SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:26
Y en aquel tiempo Josué juró diciendo: Maldito sea delante del SEÑOR el hombre que se levantare y reedificare esta ciudad de Jericó. En su primogénito eche sus cimientos, y en su menor asiente sus puertas.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Joshua 6:26
Verse 26. And Joshua adjured them at that time] It appears that he had received intimations from God that this idolatrous city should continue a monument of the Divine displeasure: and having convened the princes and elders of the people, he bound them by an oath that they should never rebuild it; and then, in their presence, pronounced a curse upon the person who should attempt it. The ruins of this city continuing would be a permanent proof, not only of God's displeasure against idolatry, but of the miracle which he had wrought in behalf of the Israelites; and for these reasons God willed that it should not be rebuilt: nevertheless, he left men to the operation of their own free will, and recorded the penalty which those must pay who should disobey him. He shall lay the foundation thereof, &c.] This is a strange execration; but it may rather be considered in the light of a prediction. It seems to intimate that he who should attempt to rebuild this city, should lose all his children in the interim, from laying the foundation to the completion of the walls; which the author of 1 Kings xvi. 34 says was accomplished in Hiel the Beth-elite, who rebuilt Jericho under the reign of Ahab, and laid the foundation of it in Abiram, his first-born, and set up its gates in his youngest son Segub: this was 550 years after Joshua pronounced the curse. But we are not sure that this means that the children either died a natural or violent death on this occasion for we may understand the history as relating to the slow progress of the work. Hiel having begun the work at the birth of his first-born, was not able to conclude before the birth of his last child, who was born many years after: and as their names are mentioned, it is very likely that the distance of time between the birth of each was well known when this history was written; and that the extraordinary length of time spent in the work, in which a multitude of vexatious delays had taken place, is that to which the prophetic execration relates. Yet the first opinion is the most probable. We must not suppose that Jericho had been wholly neglected from its overthrow by Joshua to the days of Hiel; if it be the same with the city of palm trees, mentioned Deuteronomy xxxiv. 3. We find it mentioned as an inhabited place in the beginning of Judg. i. 16, a short time after the death of Joshua: And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees, with the children of Judah, &c.; and this said city (if the same with the city of palm trees) was taken from the Israelites by Eglon king of Moab, Judg. iii. 13. The ambassadors of David, who were disgracefully treated by Hanun king of the Ammonites, were commanded to tarry at Jericho till their beards should grow, 2 Sam. x. 4, 5. It appears, therefore, that there was a city which went under this name long before the time of Hiel, unless we can suppose that the city of palm trees was a different place from Jericho, or that the name Jericho was given to some part of the circumjacent country after the city was destroyed, which is very probable. After Hiel had rebuilt this city, it became of considerable consequence in the land of Judea: the courses of priests lodged there, who served in their turns at the temple; see Luke x. 30. There was a school of the prophets there, which was visited by Elijah and Elisha, 2 Kings ii. 4, 5, 18; and it was at this city that our Lord miraculously healed blind Bartimeus, Mark x. 46; Luke xviii. 35, &c. At present, Jericho is almost entirely deserted, having but thirty or forty miserable cabins in it, which serve for a place of refuge to some wretched Moors and Arabs, who live there like beasts. The plain of Jericho, formerly so celebrated for its fertility, is at present uncultivated, producing nothing but a few wild trees, and some very indifferent fruits. See Calmet.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 26. And Joshua adjured [them] at that time , etc.] When the city was burnt and spoiled; not that he adjured the people individually, or one by one, which was not very practicable, but in a general way: saying, cursed [be] the man before the Lord ; let him be cursed by him with the curses written in the book of the law; and let him be driven from him, from his presence, as Cain was: that riseth up, and buildeth this city Jericho ; that rises up in future time, and rebuilds it; for it cannot be thought that after such an adjuration anyone would start up quickly, and rebuild it: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest [son] shall he set up the gates of it ; that is, while he is laying, or as soon as he has laid the foundation of the city, his eldest son should die; and as he went on with the building, other sons of his, if he had more than two, should be taken away by death likewise; and by the time he has finished it, signified by setting up the gates of it, both for ornament and security, his youngest and last son should die also; so that his whole posterity should be taken alway, as a curse of God upon him for rebuilding the city; which was fulfilled in Hiel the Bethelite, the rebuilder of this city in the times of Ahab, five or six hundred years after this adjuration was made, when either it was forgotten, or, however, little regarded: Maimonides observes f92 , that this was made that the miracle might remain in perpetual memory, for whoever should see the wall sunk in the earth, it would be plain and clear to him that this was not the form of a building demolished, but that it fell by a miracle; and yet this city became a very flourishing one in later times; we soon hear of the school of the prophets in it, ( 2 Kings 2:5); here, Strabo says, was a royal palace, where, as Josephus relates, Herod died, and who speaks of an amphitheatre and hippodrome in it; in this city sometimes the sanhedrim sat, and a great number of the stationary priests dwelt, even half a station, twelve thousand of them, all which is observed by Dr. Lightfoot f95 ; our Lord himself honoured it with his presence, ( Luke 19:1).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 17-27 - Jericho was to be a solemn and awful sacrifice to the justice of God upon those who had filled up the measure of their sins. So He appoints from whom, as creatures, they received their lives, and to whom, a sinners, they had forfeited them. Rahab perished not with them tha believed not, Heb 11:31. All her kindred were saved with her; thu faith in Christ brings salvation to the house, Ac 16:31. She, and the with her, were plucked as brands from the burning. With Rahab, or with the men of Jericho; our portion must be assigned, as we posses of disregard the sign of salvation; even faith in Christ, which worketh by love. Let us remember what depends upon our choice, and let us choos accordingly. God shows the weight of a Divine curse; where it rest there is no getting from under it; for it brings ruin without remedy __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
וישׁבע 7650 יהושׁע 3091 בעת 6256 ההיא 1931 לאמר 559 ארור 779 האישׁ 376 לפני 6440 יהוה 3068 אשׁר 834 יקום 6965 ובנה 1129 את 853 העיר 5892 הזאת 2063 את 853 יריחו 3405 בבכרו 1060 ייסדנה 3245 ובצעירו 6810 יציב 5324 דלתיה׃ 1817
