John Calvin Commentary Joshua 7:20

"And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Of a truth I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:" — Joshua 7:20 (ASV)

And Achan answered Joshua, etc. As he was now struck with astonishment, he neither uses trickery, nor tries to excuse the crime, nor attempts to disguise it, but rather candidly details the whole matter. Thus, the sacred name of God was more effective in eliciting a confession than any tortures could have been.

Nor was the openness he thus displayed a sure sign of repentance; being, so to speak, overcome with terror, he openly disclosed what he would gladly have concealed.

And it is nothing new for the wicked, after they have tried for some time to escape and have even grown hardened in vice, to become voluntary witnesses against themselves, not truly of their own free will, but because God drags them unwillingly and, in a way, drives them headlong.

The open answer given here will condemn the hypocrisy of many who obscure the clear light by their deceptions. The expression is emphatic—thus and thus did I; meaning that each part of the transaction was explained distinctly and in order.

Nor does he only acknowledge the deed, but by renouncing all defense and throwing aside all pretext, he condemns himself regarding its atrocity. I have sinned, he says; he would not have said this if he had not been conscious of sacrilege, and so it appears that he did not claim it was a mistake or due to lack of thought.