Hiel

Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt the city of Jericho during the reign of King Ahab of Israel, an act that fulfilled the curse Joshua had pronounced at the original conquest: that the man who rebuilt Jericho would lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son (1 Kings 16:34; Joshua 6:26). When Hiel laid the foundation, Abiram his firstborn died, and when he set up the gates, Segub his youngest died. This grim fulfillment is presented in the narrative as evidence that the prophetic word of Scripture remains effective across centuries.