Joshua 6 Study Notes: The Fall of Jericho
Israel marches silently around Jericho once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh, as priests blow rams' horns ahead of the ark. At the shout the wall collapses, the city is destroyed under God's judgment, Rahab and her family are spared, and Joshua curses anyone who rebuilds it.
General
What did Joshua's solemn oath say about anyone who would rebuild Jericho (6:26)?
Answer: It would cost him both his eldest and youngest sons
Joshua pronounced a curse before the LORD on any man who rebuilt Jericho: laying its foundations would cost him his firstborn son, and setting up its gates would cost him his youngest (6:26). Long afterward, in the days of King Ahab, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho and lost his firstborn Abiram and his youngest Segub, in line with the word given through Joshua (1 Kings 16:34). What God declares comes to pass; He does not lie or fail to act on what He has spoken (Numbers 23:19).
- Joshua 6:26 (BSB)“At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.””Joshua pronounces a curse before the LORD on anyone who rebuilds Jericho.
- 1 Kings 16:34 (BSB)“In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.”In Ahab's day Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho and lost his eldest and youngest sons, as the LORD had spoken through Joshua.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie or change His mind; what He speaks, He carries out.
Theological
What does Joshua's oath in 6:26 pronounce on whoever rebuilds Jericho?
Answer: It would cost him both his eldest and youngest sons
Joshua invokes a curse before the LORD: whoever refounds Jericho will lose his firstborn with its foundations and his youngest with its gates (6:26). Scripture records the fulfillment in Ahab's reign, when Hiel of Bethel rebuilt the city and lost his firstborn Abiram and his youngest Segub, as the LORD had foretold through Joshua (1 Kings 16:34). The episode shows the reliability of God's spoken word across the generations: He does not speak and then fail to act (Numbers 23:19).
- Joshua 6:26 (BSB)“At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.””Joshua pronounces a curse before the LORD on anyone who rebuilds Jericho.
- 1 Kings 16:34 (BSB)“In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.”In Ahab's day Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho and lost his eldest and youngest sons, as the LORD had spoken through Joshua.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie or change His mind; what He speaks, He carries out.
General
What did Joshua declare about Jericho just before the wall fell (6:17)?
Answer: It was set apart to the LORD to be destroyed, sparing Rahab's house
Joshua declared that Jericho and all it held were devoted to destruction, meaning given over wholly to the LORD in judgment, so nothing could be kept as ordinary plunder. Only Rahab and the people sheltering in her home would live, because she had hidden the spies (6:17). Israel then destroyed every living thing in the city (6:21). Scripture gives the reason. God had told Abraham that his descendants would return only when the sin of the Amorites was complete (Genesis 15:16); He drove the nations out for their wickedness, not because Israel was righteous (Deuteronomy 9:4-5); and He did it so they could not teach Israel their detestable worship (Deuteronomy 20:17-18). This was God's judgment, carried out at His direct command at a unique moment in His plan, not a pattern for any later people. Even here, mercy was shown to Rahab, who had turned to the LORD.
- Joshua 6:17 (BSB)“Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.”Joshua declares the city devoted to the LORD for destruction, except Rahab and those with her.
- Genesis 15:16 (BSB)“In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.””God told Abraham his descendants would return only when the Amorites' iniquity was complete.
- Deuteronomy 9:4-5 (BSB)“When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”God drove out the nations because of their wickedness, not because of Israel's righteousness.
- Deuteronomy 20:17-18 (BSB)“For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”The command was given so that these nations could not teach Israel their detestable practices.
Theological
What declaration does Joshua make about Jericho in 6:17?
Answer: It was set apart to the LORD to be destroyed, sparing Rahab's house
Joshua pronounces the city devoted to destruction, given over to the LORD, wholly consecrated to Him in judgment, with the sole exception of Rahab and her household, spared for hiding the messengers (6:17); the sentence is carried out in 6:21. Scripture grounds the judgment in God's justice: Israel's entry waited until the Amorites' iniquity was full (Genesis 15:16), the nations were dispossessed for their own wickedness and not Israel's merit (Deuteronomy 9:4-5), and the purpose included protecting Israel from their detestable worship (Deuteronomy 20:17-18). It was a judicial act at God's explicit command at a unique point in redemptive history, not a model for any later nation, and the sparing of a Canaanite who believed shows mercy within judgment.
