“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.”
My Notes
What Does Joshua 6:26 Mean?
After Jericho falls, Joshua pronounces a curse on anyone who rebuilds it: the builder will lose his firstborn when laying the foundation and his youngest when setting up the gates. The city is placed under permanent divine ban. Jericho isn't just conquered. It's prohibited from reconstruction.
The curse was fulfilled centuries later in 1 Kings 16:34: Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho and lost his firstborn Abiram (at the foundation) and his youngest son Segub (at the gates). The curse waited five hundred years for someone to defy it. And when someone did, the price was exactly what Joshua said.
The permanence of the curse establishes a principle: some victories aren't just won. They're sealed. Some things God destroys aren't meant to be rebuilt. Jericho's walls were a divine demolition, and rebuilding them was an act of rebellion against the God who tore them down.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is there a 'Jericho' in your life that God demolished — and are you trying to rebuild it?
- 2.Does the five-hundred-year fulfillment of Joshua's curse change how seriously you take God's prohibitions?
- 3.How do you distinguish between something God destroyed (leave it in ruins) and something the enemy destroyed (rebuild it)?
- 4.What does the curse's patience (dormant for centuries, then precise to the detail) teach about the permanence of God's word?
Devotional
Cursed is the man who rebuilds Jericho. He'll bury his firstborn when he lays the foundation. And his youngest when he sets the gates.
Joshua doesn't just destroy Jericho. He places a permanent prohibition on its reconstruction. The city isn't a conquest to be exploited. It's a judgment to be preserved. The rubble is a memorial. The ruins are the message. And anyone who rebuilds is defying the God who demolished.
Five hundred years later, someone tried. Hiel of Bethel. And exactly as Joshua said: Abiram died at the foundation. Segub died at the gates. The curse waited half a millennium for a foolish enough man — and it was precise to the detail. Firstborn at the beginning. Youngest at the end. Exactly.
The five-hundred-year gap is the terrifying part. The curse didn't expire. It didn't soften with time. It sat dormant for centuries, waiting for someone to test it. And when someone did, it landed with the precision of the day it was spoken.
Some things God destroys aren't meant to be rebuilt. Some walls He tears down should stay down. Some cities He judges should remain ruins. And the person who says "I know God destroyed this, but I'm going to rebuild it" is testing a curse that doesn't expire.
Is there a 'Jericho' in your life — something God clearly demolished that you're trying to reconstruct? A relationship He ended. A pattern He broke. A system He judged. The rubble is a message: don't rebuild what God tore down.
The curse is patient. It can wait five hundred years. Don't test it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Joshua adjured them at that time,.... When the city was burnt and spoiled; not that he adjured the people…
Adjured - i. e. put an oath upon them; or, perhaps, actually caused them themselves to take an oath (compare Mat 26:63).…
And Joshua adjured them at that time - It appears that he had received intimations from God that this idolatrous city…
The people had religiously observed the orders given them concerning the besieging of Jericho, and now at length Joshua…
The Curse upon Jericho
26. adjured them i.e. "put an oath upon them."
Cursed be the man A city, which was cheremor…
Cross References
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