Albert Barnes Commentary Joshua 7:24

"And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them up unto the valley of Achor." — Joshua 7:24 (ASV)

The sin had been national (Joshua 7:1, note), and accordingly, its expiation was also national. The whole nation, no doubt through its usual representatives, took part in executing the sentence. Achan had fallen by his own act under the ban (Joshua 6:18), and consequently, he and his were treated as communities devoted in this way (Deuteronomy 13:15–17). It would also appear that Achan’s family must have been accomplices in his sin, because the stolen spoil could hardly have been concealed in his tent without their being aware of it.