- Joshua 6:17 (BSB)“Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.”Joshua declares the city devoted to the LORD for destruction, except Rahab and those with her.
- Genesis 15:16 (BSB)“In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.””God told Abraham his descendants would return only when the Amorites' iniquity was complete.
- Deuteronomy 9:4-5 (BSB)“When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”God drove out the nations because of their wickedness, not because of Israel's righteousness.
- Deuteronomy 20:17-18 (BSB)“For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”The command was given so that these nations could not teach Israel their detestable practices.
General
Before Israel marched even once, what did the LORD tell Joshua about Jericho (6:2)?
Answer: He had already handed the city and its king to Joshua
Jericho was locked up tight because of Israel, with no one going out or coming in (6:1). Yet before a single step was taken, the LORD spoke of the victory as already done: He had given Jericho, together with the king and his fighting men, into Joshua's hand (6:2). The spies had said the same about the whole land (2:24), and Moses had promised that the LORD would go ahead of Israel and subdue its enemies (Deuteronomy 9:3), fighting for His people to give them victory (Deuteronomy 20:4). Israel's part was to trust God's word and obey His instructions.
- Joshua 6:1-2 (BSB)“Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.”Jericho is shut tight, yet the LORD tells Joshua He has delivered the city into his hand.
- Joshua 2:24 (BSB)““The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.””The spies had already reported that the LORD had given the land into Israel's hands.
- Deuteronomy 9:3 (BSB)“But understand that today the LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them swiftly, as the LORD has promised you.”Moses promised that the LORD would go ahead of Israel and subdue its enemies.
- Deuteronomy 20:4 (BSB)“For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.””The LORD goes with His people to fight for them and give them victory.
Theological
How does the LORD describe Jericho's fate in 6:2, before any march has taken place?
Answer: He had already handed the city and its king to Joshua
Although Jericho is sealed against Israel (6:1), the LORD speaks of its conquest as an accomplished fact: He has delivered the city along with the king and his fighters into Joshua's hand (6:2). The victory is God's gift, settled by His word before Israel acts, as the spies had already concluded about the whole land (2:24). This rests on the promises of Deuteronomy that the LORD Himself goes ahead to subdue the enemy (Deuteronomy 9:3) and fights for His people (Deuteronomy 20:4). Israel's obedience in the following days is the response of faith to a promise already given.
- Joshua 6:1-2 (BSB)“Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.”Jericho is shut tight, yet the LORD tells Joshua He has delivered the city into his hand.
- Joshua 2:24 (BSB)““The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.””The spies had already reported that the LORD had given the land into Israel's hands.
- Deuteronomy 9:3 (BSB)“But understand that today the LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them swiftly, as the LORD has promised you.”Moses promised that the LORD would go ahead of Israel and subdue its enemies.
- Deuteronomy 20:4 (BSB)“For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.””The LORD goes with His people to fight for them and give them victory.
General
What did Joshua warn would happen if anyone took any of the devoted things (6:18)?
Answer: It would bring the same doom and trouble on all Israel
Joshua warned the people to stay clear of the devoted things, everything in Jericho handed over wholly to the LORD in judgment. Anyone who took them would bring the same sentence of destruction, and disaster, on Israel's whole camp. The silver, gold, bronze, and iron belonged to the LORD alone and were to be placed in His treasury (6:18-19), which is where Israel put them (6:24). Moses had warned that bringing such things home would put a person under the same sentence (Deuteronomy 7:25-26). The next chapter shows how serious this was: Achan took some of the devoted things, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel as a whole (7:1, 11-12). The holiness that judged Jericho would also strike Israel if it sinned.
- Joshua 6:18-19 (BSB)“But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.””Joshua warns that taking devoted things would bring destruction and disaster on Israel's camp; the metals belong to the LORD's treasury.
- Deuteronomy 7:25-26 (BSB)“You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God. And you must not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction.”Moses warned that bringing a devoted thing into one's house would make the owner set apart for destruction too.
