Joshua 6:21
in Joshua 6At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Joshua 6
Commentary
2 notes on this verseAnd 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, Deu 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.
This site's exposition
they utterly destroyed all that
One verse carries the ban executed, and it is stated without softening and without explanation. The ground Scripture gives is laid down long before this chapter: Genesis 15:16 says the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full, which makes the four hundred years a delay, and Leviticus 18:24-28 places the ground in what the inhabitants had done. Serious readers differ sharply over how to hold this verse, and the verse itself gives one clause and no discussion.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיַּחֲרִ֙ימוּ֙ | vaiyacharimu | and they totally destroyed | H2763 → | 52 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בָּעִ֔יר | bair | [was] in the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| מֵאִישׁ֙ | meish | from man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| אִשָּׁ֔ה | ʾishah | woman | H802 → | 781 times |
| מִנַּ֖עַר | minaar | from young man | H5288 → | |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| זָקֵ֑ן | zaken | old [man] | H2205 → | 178 times |
| וְעַ֨ד | vead | and unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| שׁ֥וֹר | shor | ox[en] | H7794 → | |
| וָשֶׂ֛ה | vaseh | and sheep | H7716 → | |
| וַחֲמ֖וֹר | vachamor | and donkey[s] | H2543 → | 96 times |
| לְפִי־ | lefi- | to [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| חָֽרֶב׃ | charev | [the] sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
וַֽיַּחֲרִ֙ימוּ֙and they totally destroyed
vaiyacharimuH2763 →52 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בָּעִ֔יר[was] in the city
bairH5892 →1090 times
מֵאִישׁ֙from man
meishH376 →1663 times
וְעַד־and unto
vead-H5704 →1261 times
אִשָּׁ֔הwoman
ʾishahH802 →781 times
מִנַּ֖עַרfrom young man
minaarH5288 →
וְעַד־and unto
vead-H5704 →1261 times
זָקֵ֑ןold [man]
zakenH2205 →178 times
וְעַ֨דand unto
veadH5704 →1261 times
שׁ֥וֹרox[en]
shorH7794 →
וָשֶׂ֛הand sheep
vasehH7716 →
וַחֲמ֖וֹרand donkey[s]
vachamorH2543 →96 times
לְפִי־to [the] mouth of
lefi-H6310 →498 times
חָֽרֶב׃[the] sword
charevH2719 →413 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 18:21Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:63–64
When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates.
- Ezekiel 26:21
I will make you an object of horror, and you will be no more. You will be sought, but will never be found,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
- Revelation 5:2
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
- Jeremiah 51:63–64
Through
1 Samuel 15:3Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and…
it leads to
- Numbers 24:20
Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Amalek was first among the nations, but his end is destruction.”
- Deuteronomy 20:16–18
However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
- Isaiah 14:21–22
Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the iniquities of their forefathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or cover the earth with their cities.
- Numbers 24:20
Through
Jeremiah 48:18Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.
it leads to
- Numbers 21:30
But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We demolished them as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”
- Isaiah 47:1
“Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of Chaldea! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate.
- Numbers 21:30
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Joshua

This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
