The Meaning of Joshua 6:18 Explained

Joshua 6:18

KJV: And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

YLT: and surely ye have kept from the devoted thing, lest ye devote yourselves, and have taken from the devoted thing, and have made the camp of Israel become a devoted thing, and have troubled it;

Darby: But in any wise keep from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed in taking of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

ASV: But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when ye have devoted it, ye take of the devoted thing; so would ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And ye, in any wise  keep  [yourselves] from the accursed thing,  lest ye make [yourselves] accursed,  when ye take  of the accursed thing,  and make  the camp  of Israel  a curse,  and trouble  it. 

What does Joshua 6:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 6:12-21 - Jericho Taken And "devoted"
"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down," Hebrews 11:30. Whose faith? To some extent it was the faith of the people, who marched round them day by day in full assurance that God would not fail. But Joshua and Caleb pre-eminently were deeply concerned in the wonderful result. See Mark 11:23-24.
To the citizens the action of the Israelite invaders must have appeared incomprehensible and even ludicrous. What do these feeble folk? But God's people were being daily trained in patience, obedience and humility. Let God perform all things for you! Many strongholds of the enemy which now remain obstinate would fall if only all the Church would encompass them in faith, 2 Corinthians 10:4.
The utter destruction of the city and its people was in keeping with the usage of that age. Without doubt the city might have been a prolific source of infection. Still, its fate was terrible. We learn that God can lift human ideals by very slow, protracted processes. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 6

1  Jericho is shut up
2  God instructs Joshua how to beseige it
12  The city is composed
17  It is accursed
20  The walls fall down
22  Rahab is saved
26  The builder of Jericho is cursed

What do the individual words in Joshua 6:18 mean?

And by all means you abstain from the accursed things lest you become accursed and when you take of the accursed things and make - the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it
וְרַק־ אַתֶּם֙ שִׁמְר֣וּ מִן־ הַחֵ֔רֶם פֶּֽן־ תַּחֲרִ֖ימוּ וּלְקַחְתֶּ֣ם מִן־ הַחֵ֑רֶם וְשַׂמְתֶּ֞ם אֶת־ מַחֲנֵ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לְחֵ֔רֶם וַעֲכַרְתֶּ֖ם אוֹתֽוֹ

וְרַק־  And  by  all  means 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: רַק  
Sense: only, altogether, surely.
שִׁמְר֣וּ  abstain 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
הַחֵ֔רֶם  the  accursed  things 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵרֶם 
Sense: a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion.
פֶּֽן־  lest 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
תַּחֲרִ֖ימוּ  you  become  accursed 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: חָרַם 
Sense: to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate.
וּלְקַחְתֶּ֣ם  and  when  you  take 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
הַחֵ֑רֶם  the  accursed  things 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵרֶם 
Sense: a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion.
וְשַׂמְתֶּ֞ם  and  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מַחֲנֵ֤ה  the  camp 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לְחֵ֔רֶם  a  curse 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵרֶם 
Sense: a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion.
וַעֲכַרְתֶּ֖ם  and  trouble 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: עָכַר  
Sense: to trouble, stir up, disturb, make (someone) taboo.