Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this city, Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. —Joshua 6:26.
In 1 Kings 16:34 we read that Hiel of Bethel took this curse upon him by rebuilding Jericho for his master Ahab, the King of Northern Israel. “He laid the foundation thereof in Abiram, his firstborn son; and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son, Segub.”
It is puzzling to know what exactly was meant by Joshua when he uttered the words. Usually the passage has been understood to be a deterrent, on the ground that Jehovah did not wish Jericho to be restored, perhaps because it was dedicated to the Mother Goddess Astarte, though that seems an inadequate reason for singling out Jericho for a special curse, when all the other Canaanite towns were equally idolatrous. Some explain it as a desire to obliterate the memory of Achan’s sin.
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Author: J. Garrow Duncan
Keywords: Binding of Isaac, Abraham sacrifices Isaac, Abraham sacrifices his son, Abraham told to kill Isaac, Slay Isaac, Akedah, Aqedah, Child sacrifice, Infanticide, human sacrifice, Vayera, Jericho, rebuilding of Jericho, Jericho rebuilt, Hiel
Bible reference(s): Genesis 22:2-3, Gen 22:8, Leviticus 18:21, Leviticus 20:2, DEU 12:31, Deu 18:10, 1 Ki 16:34, 2Ki 3:27, 2 Kings 16:3, 2 Kings 17:17, 2 Kings 21:6, 2 Kings 23:10, 2CH 28:1-3, 2CH 33:6, PSA 106:37-38, Jer 19:5, Jer 7:31, Jeremiah 32:35, Ezekiel 16:21, Ezekiel 20:26, Ezekiel 20:31, Ezekiel 23:37, Mic 6:7
Source: “Borrowed Pens (No. 7),” The Testimony, Vol. 9, No. 99, March 1939, p. 103.
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