Joshua 6:26

KJV1611 – Modern English

And Joshua swore an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, who rises up and builds this city Jericho: he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest son he shall set up its gates.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיַּשְׁבַּ֣ע יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִ֖יא לֵאמֹ֑ר אָר֨וּר הָאִ֜ישׁ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר יָקוּם֙ וּבָנָ֞ה אֶת־הָעִ֤יר הַזֹּאת֙ אֶת־יְרִיח֔וֹ בִּבְכֹר֣וֹ יְיַסְּדֶ֔נָּה וּבִצְעִיר֖וֹ יַצִּ֥יב דְּלָתֶֽיהָ׃

Transliteration

And wayyašbaʿ yĕhôšuaʿ at bāʿēt hahiʾ lēʾmōr ʾārûr hāʾîš before YHWH who yāqûm and ûbānāh ʾet-hāʿîr hazzōʾt ʾet-yĕrîḥô with his bibkōrô he will yĕyassĕdennāh and with his ûbiṣĕʿîrô he will yaṣṣîb its dĕlātehā.

Grammar Details

• *wayyašbaʿ*: verb, Hiphil imperfect 3rd person masculine singular with waw consecutive - and he swore
• *yĕhôšuaʿ*: proper noun - Joshua
• *bāʿēt*: preposition + noun, feminine singular with definite article - at the time
• *hahiʾ*: demonstrative pronoun, feminine singular - that
• *lēʾmōr*: preposition + verb, Qal infinitive construct - saying
• *ʾārûr*: verb, Qal passive participle masculine singular - cursed
• *hāʾîš*: noun, masculine singular with definite article - the man
• *lipnê*: preposition + noun, masculine plural construct - before/in the presence of
• *YHWH*: proper noun - Yahweh/the LORD
• *ʾăšer*: relative particle - who
• *yāqûm*: verb, Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular - he will arise
• *ûbānāh*: conjunction + verb, Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular - and he will build
• *hāʿîr*: noun, feminine singular with definite article - the city
• *hazzōʾt*: demonstrative adjective, feminine singular - this
• *yĕrîḥô*: proper noun - Jericho
• *bibkōrô*: preposition + noun, masculine singular construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - with his firstborn
• *yĕyassĕdennāh*: verb, Piel imperfect 3rd person masculine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix - he will found/lay its foundation
• *ûbiṣĕʿîrô*: conjunction + preposition + noun, masculine singular construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - and with his youngest
• *yaṣṣîb*: verb, Hiphil imperfect 3rd person masculine singular - he will set up
• *dĕlātehā*: noun, feminine plural construct with 3rd person feminine singular suffix - its doors/gates

Word Meanings

• *wayyašbaʿ*: and he swore/made an oath/took an oath
• *ʾārûr*: cursed/under a curse
• *yāqûm*: he will arise/rise up/stand
• *ûbānāh*: and builds/rebuilds/constructs
• *bibkōrô*: with his firstborn/at the cost of his firstborn
• *yĕyassĕdennāh*: he will found it/lay its foundation
• *ûbiṣĕʿîrô*: and with his youngest/at the cost of his youngest son
• *yaṣṣîb*: he will set up/erect/install
• *dĕlātehā*: its doors/gates

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  At that time, Joshua pronounced this oath: 'Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up to rebuild this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn, he will lay its foundation; and at the cost of his youngest, he will set up its gates.'

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And hua 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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Joshua charged them with an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: with the loss of his first-born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  At the same tyme sware Iosua, and sayde: Cursed be that man before the LORDE, which setteth vp this cite of Iericho & buyldeth it: Whan he laieth ye foundacio therof, let it cost him his first sonne: And wha he setteth vp the gates of it, let it cost him his yogest sonne.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And Ioshua sware at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before ye Lord, that riseth vp, and buildeth this citie Iericho: hee shall lay the foundation thereof in his eldest sonne, and in his yongest sonne shall hee set vp the gates of it.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And Iosuah sware at that tyme, saying: Cursed be the man before the Lord that ryseth vp, and buyldeth this citie Iericho: He shall lay the foundation thereof in his eldest sonne, and in his youngest sonne shall he set vp the gates of it.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Joshua charged them with an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before Yahweh, that rises up and builds this city Jericho: with the loss of his firstborn shall he lay the foundation of it, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Joshua adjureth `them' at that time, saying, `Cursed `is' the man before Jehovah who raiseth up and hath built this city, `even' Jericho; in his first-born he doth lay its foundation, and in his youngest he doth set up its doors;'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Joshua charged them with an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: with the loss of his first-born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Joshua charged them with an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: with the loss of his first-born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Then Joshua gave the people orders with an oath, saying, Let that man be cursed before the Lord who puts his hand to the building up of this town: with the loss of his first son will he put the first stone of it in place, and with the loss of his youngest son he will put up its doors.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up its gates."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

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

Referenced Verses

• 1 Kgs 16:34 : 34 In his days, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt 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.
• 1 Kgs 22:16 : 16 And the king said to him, How many times must I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?
• Mal 1:4 : 4 Though Edom says, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus says the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD has indignation forever.
• Matt 26:63 : 63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said to him, I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.
• Acts 19:13 : 13 Then certain of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call on those who had evil spirits in the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We command you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.
• Num 5:19-21 : 19 And the priest shall make her swear an oath, and say to the woman, If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of your husband, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse: 20 But if you have gone aside to another instead of your husband, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband: 21 Then the priest shall make the woman swear with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say to the woman, The LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh waste away and your belly swell;
• 1 Sam 14:24-46 : 24 The men of Israel were distressed that day because Saul had placed the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats any food until evening, that I may avenge myself on my enemies." So none of the people tasted any food. 25 All the people of the land came to a forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26 When the people came into the forest, behold, the honey was dripping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people with the oath, so he put out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened. 28 Then one of the people said, "Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man who eats food today.'" And the people were faint. 29 Then Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. See, my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great." 31 They struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very faint. 32 The people rushed on the spoil, took sheep, oxen, and calves, slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, "Look, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood." He said, "You have transgressed; roll a large stone to me today." 34 Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, 'Bring every man his ox and every man his sheep, and slaughter them here, and eat, and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.'" So all the people brought every man his ox with him that night and slaughtered them there. 35 Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD. 36 Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man among them." They said, "Do whatever seems good to you." Then the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here." 37 Saul inquired of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?" But He did not answer him that day. 38 Saul said, "Come here, all you leaders of the people, and find out how this sin has happened today. 39 For as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, though it be Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But not one of all the people answered him. 40 He said to all Israel, "You be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side." The people said to Saul, "Do what seems good to you." 41 Therefore Saul said to the LORD God of Israel, "Give a perfect lot." And Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42 Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son," and Jonathan was taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." Jonathan told him, "I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and now I must die." 44 Saul said, "God do so and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan." 45 But the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has brought this great deliverance in Israel? Far be it! As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today." So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die. 46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.