Joshua 6:18

“And you in any wise keep [yourselves] from the accursed thing, etc.] From laying hold on, secreting, and enjoying as their own, what was devoted to another use: lest ye make [yourselves] accursed; or a “cherem”, also devoted to destruction: when ye take of the accursed thing; any part of it, be it what it will, gold or any other metal, or raiment, and the like: and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it; for being done secretly, and not known who did it, the whole body of the people would be chargeable with it, and suffer on account of it, unless discovered and punished, and as more fully appears by an after instance.”

“and ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing--Generally they were at liberty to take the spoil of other cities that were captured (Deu 2:35; Deu 3:7; Jos 8:27). But this, as the first fruits of Canaan, was made an exception; nothing was to be spared but Rahab and those in her house [Jos 6:17]. A violation of these stringent orders would not only render the guilty persons obnoxious to the curse, but entail distress and adversity upon all Israel, by provoking the divine displeasure. These were the instructions given, or repeated (Deu 13:17; Deu 7:26), previous to the last act of the siege.”

“A curse - By provoking God to punish them for your sin, in which they may be one way or other involved; or the whole camp having sins of their own, God might take what occasion he saw fit to inflict this punishment. Joshua 6:19”

“in any wise: Rom 12:9; Co2 6:17; Eph 5:11; Jam 1:27; Jo1 5:21 lest ye make: Jos 7:1, Jos 7:11, Jos 7:12, Jos 7:15; Deu 7:26, Deu 13:17 make the camp: Jos 7:11, Jos 7:12, Jos 22:18-20; Sa1 14:28-42; Ecc 9:18; Jon 1:12 and trouble it: Jos 7:25; Sa2 21:1; Kg1 18:17, Kg1 18:18 Joshua 6:19”