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THE MESSAGE

Joshua 6:21

They put everything in the city under the holy curse, killing man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Rahab;   War;   Thompson Chain Reference - Destruction;   Miracles;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sword, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Rahab;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Nature;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Scripture, Unity and Diversity of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cattle;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Booty;   Jericho;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Accursed;   Archaeology and Biblical Study;   Cattle;   Joshua, the Book of;   Rahab;   Sword;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Cruelty;   Israel;   Jericho;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Miracles;   Rahab, Rachab ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Jericho;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Anathema;   Ark;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Rahab;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Arms;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Palestine (Recent Exploration, I.e. as of 1915);   War;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ban;   Cruelty;   Joshua, Book of;   Sheep;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword—every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.
Hebrew Names Version
They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
King James Version
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Lexham English Bible
And they utterly destroyed by the edge of the sword all who were in the city, both men and women, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey.
English Standard Version
Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
New Century Version
They completely destroyed with the sword every living thing in the city—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
New English Translation
They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
Amplified Bible
Then they utterly destroyed everything that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
New American Standard Bible
They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they vtterly destroyed all that was in the citie, both man and woman, yong, and olde, and oxe, and sheepe, and asse, with the edge of the sword.
Legacy Standard Bible
And they devoted to destruction everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
Contemporary English Version
They killed everyone, men and women, young and old, everyone except Rahab and the others in her house. They even killed every cow, sheep, and donkey. Joshua said to the two men who had been spies, "Rahab kept you safe when I sent you to Jericho. We promised to protect her and her family, and we will keep that promise. Now go into her house and bring them out." The two men went into Rahab's house and brought her out, along with her father and mother, her brothers, and her other relatives. Rahab and her family had to stay in a place just outside the Israelite army camp. But later they were allowed to live among the Israelites, and her descendants still do. The Israelites took the silver and gold and the things made of bronze and iron and put them with the rest of the treasure that was kept at the Lord 's house. Finally, they set fire to Jericho and everything in it.
Complete Jewish Bible
They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
Darby Translation
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city; both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Easy-to-Read Version
The people destroyed everything in the city. They destroyed everything that was living there. They killed the young and old men, the young and old women, and the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
George Lamsa Translation
And they utterly destroyed all that were in the city, both men and women, young and old and oxen and sheep and asses, with the edge of the sword.
Good News Translation
With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men and women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
Literal Translation
And they destroyed all that was in the city, from man even to woman, from young even to aged, and to ox, and sheep, and ass, by the mouth of the sword.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus they wanne ye cite, and destroyed all that was in the cite with the edge of the swerde, both man and woman, yonge and olde, oxe, shepe, and Asse.
American Standard Version
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Bible in Basic English
And they put everything in the town to the curse; men and women, young and old, ox and sheep and ass, they put to death without mercy.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they vtterly destroyed all that was in the citie, both man and woman, young and olde, oxe, sheepe, and asse, with the edge of the sworde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
King James Version (1611)
And they vtterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, yong and old, and oxe, and sheepe, and asse, with the edge of the sword.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and Joshua devoted it to destruction, and all things that were in the city, man and woman, young man and old, and calf and ass, with the edge of the sword.
English Revised Version
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Berean Standard Bible
At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city-man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and killiden alle thingis that weren therynne, fro man `til to womman, fro yong child `til to eld man; also thei smytiden bi the scharpnesse of swerd, oxun, and scheep, and assis.
Young's Literal Translation
and they devote all that [is] in the city, from man even unto woman, from young even unto aged, even unto ox, and sheep, and ass, by the mouth of the sword.
Update Bible Version
And they completely destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they utterly destroyed all that [was] in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
World English Bible
They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
New King James Version
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
New Living Translation
They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
New Life Bible
They destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkey, with the sword.
New Revised Standard
Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they devoted all that were in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, - and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And killed all that were in it, man and woman, young and old. The oxen also, and the sheep, and the asses, they slew with the edge of the sword.
Revised Standard Version
Then they utterly destroyed all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and asses, with the edge of the sword.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

Contextual Overview

18"As for you, watch yourselves in the city under holy curse. Be careful that you don't covet anything in it and take something that's cursed, endangering the camp of Israel with the curse and making trouble for everyone. All silver and gold, all vessels of bronze and iron are holy to God . Put them in God 's treasury." 20 The priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the blast of the trumpets, they gave a thunderclap shout. The wall fell at once. The people rushed straight into the city and took it. 21 They put everything in the city under the holy curse, killing man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey. 22Joshua ordered the two men who had spied out the land, "Enter the house of the harlot and rescue the woman and everyone connected with her, just as you promised her." So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, and brothers—everyone connected with her. They got the whole family out and gave them a place outside the camp of Israel. But they burned down the city and everything in it, except for the gold and silver and the bronze and iron vessels—all that they put in the treasury of God 's house. 25 But Joshua let Rahab the harlot live—Rahab and her father's household and everyone connected to her. She is still alive and well in Israel because she hid the agents whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 Joshua swore a solemn oath at that time: Cursed before God is the man who sets out to rebuild this city Jericho. He'll pay for the foundation with his firstborn son, he'll pay for the gates with his youngest son. 27 God was with Joshua. He became famous all over the land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And they: The Canaanites were ripe for destruction; and God was pleased, instead of destroying them by a pestilence, a famine, or an earthquake, to employ the Israelites as the executioners of his vengeance. Had an angel been commissioned to slay them, who would have charged him with iniquity or cruelty? In all public calamities infants are involved; and tens of thousands of infants die in great agony every year. Now, either God is not the agent in these calamities - which opinion, though often implied in men's reasonings on these subjects, is not far from atheism or they must consist with the most perfect justice and goodness.

utterly: Joshua 9:24, Joshua 9:25, Joshua 10:28, Joshua 10:39, Joshua 11:14, Deuteronomy 2:34, Deuteronomy 7:2, Deuteronomy 7:3, Deuteronomy 7:16, Deuteronomy 20:16, Deuteronomy 20:17, 1 Samuel 15:3, 1 Samuel 15:8, 1 Samuel 15:18, 1 Samuel 15:19, 1 Kings 20:42, Psalms 137:8, Psalms 137:9, Jeremiah 48:18, Revelation 18:21

Reciprocal: Numbers 31:15 - General Joshua 7:24 - his sons Joshua 8:2 - do to Ai Joshua 8:22 - let none Joshua 10:1 - as he had Joshua 10:29 - Libnah 1 Samuel 22:19 - men 1 Samuel 27:9 - and the camels Jeremiah 44:7 - to cut Lamentations 2:21 - young

Cross-References

Psalms 145:16
Generous to a fault, you lavish your favor on all creatures.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they utterly destroyed all that [was] in the city,.... All the inhabitants of it, by the direction of Joshua, and according to the order of the Lord, Deuteronomy 7:1; being guilty of capital crimes, which deserved death, as idolatry, incest, c.

both men and women, young and old neither sex nor age were spared:

and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword; in which creatures chiefly lay the substance of the eastern people; see Job 1:3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 6:21. They utterly destroyed - both man, and woman, c. — As this act was ordered by God himself, who is the Maker and Judge of all men, it must be right: for the Judge of all the earth cannot do wrong. Nothing that breathed was permitted to live hence the oxen, sheep, and asses, were destroyed, as well as the inhabitants.


 
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