And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein ,.... As Babylon the great, of which this city was an emblem, as has been observed; see Gill on Joshua 6:20 ; will be burnt with fire also, Revelation 18:8 , only the silver and the gold, and the vessels of brass and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord ; See Gill on Joshua 6:19 . read more
And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive ,.... From perishing by the sword, as the rest of the inhabitants did. Kimchi says, some interpret it of his giving her food, and an inheritance by which she might live; and Josephus F6 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 7. intimates the same: he says, he gave her fields, and had her in great honour and esteem; and it is the notion of some Jewish writers, that he took her to wife, and that this is meant by saving her alive; which sense Kimchi disapproves... read more
And Joshua adjured them at that time ,.... When the city was burnt and spoiled; not that he adjured the people individually, or one by one, which was not very practicable, but in a general way: saying, cursed be the man before the Lord ; let him be cursed by him with the curses written in the book of the law; and let him be driven from him, from his presence, as Cain was: that riseth up, and buildeth this city Jericho ; that rises up in future time, and rebuilds it; for it cannot... read more
Only the silver , and the gold - they put into the treasury , etc . - The people were to have no share of the spoils, because they had no hand in the conquest. God alone overthrew the city; and into his treasury only the spoils were brought. This is one proof that the agitation of the air, by the sound of the people's voice, was not the cause of the fall of the city walls. Vessels of brass and of iron - Instead of כלי keley , Vessels, the Septuagint, in the... read more
And she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day - This is one proof that the book was written in the time to which it is commonly referred; and certainly might have been done by the hand of Joshua himself, though doubtless many marginal notes may have since crept into the text, which, to superficial observers, give it the appearance of having been written after the days of Joshua. See the preface to this book. read more
And Joshua adjured them at that time - It appears that he had received intimations from God that this idolatrous city should continue a monument of the Divine displeasure: and having convened the princes and elders of the people, he bound them by an oath that they should never rebuild it; and then, in their presence, pronounced a curse upon the person who should attempt it. The ruins of this city continuing would be a permanent proof, not only of God's displeasure against... read more
Verse 26 26.And Joshua adjured them, etc This adjuration, then, was not merely to have effect for one day, but to warn posterity through all ages that that city had been taken only by divine power. He wished, therefore, that the ruins and devastation should exist for ever as a kind of trophy; because the rebuilding of it would have been equivalent to an erasure effacing the miracle. In order, therefore, that the desolate appearance of the place might keep the remembrance of the divine power and... read more
A city of destruction. If any city ever was such a "City of Destruction" as Bunyan fancied, it was Jericho. Itself and all within it were devoted to destruction, only Rahab, like another Noah, with her family escaping. It is an awful fact to contemplate the destruction of a whole city. No escape, and little warning! Old and young, one day in possession of wealth, ease, comfort, and the next day captured and destroyed. The judicial principles on which God acts and on which He here commands... read more
Salvation: its Cause and Effects 1. The first lesson we learn from this portion of the narrative is salvation by faith. Had Rahab not believed in God, she would not have saved the sides; and had she not saved the spies, she would not have been saved herself. We have St. James's authority ( Joshua 2:1-24 :25) for citing this passage as an illustration of the connection between faith and works. I. WORKS " DO SPRING NECESSARILY OUT OF A LIVELY FAITH ." Had Rahab not... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 6:17-27
The people had religiously observed the orders given them concerning the besieging of Jericho, and now at length Joshua had told them (Josh. 6:16), ?The Lord hath given you the city, enter and take possession.? Accordingly in these verses we have, I. The rules they were to observe in taking possession. God gives it to them, and therefore may direct it to what uses and intents, and clog it with what provisos and limitations he thinks fit. It is given to them to be devoted to God, as the first... read more