Joshua 2:12

2:12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name. ¹  Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. ²  Give me a solemn pledge ³ 

Joshua 6:22

6:22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house ⁴  and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.” ⁵ 

Joshua 6:26

6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: ⁶  “The man who attempts to rebuild ⁷  this city of Jericho ⁸  will stand condemned before the Lord. ⁹  He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” ¹⁰ 

Joshua 14:9

14:9 That day Moses made this solemn promise: ¹¹  ‘Surely the land on which you walked ¹²  will belong to you and your descendants permanently, ¹³  for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’

Joshua 21:44

21:44 The Lord made them secure, ¹⁴  in fulfillment of all he had solemnly promised their ancestors. ¹⁵  None of their enemies could resist them. ¹⁶ 

[2:12]  ¹ tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”

[2:12]  ² tn Heb “with the house of my father.”

[2:12]  ³ tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”

[6:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “the house of the woman, the prostitute.”

[6:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore on oath to her.”

[6:26]  ⁷ 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.

[6:26]  ⁸ tn Heb “rises up and builds.”

[6:26]  ⁹ tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.

[6:26]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the Lord”) also occurs in 1 Sam 26:19.

[6:26]  ¹¹ 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.

[14:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “swore an oath.”

[14:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “on which your foot has walked.”

[14:9]  ¹² tn Heb “will belong to you for an inheritance, and to your sons forever.”

[21:44]  ¹³ tn Heb “gave them rest all around.”

[21:44]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “according to all he swore to their fathers.”

[21:44]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “not a man stood from before them from all their enemies.”