Joshua 4:7

4:7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing ¹  before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing. ²  These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”

Joshua 5:1

5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they ³  crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. ⁴ 

Joshua 6:26

6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: ⁵  “The man who attempts to rebuild ⁶  this city of Jericho ⁷  will stand condemned before the Lord. ⁸  He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” ⁹ 

Joshua 7:13

7:13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord God of Israel says, “You are contaminated, ¹⁰  O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.” ¹¹ 

Joshua 9:24

9:24 They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects ¹²  how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified ¹³  we would lose our lives, so we did this thing.

Joshua 19:51

19:51 These are the land assignments which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite tribal leaders ¹⁴  made by drawing lots in Shiloh before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹⁵  So they finished dividing up the land.

Joshua 23:13

23:13 know for certain that the Lord our God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; ¹⁶  they will be a whip that tears ¹⁷  your sides and thorns that blind ¹⁸  your eyes until you disappear ¹⁹  from this good land the Lord your God gave you.

---

¹ tn Heb “were cut off from before.”

² tn Heb “how the waters descending from above stood still.”

³ tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”

⁴ tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”

⁵ tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the Lord” spoken through Joshua.

⁶ tn Heb “rises up and builds.”

⁷ tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.

⁸ tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the Lord”) also occurs in 1 Sam 26:19.

⁹ tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation.

¹⁰ tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] [is] in your midst.”

¹¹ tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”

¹² tn Heb “your servants.”

¹³ tn Or “we were very afraid.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “the leaders of the fathers of the tribes.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “at the entrance of the tent of assembly.”

sn On the tent of meeting see Exod 33:7-11.

¹⁶ tn Heb “be a trap and a snare to you.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “in.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “thorns in your eyes.”

¹⁹ tn Or “perish.”