camp. And when they had done this for six || days, on the seventh Joshua gathered the armed men, and all the people together, and told them the city should now be taken; since God would on that day give it them, by the falling down of the walls; and this of their own accord and without their labour. However, he charged them to kill every one whom they should take; and not to abstain from the slaughter of their enemies, either for weariness or for pity; and not to fall on the spoil and be thereby diverted from pursuing their enemies as they ran away; but to destroy all the animals, and to take nothing for their own peculiar advantage. He commanded them. also to bring together all the silver and gold, that it might be set apart as first-fruits unto God, out of this glorious exploit, as having gotten them from the first city they took; only that they should save Rahab and her kindred alive, because of the oath which the spies had sworn to her.

When he had said this, and had set his army in order, he brought it against the city; so they went round the city again, the ark going before them, and the priests encouraging the people to be zealous in the work; and when they had gone round it seven times, and had stood a little, the wall fell down; while no instruments of war, nor any other force was applied to it by the Hebrews.

So they entered into Jericho, and slew all the men that were therein, while they were

* Upon occasion of this devoting of Jericho to destruction, and the exemplary punishment of Achar, who broke that cherem or anathema, and of the punishment of the future breaker of it, Hiel, 1 Kings xvi. 34. as also of the punishment of Saul for breaking the like cherem or anathema against the Amalekites, 1 Sam. xv. we may observe what was the true meaning of that law, Levit. xxvii. 28. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death, i. e. Whenever any of the Jews' public enemies had been for their wickedness solemnly devoted to destruction, according to the divine command, as were generally the seven wicked nations of Canaan, and those sinners the Amalekites, 1 Sam. xv. 18. (see the note on IV. 7.) it was utterly unlawful to permit those enemies to be redeemed, but they were to be all utterly destroyed. See also Numb. xxi. 2,

3.

The words of Joshua's execration are these:-Cursed be the man before the Lord, that raiseth 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, Josh. vi. 26. This anathema (says Maimonides) was pronounced, that the miracle of the subversion of Jericho

affrighted at the surprising overthrow of the walls, and their courage was become useless, and they were not able to defend themselves; so they were slain, and their throats cut, some in the ways, and others as caught in their houses; nothing afforded them assistance, but they all perished, even to the women and the children, and the city was filled with dead bodies, and not one person escaped. They also burnt the whole city, and the country about it, but they saved alive Rahab, with her family, who had fled to her inn; and when she was brought to him, Joshua owned that they owed her thanks for her preservation of the spies. He also said he would not appear to be behind her in his benefaction to her, and therefore he gave her certain lands immediately, and held her in great esteem ever afterwards.

If any part of the city escaped the fire, he overthrew it from its foundation, and denounced a curse* against its inhabitants, if any one should desire to rebuild it; how upon his laying the foundations of the walls he should be deprived of his eldest son, and upon finishing it he should lose his youngest son;† but what happened hereupont we shall speak of hereafter.

Now there was an immense quantity of sil ver and gold, and besides those of brass also, that was heaped together out of the city when it was taken; no one transgressing the decree, nor purloining for their own peculiar advantage; which spoils Joshua delivered to the might be kept in perpetual memory; for whosoever saw the walls sunk deep in the earth, (as he understands it,) would clearly discern, that this was not the form of a building destroyed by men, but miraculously thrown down by God." Hiel, however, in the reign of Ahab, either not remembering, or not believing this denunciation, was so taken with the beauty of its situation, that he rebuilt Jericho, and, as the sacred history informs us, laid the foundation thereof in Abiram, his first-born, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake to Joshua, the son of Nun, 1 Kings xvi. 34. However, after that Hiel had ventured to rebuild it, no scruple was made of inhabiting it; for it afterwards became famous upon many accounts. Here the prophet sweetened the waters of the spring that supplied it, and the neighbouring countries. Here Herod built a sumptuous palace; it was the dwelling-place of Zaccheus, and was honoured with the presence of Christ, who vouchsafed likewise to work some miracles here. Univer. Hist. lib. 1. c. 7. B.

† Josh. vi. 26.

This is now wanting in Josephus.