Joshua 6:26 kjv
And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.
Joshua 6:26 nkjv
Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, "Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates."
Joshua 6:26 niv
At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates."
Joshua 6:26 esv
Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. "At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates."
Joshua 6:26 nlt
At that time Joshua invoked this curse: "May the curse of the LORD fall on anyone
who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho.
At the cost of his firstborn son,
he will lay its foundation.
At the cost of his youngest son,
he will set up its gates."
Joshua 6 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 16:34 | In his days Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho; he laid its foundations at the cost of Abiram his firstborn...and set up its gates at the cost of Segub his youngest. | Direct fulfillment of the curse. |
| Gen 9:25 | ...he said, “Cursed be Canaan..." | Example of a pronouncement of a curse. |
| Gen 12:3 | "I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse..." | Divine principle of blessing and cursing. |
| Deut 7:26 | "You shall not bring an abomination into your house or you will be accursed like it..." | Warnings against retaining devoted things. |
| Deut 13:17 | "Nothing from the devoted things shall cling to your hand..." | Reinforces the separation from "cherem" items. |
| Deut 27:15-26 | A series of curses pronounced upon disobedience. | Examples of divine curses for disobedience. |
| Deut 28:15 | "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe all His commandments..." | General warnings about curses for disobedience. |
| Josh 23:15-16 | "It shall come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you...the Lord will bring upon you all the evil words..." | Reminder of the surety of God's word, blessings and curses. |
| Judg 21:18 | "Cursed is the one who gives a wife to Benjamin." | Another instance of a solemnly imposed oath/curse. |
| Zech 5:3-4 | "Then he said to me, 'This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land...'" | Symbolic curse going forth upon the land. |
| Mal 4:6 | "...or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." | Prophecy of a coming curse if hearts are not turned. |
| Gal 3:10 | "For all who are of the works of the Law are under a curse..." | Highlights the curse of the Mosaic Law for those unable to perfectly fulfill it. |
| Gal 3:13 | "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." | Redemption from curse through Christ. |
| Gen 3:17 | "Cursed is the ground because of you..." | The first curse, impacting creation due to sin. |
| Ex 4:22-23 | "...Israel is My son, My firstborn...let My son go so that he may serve Me; but if you refuse...I will kill your firstborn son.” | The significance of the "firstborn" in divine judgment. |
| Ex 12:29-30 | Account of the death of the Egyptian firstborn. | Divine judgment explicitly targeting firstborn. |
| Gen 49:3 | "Reuben, you are my firstborn...Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence..." | Example of firstborn status and loss of privilege. |
| Neh 2:17 | "Then I said to them, 'You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem...'" | Example of cities commanded to be rebuilt, contrasting Jericho. |
| Amos 9:11 | "On that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches..." | Prophetic promise of rebuilding, signifying restoration. |
| Rev 22:3 | "There will no longer be any curse..." | Eschatological hope of a future without curses. |
| Matt 16:18 | "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church..." | Divine building (the church) which hell cannot prevail against. |
| Prov 10:27 | "The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened." | Contrasting outcome of fearing the Lord versus incurring curses. |
| 2 Sam 21:1-14 | David enquires of God due to famine caused by Saul's sin; consequences impacting descendants. | Illustrates consequences of covenant violations extending to future generations. |
Joshua 6 verses
Joshua 6 26 Meaning
Joshua 6:26 records a solemn oath pronounced by Joshua after the fall of Jericho. It places a severe, divinely sanctioned curse upon any individual who would attempt to rebuild the city. The curse specifies a devastating consequence: the loss of the firstborn son when the foundations are laid, and the loss of the youngest son when the gates are set up, signifying a complete and utter loss of one's entire lineage and the absolute devastation linked to the act of defiance. This pronouncement underscored the city's special status as "cherem," devoted to destruction by God.
Joshua 6 26 Context
Joshua 6:26 comes immediately after the miraculous fall and total destruction of the city of Jericho. Jericho, as the first city conquered in the Promised Land, was set apart for complete destruction, or "cherem" (herem). This meant everything within it – inhabitants, animals, and spoils – except for certain metals devoted to the Lord's treasury, was utterly destroyed or consecrated to God. The city itself was consecrated as untouchable. Joshua's oath, given with divine authority "before the Lord," cemented this special status for Jericho, preventing its future reconstruction and serving as a perpetual memorial of God's absolute sovereignty and the consequences of His judgments. It stands as a unique command within the larger conquest narrative, highlighting a specific warning related to defying God's decrees on "devoted" places.
Joshua 6 26 Word analysis
- Then Joshua: Joshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ - Yehoshua, "Yahweh is salvation") is the divinely appointed leader succeeding Moses. His actions carry God's authority.
