Joshua 6:21

21 And they utterly destroyed {by the edge of the sword} all who [were] in the city, both men and women, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey.

Joshua 6:21 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 6:21

And 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, ( Deuteronomy 7:1 Deuteronomy 7:2 ) ; being guilty of capital crimes, which deserved death, as idolatry, incest

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 ) .

Joshua 6:21 In-Context

19 But all of the silver and gold, and the items of bronze and iron, [are] holy to Yahweh, and they must go to Yahweh's treasury."

20 So the people shouted, and they blew on the trumpets. And when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell flat. {The people charged, each one straight ahead into the city}, and they captured it.

21 And they utterly destroyed {by the edge of the sword} all who [were] in the city, both men and women, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey.

22 Then Joshua said to the two men who spied on the land, "Go [to] the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, just as you swore to her."

23 So the young men who were spies went and brought Rahab and her father and mother, her brothers, and all who were with her. And they brought all her family out and set them outside the camp of Israel.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "by the mouth of [the] sword"