Joshua6

Joshua 6 details the miraculous capture of Jericho by the Israelites. Following divine instructions, they marched around the city once daily for six days, with priests blowing trumpets before the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day, after seven circuits and a great shout from the people, Jericho's walls collapsed, allowing Israel to conquer the city and utterly destroy its inhabitants, sparing only Rahab and her household.

God Commands the Siege of Jericho

1
Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. ​
2
The LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. ​
3
All your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days.
4
Seven priests shall bear seven shofars of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the shofars. ​
5
It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the shofar, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.” ​

Obedience and the Daily March

6
Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven shofars of rams’ horns before the LORD’s ark.”
7
They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the LORD’s ark.”
8
It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven shofars of rams’ horns before the LORD advanced, and blew the shofars; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
9
The armed men went before the priests who blew the shofars, and the ark went after them. The shofars sounded as they went. ​
10
Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” ​
11
So he caused the LORD’s ark to go around the city, going about it once. Then they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12
Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the LORD’s ark.
13
The seven priests bearing the seven shofars of rams’ horns before the LORD’s ark went on continually, and blew the shofars: and the armed men went before them. The rear guard came after the LORD’s ark. The shofars sounded as they went.
14
The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days. ​

The Walls Fall and the City Is Destroyed

15
On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times. ​
16
At the seventh time, when the priests blew the shofars, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city! ​
17
The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. ​
18
But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so would you make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. ​
19
But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy to the LORD. They shall come into the LORD’s treasury.” ​
20
So the people shouted, and the priests blew the shofars. When the people heard the sound of the shofar, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. ​
21
They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. ​

Rahab and Her Family Are Saved

22
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.”
23
The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. ​
24
They burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.
25
But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. ​

Joshua's Curse and Fame

26
Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before the LORD, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” ​
27
So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land. ​

Study Notes for Joshua 6

Verse 1

Jericho, the first city encountered west of the Jordan, was highly fortified. The phrase 'straitly shut up' emphasizes the impossibility of Israel taking the city through conventional military means, setting the stage for a divine miracle.

Verse 2

The Lord speaks in the perfect tense: 'I have given.' The victory is presented as a completed action, emphasizing that the battle is God's, and the subsequent actions of Israel are ritual obedience rather than military strategy.

Verse 4

The number seven dominates this plan (seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days, seven circuits). This number often signifies completion, perfection, or holiness, underscoring the sacred nature of this ritualized warfare. The trumpets (shofarot) were ram's horns used both for religious festivals and war alarms.

Verse 5

The walls 'fall down flat' (Hebrew: *tahteyha*). This implies the walls collapsed straight down into their foundations, creating a ramp for the attackers to ascend, validating the instructions to ascend 'straight before him.'

Verse 9

The marching formation placed the Ark of the Covenant—the symbol of God’s presence—at the center, flanked by armed men (protection) and the priests blowing the trumpets (signaling divine action). This procession was more theological than tactical.

Verse 10

The enforced silence was crucial. It prevented Israel from claiming the victory through human strength or psychological warfare, ensuring that the miraculous collapse would be attributed solely to the power of the LORD.

Verse 14

The daily routine emphasizes the importance of sustained, patient obedience to God’s specific, unusual instructions, even when they seem repetitive or ineffective.

Verse 15

The seventh day required an extraordinary effort, marching seven times—a final, climactic act of faith and perseverance before the divine intervention.

Verse 16

The shout is not a battle cry meant to scare the enemy, but an act of faith and praise, signifying that God has fulfilled His promise and delivered the city.

Verse 17

The city is declared *herem* ('accursed' or 'devoted to destruction'). This dedication meant that everything in the city was to be destroyed or consecrated to God, preventing Israel from profiting from the conquest of this first fruit of the land.

Verse 18

This warning against taking the accursed thing acts as a theological preparation for the events of Chapter 7 (Achan’s sin), where disobedience to the *herem* results in disastrous consequences for the entire community.

Verse 19

Precious metals and durable vessels were exceptions to the destruction, consecrated to the LORD's treasury. They were too valuable to be destroyed but were also forbidden for personal use, acknowledging God’s sovereignty over all material wealth.

Verse 20

The immediate and complete collapse confirms that the victory was achieved not by the sound of the trumpets or the volume of the shout, but by the power of God responding to Israel's obedience.

Verse 21

The total destruction of life and livestock fulfills the command of *herem*, removing the spiritual and cultural contamination of the Canaanite population before Israel settled the land.

Verse 23

Rahab and her family are brought out but initially left 'without the camp.' This temporary exclusion suggests a period of ritual cleansing and assimilation before being fully integrated into the community of Israel.

Verse 25

Rahab’s salvation is highlighted as a reward for her faith and loyalty to the Israelite God (see Hebrews 11:31). She later became an ancestress of King David and, ultimately, of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).

Verse 26

This solemn curse symbolically dedicates Jericho to perpetual ruin. The curse of losing the oldest son at the foundation and the youngest son at the setting of the gates was literally fulfilled centuries later by Hiel the Bethelite (1 Kings 16:34).

Verse 27

The chapter concludes by linking Joshua’s success and growing reputation directly to the presence of the LORD, affirming that national success is dependent upon divine partnership.

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