And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

JOSHUA 6:17KJV
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Joshua 6:17 (KJV)

What does Joshua 6:17 mean?

Joshua 6:17 declares that the city of Jericho and everything in it are to be set apart for destruction as an offering to the LORD, except for Rahab the harlot and those with her in her house, because she protected the Israelite messengers. This verse sets Rahab and her family apart for rescue due to her earlier act of hiding the spies sent by Joshua.

In this verse, Joshua is speaking to the Israelite people as they prepare to conquer Jericho. The instruction is that Jericho is to be "accursed"—completely devoted to destruction—except for Rahab and her household. The reason given is Rahab's earlier decision to hide the Israelite messengers, showing that her actions have earned her protection in the midst of judgment on the city.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 6:17

  • "accursed" (חֵרֶם, ḥērem): This word means something devoted or set apart, often for destruction. Here, it signals that Jericho is not just being conquered but is being given over entirely to God, with nothing to be kept except what God allows.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, emphasizing that the destruction and the sparing of Rahab are both acts done in obedience to God’s specific command.
  • "harlot" (זוֹנָה, zonah): The word refers to Rahab’s occupation, highlighting her unlikely status as the one spared. Her background makes her rescue even more striking in the narrative.
  • "hid" (חָבָא, chava): This verb describes Rahab’s action of concealing the messengers. The verse points to this specific act as the reason for her deliverance.

Why Joshua 6:17 matters

  • Joshua 6:17 clarifies that the destruction of Jericho was not random violence but a specific act of devotion to God’s command, with clear exceptions made for those who aligned themselves with Israel’s God.
  • The verse highlights Rahab’s faith and actions as the reason for her rescue, showing that even someone with a questionable background could find mercy by siding with God’s people.
  • This verse sets up the fulfillment of the promise made to Rahab in Joshua 2, connecting her story to the larger narrative of Israel’s conquest and God’s faithfulness to individuals within that story.

Where else these words appear

“Rahab” Hebrew H7343 · used in 5 verses

  • Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
  • Joshua 2:3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
  • Joshua 6:23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

“accursed” Hebrew H2764 · used in 31 verses

  • Leviticus 27:21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.
  • Joshua 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
  • Ezekiel 26:14 And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

“hid” Hebrew H2244 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
  • 1 Samuel 14:11 And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him,(for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.

“harlot” Hebrew H2181 · used in 82 verses

  • Genesis 34:31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
  • 1 Chronicles 5:25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
  • Ezekiel 16:31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;