Joshua 6 18

Joshua 6:18 kjv

And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

Joshua 6:18 nkjv

And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

Joshua 6:18 niv

But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.

Joshua 6:18 esv

But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

Joshua 6:18 nlt

"Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel.

Joshua 6 verses

Joshua 6 18 Meaning

Joshua 6:18 contains a crucial command from God to Israel concerning the spoils of Jericho, a city declared ḥērem (חֵרֶם), meaning "devoted" or "accursed." The verse sternly warns the Israelites to abstain from taking any of the city's devoted goods. Failure to do so would result in the individual becoming "accursed" themselves, thereby bringing the entire camp of Israel under a curse and causing great trouble and calamity upon the nation. It highlights the serious nature of disobedience to divine decrees, especially concerning holy things, and underscores the concept of corporate responsibility within the covenant community.

Joshua 6 18 Context

Joshua chapter 6 details the miraculous fall of Jericho, the first city Israel confronts upon entering the Promised Land. This victory, achieved purely through God's power rather than human might, sets a precedent for the entire conquest. In the immediate aftermath, God gives specific, unique instructions regarding Jericho's spoils. Unlike future conquests where specific plunder was allowed, Jericho's entirety – with the exception of specific precious metals for the treasury and Rahab and her family – was declared ḥērem. This means it was "devoted to the LORD for destruction," either due to its inherent defilement and idolatry, or as a "firstfruits" offering symbolizing God's sole ownership of the land and all victory. Verse 18 is a severe warning against violating this explicit command, serving as a pivotal moral instruction and a test of Israel's faithfulness to their covenant God. It precedes and directly anticipates the tragic narrative of Achan in Joshua chapter 7, where the precise disobedience warned against here leads to national defeat and personal judgment.

Joshua 6 18 Word analysis

• "And you": This initial phrase (וְאַתֶּם, və'atem) is emphatic, singling out the Israelites personally and collectively. It highlights individual responsibility within the community and directly addresses them regarding a specific command.
• "by all means keep yourselves": The Hebrew here is וְרַק־שְׁמֶרְתֶּם לָכֶם (və-raq-shəmer-tem laḵem).
  • רַק (raq): Often translated as "only" or "but," here it serves as an intensive particle, underscoring the absolute nature of the command – "surely," "without fail," or "by all means." It stresses the vital importance and strictness of the instruction.
  • שְׁמֶרְתֶּם (shəmer-tem): From the root שָׁמַר (shamar), meaning "to guard," "to keep," "to watch over," or "to protect." This indicates a need for vigilant and intentional action on their part to protect themselves from this transgression.
  • לָכֶם (laḵem): "for yourselves" or "to yourselves," further emphasizing the personal responsibility and the self-inflicted harm that will come from disobedience. The warning is for their own preservation.
• "from the accursed things": In Hebrew, מִן־הַחֵרֶם (min-ha-ḥerem).
  • הַחֵרֶם (ha-ḥērem): The definite article "the" combined with חֵרֶם (ḥērem). This is a crucial biblical term. It signifies something "devoted" or "set apart" from common use, often for complete destruction, usually because it is intrinsically linked to idolatry or extreme sin, and thus deemed an offense to God's holiness. It can also refer to something absolutely dedicated to God, therefore untouchable. In the context of Jericho, it implies its utter consecration to God for judgment and destruction. Touching it is considered defiling what is holy to God, or claiming what is exclusively His.
• "lest you become accursed": The Hebrew פֶּן־תַּחֲרִימוּ (pen-taḥarimu).
  • פֶּן (pen): "lest," indicating a negative consequence or warning.
  • תַּחֲרִימוּ (taḥarimu): A verb derived from the same root as ḥērem. This creates a powerful wordplay: if you partake of the ḥērem (accursed thing), you yourself become ḥērem (accursed/devoted to destruction). This signifies a reciprocal judgment, where the offender assumes the state of that which they unlawfully appropriated.
• "when you take of the accursed things": Literally "and you take from the ḥērem." This specifies the forbidden action: physically taking possession or appropriating what has been declared as devoted/forbidden.
• "and thus make the camp of Israel a curse": וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֶת־מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל לַחֵרֶם (və-samtem et-maḥaneh Yisra'el la-ḥerem). This clarifies the corporate dimension. The individual's transgression defiles the entire community. It demonstrates the profound solidarity and interconnectedness within God's covenant people. One person's sin could corrupt and bring divine judgment upon the whole.
• "and trouble it": וַעֲכַרְתֶּם (va'akartem). This is a strong, intentional verb (עָכַר, ‘akar) meaning "to stir up," "to trouble," "to disturb," or "to muddy." It directly foreshadows Achan's actions and his later designation as the "troubler of Israel" (עָכָר, Akar in 1 Chr 2:7), creating a poignant and direct literary link between this warning and its specific fulfillment. The sin will cause great distress, defeat, and divine wrath to fall upon the entire community.

