAVID ROACH/LIFEWAY

Joel Osteen on April 30 said he believes the Scripture says that being gay is a sin, and is opposed to gay marriage.

Do you think homosexuality is a sin? Americans are split on the question—and many do not appreciate if a church teaches that homosexuality is sinful. So says a recent LifeWay Research survey. 

Forty-four percent believe homosexuality is a sin and 43 percent say it is not. Thirteen percent are not sure.

What Does 'Iniquity' Mean?

iniquity [from Latin iniquitas, from inequus unfair, from in- (un-) + aequus (even, level); akin to Mod English equal]
a state of malicious unfairness, inequality, injustice or unrighteousness.
[less commonly] an act of malicious injustice; sin

Its word-field includes wrong(doing), crookedness, and transgression, not leveling with someone, not being 'on the level' with someone. It was often used to translate New Testament Gk adikia, which is injustice as to the law or judges. In Hebrew texts, it was often used to translate Heb. ’awon (bent; stray). Both words are about an action's character rather than the act itself; its sinfulness rather than the sin, its injustice rather than the crime.

The core meaning of 'iniquity' is 'unfair' or 'unjust', but it carries a deeper, more menacing connotation. The word, in older English, usually indicated malice from a depraved or evil or thoroughly selfish state of mind, which is what leads to to being unjust.

I said, 'older English', because 'iniquity' fell out of common use more than a century ago, and when it is used, it is treated merely as a synonym for 'sin'. Bible translators have only recently begun to catch up with the change. 

Iniquity's a perfectly good word to use when you run out of more common ways to describe what it describes, but otherwise it's best to avoid using it outside of literary contexts, unless you just want to sound high and mighty. I would love to see its return in public discussion, regarding the sin of economic injustice and extreme disparity, but until that sort of recovery of the word comes to the general public, the word just sets up a barrier.

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