Joshua 6
6
The Conquest of Jericho
1Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites — no one leaving or entering. 2The Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its best soldiers over to you.#Dt 7:24; Jos 2:9,24; 8:1; Neh 9:24 3March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the rams’ horns.#Ex 19:13; Ps 24:7; Is 18:3; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:16; Rv 11:15 5When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”
6So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7He said to the troops, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8After Joshua had spoken to the troops, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved forward and blew the rams’ horns; the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of the priests who blew the rams’ horns, and the rear guard went behind the ark.#Is 52:12 10But Joshua had commanded the troops, “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, ‘Shout! ’ Then you are to shout.” 11So the ark of the Lord was carried around the city, circling it once. They returned to the camp and spent the night there.#6:11 Lit at the camp
12Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests took the ark of the Lord, 13and the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns marched in front of the ark of the Lord. While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the Lord. 14On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times. 16After the seventh time, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua said to the troops, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. 17But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction.#Lv 27:29; Dt 7:26; 13:17; Jos 7:1 Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live,#Dt 7:2 because she hid the messengers we sent. 18But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you#6:18 LXX reads you covet and; Jos 7:21 take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and make trouble for it. 19For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.”#1Kg 7:51; 14:26; 15:18
20So the troops shouted, and the rams’ horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the ram’s horn, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed.#Heb 11:30 The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. 21They completely destroyed#Jos 2:10; 8:26 everything in the city with the sword — every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.
Rahab and Her Family Spared
22Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”#Jos 2:14 23So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel#Ex 6:23; Ru 4:21–22; 1Ch 2:10–12; Mt 1:4–5 today.#Jos 4:9; 5:9; 7:26; 14:14; 15:63
26At that time Joshua imposed this curse:
The man who undertakes
the rebuilding of this city, Jericho,
is cursed before the Lord.#Dt 27:15; 1Sm 14:24; Jr 11:3; 20:15
He will lay its foundation
at the cost of his firstborn;
he will finish its gates
at the cost of his youngest.#1Kg 16:34
27And the Lord was with Joshua,#Gn 39:2,21; Jdg 1:19,22; 2:18; 1Sm 3:19; 18:12; 1Kg 1:37; 2Kg 18:7; 1Ch 9:20; 2Ch 17:3 and his fame spread throughout the land.
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Joshua 6: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Joshua 6
6
1 Now Jericho#map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1. was shut tightly#tn Heb “was shutting and shut up.” HALOT 2:743 paraphrases, “blocking [any way of access] and blocked [against any who would leave].” because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter.#tn Heb “there was no one going out and there was no one coming in.” 2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you,#tn Heb “I have given into your hand Jericho.” The Hebrew verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, “I have given”) is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action. The Hebrew pronominal suffix “your” is singular, being addressed to Joshua as the leader and representative of the nation. To convey to the modern reader what is about to happen and who is doing it, the translation “I am about to defeat Jericho for you” has been used. along with its king and its warriors. 3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time;#tn Heb “and go around the city, all [you] men of war, encircling the city one time.” The Hebrew verb וְסַבֹּתֶם (vÿsabbotem, “and go around”) is plural, being addressed to the whole army. do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns#tn Heb “rams’ horns, trumpets.” in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn,#tn Heb “and it will be at the sounding of the horn, the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn.” The text of Josh 6:5 seems to be unduly repetitive, so for the sake of English style and readability, it is best to streamline the text here. The reading in the Hebrew looks like a conflation of variant readings, with the second (“when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn”) being an interpolation that assimilates the text to verse 20 (“when the army heard the sound of the horn”). Note that the words “when you hear the sound of the ram's horn” do not appear in the LXX of verse 5. have the whole army give a loud battle cry.#tn Heb “all the people will shout with a loud shout.” Then the city wall will collapse#tn Heb “fall in its place.” and the warriors should charge straight ahead.”#tn Heb “and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he told#tn An alternative reading is “and they said.” In this case the subject is indefinite and the verb should be translated as passive, “[the army] was told.” the army,#tn Heb “the people.” “Move ahead#tn Heb “pass by.” and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8 When Joshua gave the army its orders,#tn Heb “when Joshua spoke to the people.” the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind. 9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns. 10 Now Joshua had instructed the army,#tn Heb “the people.” “Do not give a battle cry#tn Or “the shout.” or raise your voices; say nothing#tn Heb “do not let a word come out of your mouths.” until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’#tn Or “the shout.” Then give the battle cry!”#tn Or “the shout.” 11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time.#tn Heb “and he made the ark of the Lord go around the city, encircling one time.” Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.#tn Heb “and they entered the camp and spent the night in the camp.”
12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of the Lord.#tn Heb “Joshua rose early in the morning and the priests picked up the ark of the Lord.” 13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark of the Lord blowing rams’ horns. 14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.
15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn#tn Heb “On the seventh day they rose early, when the dawn ascended.” and marched around the city as before – only this time they marched around it seven times.#tn Heb “and they went around the city according to this manner seven times, only on that day they went around the city seven times.” 16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told the army,#tn Heb “the people.” “Give the battle cry,#tn Or “the shout.” for the Lord is handing the city over to you!#tn Heb “for the Lord has given to you the city.” The verbal form is a perfect, probably indicating certitude here. 17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord,#tn Or “dedicated to the Lord.”sn To make the city set apart for the Lord would involve annihilating all the people and animals and placing its riches in the Lord’s treasury (vv. 19, 21, 24). except for Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the spies#tn Heb “messengers.” we sent. 18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for the Lord. If you take any of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster.#tn Heb “Only you keep [away] from what is set apart [to the Lord] so that you might not, as you are setting [it] apart, take some of what is set apart [to the Lord] and make the camp of Israel set apart [to destruction by the Lord] and bring trouble on it.” 19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord.#tn Heb “it is holy to the Lord.” They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”
20 The rams’ horns sounded#tc Heb “and the people shouted and they blew the rams’ horns.” The initial statement (“and the people shouted”) seems premature, since the verse goes on to explain that the battle cry followed the blowing of the horns. The statement has probably been accidentally duplicated from what follows. It is omitted in the LXX. and when the army#tn Heb “the people.” heard the signal,#tn Heb “the sound of the horn.” they gave a loud battle cry.#tn Heb “they shouted with a loud shout.” The wall collapsed#tn Heb “fell in its place.” and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it.#tn Heb “and the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured the city.” 21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city,#tn Heb “all which was in the city.” including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house#tn Heb “the house of the woman, the prostitute.” and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.”#tn Heb “and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore on oath to her.” 23 So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a place outside#tn Or “placed them outside.” the Israelite camp. 24 But they burned#tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.” the city and all that was in it, except for the silver, gold, and bronze and iron items they put in the treasury of the Lord’s house.#tn Heb “the treasury of the house of the Lord.” Technically the Lord did not have a “house” yet, so perhaps this refers to the tabernacle using later terminology. 25 Yet Joshua spared#tn Heb “kept alive.” Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family,#tn Heb the house of her father.” and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel#tn Or “among the Israelites”; Heb “in the midst of Israel.” to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.#map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1. 26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration:#tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the Lord” spoken through Joshua. “The man who attempts to rebuild#tn Heb “rises up and builds.” this city of Jericho#tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition. will stand condemned before the Lord.#tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the Lord”) also occurs in 1 Sam 26:19. He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!”#tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation. 27 The Lord was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land.#tn Heb “and the report about him was in all the land.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) may also be translated “earth.”
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