Joshua and the Israelites then travel north to the vicinity of Mount Ebal to hold a covenant renewal ceremony. Such a move is probably prompted by several considerations. To begin, Moses left clear instructions that such a ceremony should take place after Israel crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord would give them (Deut. 11:29–30; 27:1–26). Although Moses did not specify at what point after their entrance into the land such a ceremony should take place, with the Israelites freshly coming off two significant victories and being sufficiently close to Mounts Ebal and Gerizim geographically, this is probably a suitable occasion to express their gratitude to the Lord while fulfilling Moses’s charge. Besides, in light of Achan’s recent covenant violation, this will also be a good time for …