Joshua 6:26

JOSHUA’S ADJURATION AND FAME, Joshua 6:26-27.

26. And Joshua adjured them Bound them with an oath; caused them to swear. This solemn charge, attended with all the solemnity of an adjuration, was designed to prevent Israel and his posterity from erecting again the walls which had been thrown down by the power of Jehovah. Joshua would have these prostrate defences of the wicked city a perpetual and impressive memorial of punished sin, and of the power and justice of Jehovah. We do not understand that the oath bound the Hebrews not to erect houses, but simply the walls and gates: for we find, in Judges 3:13, the city of palms the usual appellation of Jericho spoken of as inhabited. Also, that in 2 Samuel 10:5, David orders his outraged embassy to “tarry in Jericho until their beards be grown.”

Cursed be the man before the Lord That is, Jehovah beholding and being judge. The curse is pronounced by divine sanction, and will fall at his command upon the daring man who shall attempt to restore these fallen walls, and thereby destroy their monumental significance.

In his firstborn That is, at the expense of his life. The meaning, evidently, of this strong poetic expression is, that the builder of the walls would suffer the loss of all his offspring, from the oldest to the youngest. [The words of the curse are in the form of poetic parallelisms, and may be rendered thus:

Cursed be the man before Jehovah,

Who rises up and builds this city of Jericho.

In his firstborn shall he lay its foundation,

And in his younger son shall he set up its gates.

Possibly this rhythmical passage, like that cited in Joshua 10:13, was taken from the book of Jasher.] For a striking fulfilment of this prophetic curse, see 1 Kings 16:34, where we find that Hiel accomplished this work, and suffered the penalty predicted five hundred and fifty years before.