Joshua 6

1 Forsooth Jericho was (en)closed and warded, for the dread of the sons of Israel (for fear of the Israelites), and no man durst enter, either go out.

2 And the Lord said to Joshua, Lo! I have given into thine hands Jericho, and the king thereof, and all the strong men of it. (And the Lord said to Joshua, Lo! I have given Jericho into thy hands, and its king, and all the strong men there.)

3 All ye fighters, compass the city once by the day; so ye shall do in six days (so ye shall do for six days).

4 And in the seventh day, the priests shall take seven clarions, which be used in the jubilee; and they shall go before the ark of [the] bond of peace; and seven times ye shall compass the city, and the priests shall trump with the clarions. (And on the seventh day, the priests shall take seven trumpets, which be used on the Jubilee; and they shall go before the Ark of the Covenant; and seven times ye shall go around the city, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.)

5 And when the voice of the trump shall sound longer, and more by whiles, and shall sound in your ears, all the people shall cry together with (the) greatest cry; and the walls of the city shall fall all-down (and the city walls shall all fall down), and all (the) men shall enter by the place, against which they stand.

6 Therefore Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and said to them, Take ye the ark of the bond of peace, and seven other priests take they seven clarions of the jubilee years, and go they before the ark of the Lord. (And so Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and said to them, Take ye the Ark of the Covenant, and seven other priests take they seven trumpets used in the Jubilee years, and go they before the Ark of the Lord.)

7 Also Joshua said to the people, Go ye, and compass ye the city, and go ye armed before the ark of the Lord. (And Joshua said to the people, Go ye, and go ye around the city, and go ye armed before the Ark of the Lord.)

8 And when Joshua had ended these words, and the seven priests trumped with seven trumps before the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord, (And when Joshua had finished speaking, the seven priests blew the seven trumpets before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord,)

9 and all the people armed went before, and the tother common people of fighters followed the ark, and all things sounded with the trumps. (and all the armed men went before them, and the other common people of fighting men followed the Ark, and everything echoed with the sound of the trumpets.)

10 And Joshua commanded to the people, and said, Ye shall not cry, neither your voice shall be heard, neither any word shall go out of your mouth, till the day come, in which I shall say to you, Cry ye, and (then) make ye noise.

11 Therefore the ark of the Lord compassed the city once by the day, and it turned again into the tents, and dwelled there. (And so they took the Ark of the Lord around the city once that day, and then they returned to their tents, or the camp, and stayed there.)

12 Therefore while Joshua rose early in the morrowtide, [the] priests took the ark of the Lord; (And the next day, Joshua rose up early in the morning, and the priests again carried the Ark of the Lord;)

13 and seven of the priests took seven clarions, which were used in the jubilee, and the priests went before the ark of the Lord, and trumped; and the people went armed before them. And the tother common people followed the ark, and sounded with trumps. (and seven of the priests took up seven trumpets, which were used on the Jubilee, and they went before the Ark of the Lord, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them. And the other common people followed the Ark, the trumpets sounding as they went.)

14 And they compassed the city in the second day once, and turned again into the tents; so they did six days. (And they went around the city once on the second day, and then they returned to their tents; and so they did for six days.)

15 And in the seventh day they rose early, and compassed the city, as it was ordained, seven times. (And on the seventh day they all rose up early, and went around the city, as it was ordained, seven times.)

16 And when in the seventh compass, the priests sounded with clarions, Joshua said to all Israel, Cry ye, for the Lord hath betaken the city to us; (And on the seventh time around, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to all Israel, Shout ye, for the Lord hath delivered the city to us;)

17 and this city be cursed, either destroyed, and all things that be therein be hallowed to the Lord. (Let) Rahab the whore alone live, with all the men that be with her in the house; for she hid the messengers which we sent (for she hid the spies that we sent).

18 And be ye ware, lest ye touch anything of these [things] that be forbidden to you, and ye be guilty of trespassing; and all the tents of Israel be under sin, and be troubled (for then all the tents of Israel would be under sin, and we would be in great trouble).