- Joshua 7:1 (BSB)“The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.”Achan took some of the devoted things, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel.
- Joshua 7:11-12 (BSB)“Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions. This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.”God charged Israel as a whole and said He would not be with them until the devoted things were removed.
Theological
What consequence does Joshua attach in 6:18 to taking anything devoted to destruction?
Answer: It would bring the same doom and trouble on all Israel
The danger was contagious: anyone who took devoted goods would bring the camp itself under the same sentence and bring trouble on it, and the precious metals belonged to the LORD and were reserved for His treasury (6:18-19, 24). Deuteronomy had already warned that a devoted thing brought into the house would place its owner under the same sentence (Deuteronomy 7:25-26). Chapter 7 shows this corporate solidarity in action: one man's theft is counted as Israel's unfaithfulness, and the LORD withdraws His presence until it is dealt with (7:1, 11-12). The same holiness that judged Jericho applies to the covenant people.
- Joshua 6:18-19 (BSB)“But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.””Joshua warns that taking devoted things would bring destruction and disaster on Israel's camp; the metals belong to the LORD's treasury.
- Deuteronomy 7:25-26 (BSB)“You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God. And you must not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction.”Moses warned that bringing a devoted thing into one's house would make the owner set apart for destruction too.
- Joshua 7:1 (BSB)“The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.”Achan took some of the devoted things, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel.
- Joshua 7:11-12 (BSB)“Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions. This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.”God charged Israel as a whole and said He would not be with them until the devoted things were removed.
General
What were the fighting men to do on each of the first six days (6:3)?
Answer: Circle Jericho a single time, then go back to camp
The LORD told the fighting men to march around Jericho once each day for six days (6:3). Israel did exactly that: on each of those days they went around the city a single time and then returned to camp (6:11, 14). As a military plan it made no sense; there was no siege, no ramp, and no attack. The point was obedience that trusted God's word. Scripture says a big army cannot save a king (Psalm 33:16-17), and a later psalm says Israel did not take the land by its own sword but by God's hand and favor (Psalm 44:3).
- Joshua 6:3 (BSB)“March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.”The LORD commands the fighting men to go around the city once a day for six days.
- Joshua 6:14 (BSB)“So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.”Israel does exactly that, marching once and returning to camp for six days.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”No king is saved by the size of his army or a warrior by his strength.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel took the land not by its own sword but by God's hand and favor.
Theological
What did the LORD's instructions in 6:3 require of the fighting men for the first six days?
Answer: Circle Jericho a single time, then go back to camp
The command was to circle the city once a day for six days (6:3), and Israel carried it out precisely, making a single circuit and returning to camp each day (6:11, 14). The method is deliberately non-military, leaving no room to credit Israel's strength. Scripture's verdict on such victories is that armies and warriors do not save (Psalm 33:16-17) and that Israel won the land by God's right hand and favor, not by its sword (Psalm 44:3). The daily circuit is obedience resting on God's promise.
- Joshua 6:3 (BSB)“March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.”The LORD commands the fighting men to go around the city once a day for six days.
- Joshua 6:14 (BSB)“So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.”Israel does exactly that, marching once and returning to camp for six days.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”No king is saved by the size of his army or a warrior by his strength.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel took the land not by its own sword but by God's hand and favor.
General
In what order did the procession move around Jericho (6:8-9)?
Answer: Troops, then priests with horns, then ark, then rear guard
Armed soldiers went first, ahead of the horn-blowing priests; seven priests with rams' horns walked before the ark; and a rear guard came behind the ark (6:8-9, 13). The ark, the sacred chest that stood for God's presence among His people, was at the center. It had gone ahead of Israel into the Jordan (3:11), and in Moses' day, whenever the ark moved, he called on the LORD to rise up and scatter His enemies (Numbers 10:35). The procession showed that the LORD Himself was going against Jericho.
- Joshua 6:8-9 (BSB)“After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.”The armed troops go ahead of the priests with horns, the ark follows the priests, and the rear guard follows the ark.
- Joshua 3:11 (BSB)“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.”The ark had gone ahead of Israel into the Jordan as the ark of the Lord of all the earth.
