Joshua 6:17-19

6:17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord, ¹  except for Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the spies ²  we sent. 6:18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for the Lord. If you take any of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster. ³  6:19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. ⁴  They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”

Joshua 6:26

6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: ⁵  “The man who attempts to rebuild ⁶  this city of Jericho ⁷  will stand condemned before the Lord. ⁸  He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” ⁹ 

[6:17]  ¹ tn Or “dedicated to the Lord.”

[6:17]  ² tn Heb “messengers.”

[6:18]  ³ tn Heb “Only you keep [away] from what is set apart [to the Lord] so that you might not, as you are setting [it] apart, take some of what is set apart [to the Lord] and make the camp of Israel set apart [to destruction by the Lord] and bring trouble on it.”

[6:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “it is holy to the Lord.”

[6:26]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “rises up and builds.”

[6:26]  ⁷ tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.

[6:26]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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.