Joshua6
New King James Version
1Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
2And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
3You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
4And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
5It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
6Then 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 trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”
7And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.”
8So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.
9The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.
10Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.”
11So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
12And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
13Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.
14And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.
15But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times.
16And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!
17Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
19But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”
20So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.”
23And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.
24But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
25And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”
27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.
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