Joshua Chapter 6

At a Glance

  • Joshua 6 dramatizes the famous siege of Jericho, where faith, obedience, and ritual converge to secure a seemingly impossible victory.
  • The chapter also emphasizes the importance of timing—silence until the commanded moment—so that the victory becomes God’s work, not human cunning.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Joshua 6 sits within the conquest narrative, a story-driven account of Israel’s settlement in Canaan.
  • - Divine initiative and peculiar methodology: Victory comes not by swords alone but by obedience to God’s instruction.

CHAPTER REFERENCE

Joshua 6

Chapter Overview

Joshua 6 dramatizes the famous siege of Jericho, where faith, obedience, and ritual converge to secure a seemingly impossible victory. The city is shut tight; the Lord’s word declares the fortified stronghold already given into Israel’s hand. The battle plan is unconventional: march around the city once for six days, with seven priests bearing trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; on the seventh day, march seven times, then give a loud shout and the walls will fall. The logistics emphasize order, faith, and patience; there is no weaponry, only obedience to God’s peculiar strategy. The Ark’s procession, the priests’ trumpet blasts, and the people’s restraint set the stage for a stunning divine intervention.

The chapter also emphasizes the importance of timing—silence until the commanded moment—so that the victory becomes God’s work, not human cunning. When Jericho falls, the city’s boldest defenses crumble, and the nation is reminded that ultimate power belongs to God. The careful obedience and ritual procession culminate in a miracle that redefines the people’s sense of divine presence and their own role within God’s redemptive plan.

Historical & Literary Context

Joshua 6 sits within the conquest narrative, a story-driven account of Israel’s settlement in Canaan. The genre blends military reporting with theological reflection, underscoring that victories occur through obedience to divine strategy rather than conventional warfare. Jericho’s fall becomes a theological statement about sovereignty, holiness, and the need to consecrate the land to Yahweh. The text signals a shift from past miracles to a new pattern of trusting God’s unusual means for future conquests.

Key Themes

- Divine initiative and peculiar methodology: Victory comes not by swords alone but by obedience to God’s instruction.

- Holiness of the land: The ark’s centrality and the ban (herem) on material spoil emphasize sacred space and exclusive devotion.

- Faith and restraint: The people must refrain from speaking or shouts until the appointed moment.

- The power of ritual procession: The march and trumpets enact a visible sign of covenant faithfulness.

- God’s sovereignty over geography: Jericho’s walls symbolize human security dissipating before God’s command.

Modern Application

Joshua 6 invites modern readers to reflect on how faith expresses itself in disciplines that feel counterintuitive. In contemporary life, “marching” around a problem in patient, prayerful obedience can symbolize persistent faith rather than visible strategy. The chapter challenges believers to trust Divine timing and to recognize that some battles require surrender of control to God’s plan. Practical takeaways:

- Reorienting strategy: When facing daunting tasks, seek God’s unusual guidance rather than defaulting to human tactics.

- Sacred boundaries: Honor what is sacred in the “land” of personal life—areas that require dedication and exclusive devotion.

- Rhythm of worship: Incorporate processional or ritual elements in communal worship to cultivate awe and obedience.

- Exodus 14 (miracle crossing and sea-vs.-land strategy)

- Joshua 5 (Gilgal, circumcision, and renewal)

- Joshua 7 (the consequences of disobedience)

- Psalm 46 (trust in God in times of upheaval)

- Moses (for leadership in wilderness-to-land transitions)

- Jesus (for themes of mission, obedience, and God’s kingdom through unlikely means)

Chapter Text

1

Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2

And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

3

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

4

And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5

And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

6

And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.

7

And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

8

And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

9

And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

10

And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

11

So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

12

And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

13

And 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 rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

14

And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

15

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

16

And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

17

And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

18

And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

19

But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

20

So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that 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

And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22

But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.

23

And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

24

And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

25

And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26

And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

27

So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

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