The city and everything in it must be totally destroyed may require the shift to an active construction, identifying the persons who are to destroy the city: “You must totally destroy the city and everything in it. In this way you will dedicate it to the LORD.” Or “… In this way you will show that it is an offering to the LORD.” The reader may find it difficult to reconcile the giving of the city to the people by the Lord with the requirement to give it to him as an offering. Therefore it would help at the end of verse 16 to translate “The LORD will let you conquer the city” or “The LORD has placed the city in your power.”

The noun everything may also be misunderstood to include only inanimate objects. But the word is intended to be comprehensive, to include buildings, people, and animals. It may then be translated, “Destroy every building in the city, and kill all its people and their animals.” Or “Completely destroy the city, and kill every living thing in it, people and animals alike.”

Must be totally destroyed as an offering translates the Hebrew expression “shall be a dedicated offering” (Revised Standard Version “shall be devoted … for destruction”); the Hebrew noun “dedicated offering” qualifies an object (or a person) that has been dedicated exclusively to the Lord’s use; and since it cannot be used for ordinary purposes it can only be completely destroyed (see Lev 27.28-29). So all the inhabitants and all the animals in Jericho are killed (verse 21), with the exception of Rahab and her family (verses 17b, 22-25).

The last sentence of this verse may need to be inverted and her household made explicit: “But remember that the prostitute Rahab hid our spies. So we promised to spare her and everyone who is in her house.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .