If the mention of “wilderness” (Hosea 2:3, Hosea 2:14) could be transformed from a threat of judgment into an opportunity for renewed affection, the Valley of Achor functions in a similar way. It appears in Joshua 7:24–26, in a story about Israel’s first military defeat in the land of Canaan. It came as a result of Achan’s disobedience to the Lord, hiding loot from the conquest of Ai. Achor means trouble
, since Achan was put to death for the trouble that he brought on the nation. No longer will the Valley of Achor be the place of trouble; the Lord will transform it into a doorway of hope. Hwang1 says, “YHWH invites Israel to journey with him back to places of punishment that have now become places of redemption.”
17 Là, je lui donnerai ses vignes et la vallée d'Acor, comme une porte d'espérance, et là, elle chantera comme au temps de sa jeunesse, et comme au jour où elle remonta du pays d'Egypte.