- imposed an oath: (וַיַּשְׁבַּע - vayyashba') - Means "to cause to swear," "to bind by an oath," or "to adjure." This is a solemn, binding declaration, not merely a prediction, that invokes divine judgment upon breaking it. It means Joshua did not just "say" but formally administered a sworn declaration, with God as the witness and enforcer.
- at that time: Refers to the immediate aftermath of Jericho's destruction. The pronouncement's immediacy links it directly to the recent display of God's power and judgment.
- saying, "Cursed be the man": (אָרוּר - arur) - A powerful and absolute declaration of a curse, meaning to be under divine condemnation, rejected, or doomed. It's the opposite of "blessed." This signifies divine displeasure and the invocation of harm upon the disobedient.
- before the Lord: This phrase underscores that the curse is not merely a human malediction but is witnessed, ratified, and executed by God Himself. It emphasizes divine authority and presence.
- who rises up and builds this city Jericho: "Rises up" (יָקוּם - yaqum) implies a deliberate, intentional act of rebellion or defiance. The specific mention of "this city Jericho" highlights its unique status as divinely forbidden for rebuilding. It was marked for eternal desolation.
- with the loss of his firstborn: (בִּבְכֹרוֹ - bivkhoro) - "With his firstborn son." In ancient Israel, the firstborn was typically the heir, representing the family's strength, honor, and continuation. The loss of the firstborn was a supreme calamity, signifying the initial and perhaps most significant loss related to the defiant act. It implies a curse that begins at the very start of the rebuilding.
- he shall lay its foundation: This specific action marks the very first step in reconstructing the city. The curse activates at the inception of the disobedient act.
- and with the loss of his youngest son: (וּבִצְעִירוֹ - uvtsi'iro) - "And with his youngest son." The youngest often represented the completion of a family line, the last hope of posterity. Losing both firstborn and youngest indicates utter desolation of one's descendants, from beginning to end.
- he shall set up its gates: Setting up the gates symbolized the completion of a city's reconstruction and security. This indicates that the curse would continue throughout the entire rebuilding process, culminating in devastating loss when the task was finished.
- "Cursed be the man... before the Lord": This phrase establishes the divine nature and severity of the curse. It's not Joshua's personal animosity, but a divine judgment pronounced through him. The invocation of God ("before the Lord") ensures the curse's efficacy and long-term enforcement.
- "who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates": This specific detailing of the curse (loss of firstborn for foundation, youngest for gates) highlights its proportional and encompassing nature. It signals that from the very beginning of the disobedient act (laying foundation) to its intended completion (setting up gates), the curse would continuously manifest through devastating loss in one's family, implying an overall, total destruction of progeny connected to the rebuilding. This also shows a strong literary antithesis: rebuilding the city leads to the un-building of the family.
Joshua 6 26 Bonus section
- The Cherem Concept: Jericho's cherem status meant it was entirely "devoted" or "set apart" to God through utter destruction. This served as a visible testament to God's judgment against the inhabitants' pervasive wickedness (Gen 15:16; Lev 18:24-28). It also underscored that the victory was solely God's, preventing Israel from claiming any credit or material gain.
- Symbolic Significance of Jericho: As the gateway city to Canaan, Jericho represented the spiritual stronghold that God desired to demolish fully. Its permanent desolate state would symbolize God's victory and judgment that could not be reversed by human effort.
- A Persistent Prophecy: The curse stood for approximately 500 years until Hiel's act of defiance. The fulfillment is powerful proof of biblical prophecy and God's absolute faithfulness to His declared word, even in judgment. It suggests that even after centuries, divine pronouncements hold true, regardless of changing historical or political circumstances.
- A Warning against Restoring Evil: The underlying principle could be interpreted as a warning against attempting to revive or rebuild that which God has definitively judged and destroyed. It's a reminder that some things, once dealt with by divine decree, are to remain undone or desolated.
Joshua 6 26 Commentary
Joshua's oath regarding Jericho reflects God's specific command for the city's unique treatment. Unlike other conquered cities where Israelites might later dwell, Jericho was forever designated as cherem, a place utterly consecrated to God by destruction. This curse was not a mere pronouncement but a prophetic decree demonstrating God's holiness and the serious consequences of defying His explicit instructions, especially regarding that which He had devoted to Himself. It served as a permanent deterrent and a physical reminder of God's power over seemingly insurmountable obstacles and His precise judgments. Centuries later, its literal fulfillment by Hiel of Bethel (1 Kgs 16:34) confirmed the enduring truthfulness and unwavering reliability of God's word and the prophecies recorded in Scripture. This act of disobedience during the time of Ahab underscored a larger spiritual decay where God's ancient commands were casually dismissed, leading to tragic personal consequences.