Joshua 6:21-27

6:21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, ¹  including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 6:22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house ²  and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.” ³  6:23 So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a place outside ⁴  the Israelite camp. 6:24 But they burned ⁵  the city and all that was in it, except for the silver, gold, and bronze and iron items they put in the treasury of the Lord’s house. ⁶  6:25 Yet Joshua spared ⁷  Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, ⁸  and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel ⁹  to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. ¹⁰  6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: ¹¹  “The man who attempts to rebuild ¹²  this city of Jericho ¹³  will stand condemned before the Lord. ¹⁴  He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” ¹⁵  6:27 The Lord was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land. ¹⁶ 

¹ tn Heb “all which was in the city.”

² tn Heb “the house of the woman, the prostitute.”

³ tn Heb “and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore on oath to her.”

⁴ tn Or “placed them outside.”

⁵ tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”

⁶ tn Heb “the treasury of the house of the Lord.” Technically the Lord did not have a “house” yet, so perhaps this refers to the tabernacle using later terminology.

⁷ tn Heb “kept alive.”

⁸ tn Heb the house of her father.”

⁹ tn Or “among the Israelites”; Heb “in the midst of Israel.”

¹⁰ map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.

¹¹ tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the Lord” spoken through Joshua.

¹² tn Heb “rises up and builds.”

¹³ tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.

¹⁴ tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the Lord”) also occurs in 1 Sam 26:19.

¹⁵ tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation.

¹⁶ tn Heb “and the report about him was in all the land.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) may also be translated “earth.”