Why did Joshua curse Jericho in Joshua 6:26?

Answer

After the Lord God delivered the city of Jericho into the hands of Joshua and the people of Israel, Joshua pronounced a curse on the city: “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates” «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. », (Joshua 6:26).

Prior to the battle, the Lord had declared Jericho, the first city to fall to Israel’s conquest of Canaan, to be wholly dedicated to Him: “The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury” (Joshua 6:17-19). The facts that everything in Jericho belonged to the Lord and that the collapse of the city walls was wholly the Lord’s work probably factored into Joshua’s warning not to rebuild the city.

First Kings 16:34 reveals that Joshua’s curse did come true during the time of King Ahab: “Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

Several important details must be highlighted. Firstly, Joshua did not vow that Jericho would never be reconstructed. Instead, he proclaimed that whoever reconstructed it would face judgment due to the loss of his firstborn and youngest sons.

Secondly, God affirmed His promise through Joshua by taking the lives of Hiel’s sons Abiram and Segub. At the commencement of the project (the laying of the foundation), the elder son perished; at the completion of the project (the hanging of the gates), the younger son perished. This demonstrated God’s faithfulness and exposed the repercussions of sin that often impact one’s family. Although the sin was committed by Hiel, the outcome resulted in the deaths of two sons.

Thirdly, Hiel’s reconstruction of Jericho is recounted within a broader passage detailing the wickedness that occurred during King Ahab’s rule in Israel. Ahab married a pagan, non-Israelite woman named Jezebel and even worshipped her deity, Baal. Additionally, Ahab constructed a temple for Baal in the capital city of Samaria and set up an Asherah pole. The narrative concludes with the statement that “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” «And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. », (1 Kings 16:33). During this period of wickedness, Hiel disregarded Joshua’s curse and proceeded with the reconstruction of Jericho.

This ethical decline in Israel’s history marked the moment when God raised up the prophet Elijah to combat Baal, revive the spirits of the Israelites, and lead many individuals back to the Lord. Following a three-year drought in Ahab’s reign, Elijah overcame the Baal priests and initiated a spiritual reawakening among the Israelites.