- Numbers 10:35 (BSB)“Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered; may those who hate You flee before You.””When the ark set out, Moses called on the LORD to rise up and scatter His enemies.
Theological
According to 6:8-9, how was the procession around Jericho ordered?
Answer: Troops, then priests with horns, then ark, then rear guard
The armed vanguard led, followed by the seven priests sounding rams' horns, then the ark, then the rear guard (6:8-9, 13). The ark, the sign of the LORD's presence, stands at the center of the march, as it had led Israel into the Jordan (3:11). In the wilderness, each time the ark moved out, Moses called on the LORD to arise and scatter His enemies (Numbers 10:35). The march is presented as the LORD's own advance on the city.
- Joshua 6:8-9 (BSB)“After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.”The armed troops go ahead of the priests with horns, the ark follows the priests, and the rear guard follows the ark.
- Joshua 3:11 (BSB)“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.”The ark had gone ahead of Israel into the Jordan as the ark of the Lord of all the earth.
- Numbers 10:35 (BSB)“Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered; may those who hate You flee before You.””When the ark set out, Moses called on the LORD to rise up and scatter His enemies.
General
What reason does 6:25 give for Joshua sparing Rahab and her family?
Answer: She had hidden the spies Joshua sent into the city
Joshua sent the two spies to bring out Rahab, her parents, her brothers, and her whole household, as they had promised, and they settled them outside Israel's camp (6:22-23). Joshua spared her because she had hidden the men he sent, and she went on living among the Israelites (6:25). The spies were keeping their oath to show kindness to her family (2:12-14). The New Testament says that by faith Rahab did not perish (Hebrews 11:31), and James points to her welcome of the spies as the evidence that her faith was real (James 2:25); her deeds showed her faith, they did not replace it. Rahab even appears in the family line of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). God showed grace to a Canaanite outsider who turned to Him.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Joshua spares Rahab and her family because she hid the spies, and she lives among Israel afterward.
- Joshua 2:12-14 (BSB)“Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.””The spies swore to show kindness to Rahab's family because she had shown kindness to them.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews says Rahab did not perish because of her faith, shown in welcoming the spies.
- James 2:25 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?”James points to Rahab's actions toward the spies as the evidence of genuine faith.
- Matthew 1:5 (BSB)“Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”Rahab appears in the family line that leads to Jesus.
Theological
On what ground does 6:25 say Joshua spared Rahab?
Answer: She had hidden the spies Joshua sent into the city
The spies bring out Rahab and her household as sworn, settling them beyond Israel's camp (6:22-23), and Joshua spares her for hiding his messengers; she remains among Israel thereafter (6:25). The oath of 2:12-14 is honored. The New Testament interprets her deliverance as the fruit of faith: by faith she did not perish (Hebrews 11:31), and her actions toward the spies justified her in the sense of demonstrating that her faith was genuine, not as a second ground of acceptance (James 2:25). Matthew records her in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5), a striking display of grace to a Canaanite brought into the covenant people.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Joshua spares Rahab and her family because she hid the spies, and she lives among Israel afterward.
- Joshua 2:12-14 (BSB)“Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.””The spies swore to show kindness to Rahab's family because she had shown kindness to them.
- Hebrews 11:31 (BSB)“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.”Hebrews says Rahab did not perish because of her faith, shown in welcoming the spies.
- James 2:25 (BSB)“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?”James points to Rahab's actions toward the spies as the evidence of genuine faith.
- Matthew 1:5 (BSB)“Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”Rahab appears in the family line that leads to Jesus.
General
What was different about the seventh day (6:15-16)?
Answer: They started at dawn and went around seven times
On day seven the people rose at daybreak and circled Jericho seven times, following the same order; no other day had more than one circuit. When the seventh circuit ended the priests sounded their horns, and Joshua ordered the shout, because the LORD had handed them the city (6:15-16). The number seven runs through the account: seven priests, seven horns, seven days, and seven circuits on the last day (6:4). Hebrews later recalls that the walls fell after a week of marching (Hebrews 11:30). Joshua's cry about the LORD giving the city echoed God's promise to give Israel every place they set foot (1:3).
- Joshua 6:15-16 (BSB)“Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!”On the seventh day Israel marches around Jericho seven times, and Joshua commands the shout.
