Charles Ellicott Commentary Joshua 7:19

"And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me." — Joshua 7:19 (ASV)

Give ... glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me. —We can hardly read these words of Joshua without being reminded of his great Antitype. In New Testament language, to tell Joshua is to “tell Jesus”—the only way in which confession of sin can bring glory.

Joshua could only pronounce sentence of death on Achan. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Hebrew word for “confession” also means “thanksgiving.” Acknowledgment of sin and mercy are not far apart, in making confession to God. (See Ezra 10:11 for a parallel to the phrase.)