Joshuachapter 6

The Walls of Jericho Fall Down — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

A.Seven priests, seven trumpets, one silent circuitvv. 1-11

1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor. 3 March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 5 And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your people will charge straight into the city.” 6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.” 7 And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.” 8 After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark. 10 But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there.

B.The seventh day, the shout, the wall flatvv. 12-21

12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD. 13 And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. 16 After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 17 Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. 19 For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.” 20 So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it. 21 At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

C.Rahab brought out; Jericho left under a cursevv. 22-27

22 Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” 23 So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. 24 Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. 25 And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day. 26 At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.” 27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

← Back: Joshua 5 Continue: Joshua 7 →

Chapter summary

Jericho is shut up straitly, and the strategy is liturgy: seven priests with seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark, one circuit a day for six days in silence, seven circuits on the seventh, then the long blast and the shout: 'and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city.' The city is devoted to Jehovah, its silver and gold and brass and iron going into his treasury; only Rahab and her father's household are brought out alive, and she dwells in Israel.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

History · Joshua — Joshua overview

A. 1–11 Seven priests, seven trumpets, one silent circuit
B. 12–21 The seventh day, the shout, the wall flat
C. 22–27 Rahab brought out; Jericho left under a curse

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Joshua 66 verses
- Joshua 6:3March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.
- Joshua 6:5And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your people will charge straight into the city.”
- Joshua 6:6So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”
- Joshua 6:13And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding.
- Joshua 6:15Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times.
- Joshua 6:17Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.
- Read Joshua 6 →
Hebrews 113 verses
- Hebrews 11:7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
- Hebrews 11:30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
- Hebrews 11:31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.
- Read Hebrews 11 →
Joshua 23 verses
- Joshua 2:6(But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)
- Joshua 2:9and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.
- Joshua 2:24“The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.”
- Read Joshua 2 →
Deuteronomy 72 verses
- Deuteronomy 7:2and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
- Deuteronomy 7:24He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you; you will annihilate them.
- Read Deuteronomy 7 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Joshua 82 verses
- Joshua 8:1Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
- Joshua 8:28So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
- Read Joshua 8 →
2 Chronicles 202 verses
- 2 Chronicles 20:17You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you.’”
- 2 Chronicles 20:22The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.
- Read 2 Chronicles 20 →
Deuteronomy 202 verses
- Deuteronomy 20:2When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army,
- Deuteronomy 20:17For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you,
- Read Deuteronomy 20 →
Joshua 32 verses
- Joshua 3:1Early the next morning Joshua got up and left Shittim with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
- Joshua 3:6And he said to the priests, “Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
- Read Joshua 3 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.