THE BOOK OF
JOSHUA.

Joshua 6

1Jericho is shut up. 2God instructeth Joshua how to carry on the siege. 6Joshua directeth the priests with the ark followed by the people to compass the city. 8It is compassed six days; and on the seventh day it is compassed seven times. 17The city is accursed. 20At the people's shout the walls fall down, and the city is utterly destroyed. 22Rahab is saved. 26The man that buildeth Jericho again is laid under a curse.


1NOW Jericho was straitly shut up 1because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

1 Namely, for fear of the children of Israel.

2And 2the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

2 At Joshua 5:13, He is called a man.

3And ye shall compassa the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

a make a circuit, surround*

4And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven 3trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

3 That is, trumpets made of rams’ horns.

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 4wall of the city shall fall 5down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

4 Understand this only a part of the wall; for if the entire wall had fallen, then must also Rahab’s house have fallen, for it stood upon the wall, Joshua 2:15.

5 Hebr. at its place.

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.

7And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is 6armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

6 That is, prepared.

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 7before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and 8the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

7 See the annotation at Joshua 4 on verse 13.

8 That is, the ark in which the two tables were laid, on which the covenant was written.

9¶And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the 9rerewardb came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

9 See Num. 10 on verse 25.

b rear ward, rearguard*

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.

12¶And 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.

1710And 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 11hid the messengers that 12we sent.

10 See Deut. 2:34.

11 Some read it, well, or diligently hid.

12 Namely, I and the rulers, without the peoples’ notice, Joshua 2:1, 4, 6.

18And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves 13accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

13 That is, be not a cause that ye be destroyed.

19Butc all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are 14consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

c Num. 31:45.

14 Hebr. holiness.

20So the people shouted when 15the 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, thatd the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

15 Or, they, namely, the seven priests.

d Heb. 11:30.

21And 16they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with 17the edge of the sword.

16 That is, they utterly destroyed all, as the manner was to deal with things banned or accursed. See Deut. 2 on verse 34.

17 Hebr. the mouth 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, ase ye sware unto her.

e Joshua 2:14; Heb. 11:31.

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 18all her kindred, and 19left them without the camp of Israel.

18 Or, generations, or kindreds, namely, which were allied to her.

19 Namely, so long time, until they were well instructed in the religion of the Israelites, and so admitted into the congregation of God; see Deut. 21:10.

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 20house of the LORD.

20 Namely, the tabernacle. See verse 19; Num. 31:54.

25And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; 21and she dwelleth in Israel even 22unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

21 Yea, she was married afterward in the tribe of Judah, unto Salmon, the son of Naasson, Mat. 1:5.

22 This does not preclude, that Rahab and her posterity did not likewise after that time dwell among the Israelites.

26¶And Joshua 23adjured 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 24in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

23 Namely, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

24 Or, because, for, that is, it shall cost him the life of his firstborn son. See the fulfilling hereof in Hiel and his sons, 1 Kings 16:34.

27So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame 25was noised throughout all the country.

25 Hebr. was, that is, they talked of him in all the circumjacent countries.