Joshua6
New International Version
1Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.
3March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.
4Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.
5When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
6So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”
7And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them.
9The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding.
10But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”
11So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.
12Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
13The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding.
14So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times.
16The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!
17The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.
18But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.
19All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”
20When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.
21They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
22Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.”
23So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
24Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.
25But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: “At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Joshua 6.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The siege of Jericho. (1–5). The city is compassed. (6–16). Jericho is taken, Rahab and her family are saved. (17–27).
vv1-5
Jericho resolves Israel shall not be its master. It shut itself up, being strongly fortified both by art and nature. Thus were they foolish, and their hearts hardened to their destruction; the miserable case of all that strengthen themselves against the Almighty. God resolves Israel shall be its master, and that quickly. No warlike preparations were to be made. By the uncommon method of besieging the city, the Lord honoured the ark, as the symbol of his presence, and showed that all the victories were from him. The faith and patience of the people were proved and increased.
vv6-16
Wherever the ark went, the people attended it. God's ministers, by the trumpet of the everlasting gospel, which proclaims liberty and victory, must encourage the followers of Christ in their spiritual warfare. As promised deliverances must be expected in God's way, so they must be expected in his time. At last the people were to shout: they did so, and the walls fell. This was a shout of faith; they believed the walls of Jericho would fall. It was a shout of prayer; they cry to Heaven for help, and help came.
vv17-27
Jericho was to be a solemn and awful sacrifice to the justice of God, upon those who had filled up the measure of their sins. So He appoints, from whom, as creatures, they received their lives, and to whom, as sinners, they had forfeited them. Rahab perished not with them that believed not, Heb 11:31. All her kindred were saved with her; thus faith in Christ brings salvation to the house, Ac 16:31. She, and they with her, were plucked as brands from the burning. With Rahab, or with the men of Jericho; our portion must be assigned, as we posses or disregard the sign of salvation; even faith in Christ, which worketh by love. Let us remember what depends upon our choice, and let us choose accordingly. God shows the weight of a Divine curse; where it rests there is no getting from under it; for it brings ruin without remedy.
Key Words
יְרִיחוֹ: Jericho or Jerecho, a place in Palestine
סָגַר: to shut up; figuratively, to surrender
פָּנִים: the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
אַיִן: a non-entity; generally used as a negative particle
יָצָא: to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
יְהוֹשׁוּעַ: Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader
Cross References
Joshua 6Direct, historical fulfillment of Joshua's prophetic curse when Hiel rebuilt Jericho under Ahab's reign.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament commentary highlighting that the walls of Jericho fell specifically by faith.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
New Testament commendation of Rahab's faith saving her from perishing with the unbelievers.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The Hebrew 'horns of jubilee' connects the trumpets to the Year of Jubilee proclamation.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The law of the 'cherem' or devoted thing, meaning devoted entirely to destruction or God.
Supported by JFB
Direct consequence of Israel violating the command to keep away from the accursed thing.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Mosaic command to utterly destroy the Canaanites as a divine judgment.
Supported by JFB
The oath the spies swore to Rahab, which Joshua commands them to fulfill.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Spiritual parallel of pulling down strongholds with weapons not of carnal warfare.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Rahab's incorporation into Israel, culminating in her placement in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Rahab justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Contextual link; the speaker is the Captain of the Lord's Host introduced in chapter 5.
Supported by JFB
The command to blow an alarm with trumpets to be remembered before the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Historical parallel of victory achieved through blowing trumpets, shouting, and minimal weapon use.
Supported by Matthew Henry