History · Chapter 6 of 24

Joshua 6

The LORD gives Joshua Jericho's battle plan: march around the shut city once a day for six days, with seven priests blowing rams' horns before the ark, then seven times on the seventh day, ending in a great shout. When they shout, the walls fall flat. Israel takes the city and devotes it to destruction, but spares Rahab and her household, as sworn, and burns the rest.

What happens in Joshua 6

Jericho is sealed tight against Israel. The LORD tells Joshua the city is already given, and prescribes an unusual siege: armed men, seven priests with rams' horn trumpets, and the ark are to circle the city once each day for six days in silence. On the seventh day they circle seven times, the priests blow a long blast, and at Joshua's command the people shout. Joshua orders the city devoted to the LORD, everything destroyed except Rahab's household, and warns against taking any devoted thing.

The people obey; when the trumpets sound and the people shout, the wall falls down flat, and they charge straight in and take the city. They destroy every living thing within, but the spies bring Rahab and all her family out safely. They burn the city, place its metals in the LORD's treasury, and Joshua pronounces a curse on anyone who rebuilds Jericho. So the LORD is with Joshua, and his fame spreads.

Joshua 6 in context

Jericho is the first and paradigmatic conquest, framed entirely as the LORD's victory won by obedient worship rather than military might. The devotion to destruction, called herem, treats the city as an offering given wholly to God, a severe judgment on Canaanite society that the text presents as divine, not a template for later warfare.

Rahab's rescue, promised in chapter 2, is kept precisely as sworn.

Main themes of Joshua 6

Joshua 6 (KJV)

1Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4And 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. 5And 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. 6And 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. 7And 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. 8And 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. 9And 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. 10And 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. 11So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and 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. 13And 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. 14And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. 15And 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. 16And 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. 17And 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. 18And 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. 19But 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. 20So 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. 21And 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. 22But 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. 23And 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. 24And 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. 25And 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. 26And 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. 27So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

Verses to carry from Joshua 6

“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.”Joshua 6:20

“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.”Joshua 6:25

“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.”Joshua 6:18

Reflection

Israel's part at Jericho was to march, keep silent, and shout on command, not to storm the wall. Sometimes obedience looks nothing like effort as we imagine it, and the breakthrough comes only after we have done the seemingly pointless thing God asked. Where is He asking you to obey before you understand?

A prayer from Joshua 6