Joshua 6 18 Bonus section

The concept of ḥērem (devoted things) in Joshua 6:18, particularly for Jericho, distinguishes this conquest from later ones. Jericho was not just another city to be defeated; it was effectively declared as God's "firstfruits" or "offering" of the conquest. Just as the first fruits of a harvest were entirely God's, signifying His ownership over the entire yield, so Jericho represented God's absolute claim over the land of Canaan. Any appropriation of the ḥērem was therefore a misappropriation of God's holy offering.

The Hebrew word עָכַר (‘akar) for "trouble it" in this verse forms a deliberate linguistic link to Achan, the individual who violated this command. While his name is typically transliterated Achan in English, in 1 Chronicles 2:7, his name is written as Achar (עָכָר), explicitly meaning "troubler." This intentional wordplay reinforces the gravity of his sin: his individual act of disobedience truly brought deep trouble and suffering upon the entire nation, not just himself. It serves as a powerful biblical illustration of how one person's sin can negatively impact a larger community and the importance of accountability within God's people.

Joshua 6 18 Commentary

Joshua 6:18 serves as a stark warning and a profound theological statement concerning the nature of God, sin, and covenant. The command to utterly abstain from the ḥērem of Jericho underscored God's absolute sovereignty and holiness. Jericho, as the "firstfruits" of the conquest, was uniquely designated to demonstrate that the victory was God's alone and not for human gain. Taking from the ḥērem was not mere theft; it was a sacrilege, a transgression against God's direct command and an attempt to claim what was exclusively His for judgment or holy purpose.

This verse emphasizes several key principles:

1. God's Holiness and Ownership: Everything belonged to God. The destruction of Jericho (including its inhabitants and their possessions) was a judgment against deep-seated paganism and an act of God's consecration of the land. Touching the ḥērem violated this divine sanctity.
2. The Insidiousness and Contagion of Sin: Sin, especially disobedience to a clear divine command driven by greed or selfishness, has a corrupting influence that extends beyond the individual. One person's transgression could defile the entire covenant community, making them subject to the same divine wrath (as evidenced by the subsequent defeat at Ai and Achan's punishment in Joshua 7). This highlights corporate solidarity in both blessing and curse.
3. Severity of Consequences: The warning that they would "become accursed" (תַחֲרִימוּ) directly connects the sin to its punishment. By embracing the cursed thing, the perpetrator essentially becomes part of that curse, and by extension, the community too. The use of "trouble" further personalizes the coming judgment, specifically linking to Achan, who became the literal "troubler" of Israel.
4. A Test of Obedience: This command tested Israel's heart—would they truly trust and obey God's commands even when they seemed counter-intuitive to ancient warfare customs (looting for wealth), or would self-interest prevail? Their obedience was crucial for maintaining their covenant relationship and securing future victories.

The command serves as a timeless principle for believers: to flee from sin and the allure of what is worldly or explicitly forbidden by God, recognizing that individual actions have broader spiritual ramifications within the body of Christ and the testimony of faith.