19 For whatever thing is of gold, and of silver, and of brazen vessels, and of iron (vessels), be it hallowed to the Lord, and be it kept in his treasuries.

20 Then while all the people cried, and the trumps sounded, after that the sound sounded in the ears of the multitude, the walls felled down anon; and each man went up by the place that was against him. And they took the city, (Then while the trumpets sounded, and were heard in the ears of the multitude, all the people shouted, and the walls fell down at once; and each man advanced straight ahead. And they took the city,)

21 and they killed all things that were therein, from man unto woman, (and) from a young child unto an eld man; also they killed by sharpness of sword, oxen, sheep, and asses (and they killed by the sharpness of their swords, all the oxen, and the sheep, and the donkeys).

22 Forsooth Joshua said to [the] two men, that were sent (as) spyers, Enter ye into the house of the woman whore, and bring ye forth her, and all things that be hers, as ye made steadfast to her by an oath. (And Joshua said to the two men, who were sent as spies, Go ye into the house of the whore-woman, and bring ye her forth, and all the things that be hers, as ye made steadfast to her, that is, as ye promised her, by your oath.)

23 And the young men entered in, and they led out Rahab, and her father, and mother, and all her brethren, and all the purtenance of her, and kindred; and they made them to dwell without the tents of Israel. (And the young men went in, and they led out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and all her brothers, and sisters, yea, all her family, and all who belonged to her; and they let them live outside Israel's camp.)

24 And the men of Israel burnt the city, and all things that were found therein, except [the] gold, and silver, and brazen vessels, and iron (vessels), which they hallowed into the treasury of the Lord (which they put in the Lord's treasury).

25 Soothly Joshua made Rahab the whore to live, and her father's house(hold), and all things that she had; and they dwelled in the midst of Israel, unto this present day; for she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to espy Jericho. (And Joshua spared the lives of Rahab the whore, and her family, and all who belonged to her; and her descendants have lived in the midst of Israel unto this present day; for she hid the men, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.)

26 In that time Joshua prayed heartily, and said, Cursed before the Lord be the man, that raiseth up and buildeth (again) the city of Jericho! Lay he the foundaments thereof in his first engendered son, and put he the gates thereof in the last of his free children. (And at that time Joshua heartily prayed, and said, Cursed be the man before the Lord, who raiseth up and buildeth again this city of Jericho! May he lay its foundations at the cost of the life of his first-born son, and may he put up its gates at the cost of the life of his last child.)

27 Therefore the Lord was with Joshua, and his name was published in each land. (And so the Lord was with Joshua, and his name was made known throughout the land.)

Joshua 6 Commentary

Chapter 6

The siege of Jericho. (1-5) The city is compassed. (6-16) Jericho is taken, Rahab and her family are saved. (17-27)

Verses 1-5 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.

Verses 6-16 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.

Verses 17-27 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, ( Hebrews 11:31 ) . All her kindred were saved with her; thus faith in Christ brings salvation to the house, ( Acts 14:31 ) . 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.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 6

In this chapter Joshua is assured, though Jericho was closely shut up, it should be delivered into his hands, Jos 6:1,2; and he is directed, with the army, to go round the city six days together, seven priests bearing the ark of the Lord, with seven trumpets sounding; and on the seventh day to go round it seven times in like manner, when its wall should fall, Jos 6:3-5; which order Joshua communicated to the priests, and to the people, and which was put into execution by them, with some other instructions he gave them, Jos 6:6-16; particularly that the city, and all in it, should be devoted to the Lord, and none spared, but Rahab and her family, Jos 6:17-19; the success was according to the assurance given by the Lord, Jos 6:20; when all in the city were destroyed, and that was burnt with fire, and the gold, silver, brass, and iron, brought into the house of the Lord, and Rahab and her father's household were saved alive, Jos 6:21-25; and the chapter is closed with an adjuration of Joshua, cursing the man that should rebuild the city; and with this observation, that the fame of Joshua upon this was spread abroad throughout the country, Jos 6:26,27.