Text: Joshua 6:17
OT Text Referred to: Deuteronomy 7:2
Subject: herem devotion at Jericho
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Joshua 6:17 declares that Jericho and everything in it shall be חֵרֶם (cherem, "devoted to destruction") to the LORD, directly applying the Deuteronomy 7:2 command to devote the Canaanite nations to complete destruction (הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִים, hacharem tacharim). The Jericho narrative represents the first implementation of this Deuteronomic mandate in the conquest, with Rahab's household as the sole exception. Joshua's declaration that the city is cherem establishes the theological framework for the entire conquest: the land's inhabitants are under divine ban, and Israel acts as the instrument of God's judgment. The immediate sequel in Joshua 7 (Achan's violation of the cherem) demonstrates how seriously this designation was enforced.