Bible Strands
Joshua 6:26
At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Joshua pronounces this declaration immediately following the fall of Jericho and the preservation of Rahab’s household, marking the city’s permanent abandonment.
The words — The Hebrew word אָרֻר (‘a.Rur) translates literally as “cursed,” and לִפְנֵי (li/f.Nei) locates this judgment “before” or in the direct presence of the LORD.
The thread — This warning finds historical fulfillment in 1 Kings 16:34, where Hiel rebuilds Jericho and loses both his firstborn and youngest son.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that divine judgment on a conquered city carries irreversible consequences for anyone who attempts to restore it.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 16:34 In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.
- Acts 19:13 Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.”
- Numbers 5:19 And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.
- 1 Samuel 14:24 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.
- Matthew 26:63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
- Malachi 1:4 Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.
- 1 Kings 22:16 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”