MPV Commentary

Rahab Is Saved.

Joshua had instructed his men to rescue Rahab and her family from the city, indicating that not all of Jericho's walls were immediately demolished. This allowed for the fulfillment of God's promise to save Rahab and her relatives.

The Israelites brought out all of Rahab's family members and left them outside the camp, temporarily excluding them from their community. This was a necessary step to cleanse them from the defilement of their idolatrous past and prepare them for integration into God's people.

The city of Jericho was then burned, along with everything in it, except for valuable metals like silver, gold, and other precious materials, which were added to the treasury of the sanctuary.

Rahab remained in Israel until this day, a testament that this book was written shortly after these events occurred.

Joshua Imposed an Oath on His Countrymen.

At that time, Joshua imposed a solemn oath on his fellow Israelites, binding them and their descendants to never rebuild Jericho. This destruction served as a permanent reminder of God's abhorrence for idolatry and its accompanying vices.

Anyone who dared to attempt rebuilding the city would be cursed: they would lose their firstborn son when laying the foundation, and their only surviving child would die when completing the structure. This curse was fulfilled 550 years later (see 1 Kings 16:34).