- Hebrews 11:30 (BSB)“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.”Hebrews notes that the walls fell after Israel had marched around them for seven days.
- Joshua 1:3 (BSB)“I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.”God had promised Joshua every place where Israel set foot.
Theological
What distinguished the seventh day of the march in 6:15-16?
Answer: They started at dawn and went around seven times
On the final day Israel rose at dawn and made seven circuits, the only day with more than one; at the seventh the priests sounded their horns, and Joshua ordered the shout, grounding it in the LORD's gift of the city (6:15-16). The pattern of sevens (priests, horns, days, circuits; 6:4) marks the event as God's ordered work rather than a human strategy. Hebrews summarizes it as walls falling after seven days of marching (Hebrews 11:30), and Joshua's cry applies the promise that every place Israel's foot treads has been given (1:3).
- Joshua 6:15-16 (BSB)“Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!”On the seventh day Israel marches around Jericho seven times, and Joshua commands the shout.
- Hebrews 11:30 (BSB)“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.”Hebrews notes that the walls fell after Israel had marched around them for seven days.
- Joshua 1:3 (BSB)“I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.”God had promised Joshua every place where Israel set foot.
General
True or False: Joshua told the people to raise a loud battle cry each day as they marched around Jericho (6:10).
Answer: False
This is false. Joshua ordered the opposite: no battle cry, no raised voice, not a single word until the day he told them to shout (6:10). Day after day the army marched in silence while only the priests' horns sounded, and they shouted only on the last day at Joshua's command (6:16, 20). Even the shout waited for the word of command, and Joshua gave its reason: the LORD had given them the city (6:16). As at the Red Sea, where Moses told Israel that the LORD would fight for them (Exodus 14:13-14), the victory was God's work.
- Joshua 6:10 (BSB)“But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!””Joshua forbids any battle cry or word until the day he tells the people to shout.
- Joshua 6:16 (BSB)“After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!”The shout comes only on the seventh day at Joshua's command, because the LORD has given the city.
- Exodus 14:13-14 (BSB)“But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea Moses told Israel that the LORD would fight for them.
Theological
True or False: 6:10 records that Joshua commanded a daily battle cry during the six days of marching.
Answer: False
This is false. Joshua forbade any battle cry, any raised voice, or even a word until the day he gave the order to shout (6:10). The silent marches were broken only by the priests' horns, and the shout came on the last day at his command (6:16, 20). Even the shout waited on the word of command, and Joshua grounded it in the LORD's gift of the city (6:16). As at the Red Sea, where Moses assured Israel that the LORD would fight for them (Exodus 14:13-14), the victory belongs to God.
- Joshua 6:10 (BSB)“But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!””Joshua forbids any battle cry or word until the day he tells the people to shout.
- Joshua 6:16 (BSB)“After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!”The shout comes only on the seventh day at Joshua's command, because the LORD has given the city.
- Exodus 14:13-14 (BSB)“But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea Moses told Israel that the LORD would fight for them.
General
True or False: The chapter closes by saying the LORD stayed with Joshua, whose reputation spread through the whole land (6:27).
Answer: True
This is true. After Jericho fell, the LORD stayed with Joshua, and Joshua's renown spread across the land (6:27). This was exactly what God had promised at the start: He would be with Joshua as He had been with Moses and never leave him (1:5), he need not fear because the LORD would be with him wherever he went (1:9), and God would raise him up in Israel's sight (3:7). Joshua's success came from God's presence with him.
- Joshua 6:27 (BSB)“So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.”The chapter closes with the LORD's presence with Joshua and the spread of his fame.
- Joshua 1:5 (BSB)“No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”God had promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses.
- Joshua 1:9 (BSB)“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””God had told Joshua to be courageous because the LORD would be with him wherever he went.
- Joshua 3:7 (BSB)“Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.”God had promised to exalt Joshua in Israel's sight.
Theological
True or False: 6:27 concludes the Jericho account by noting the LORD's presence with Joshua and the spread of his fame.
Answer: True
This is true. The narrative closes by attributing the outcome to the LORD's presence with Joshua, with his renown spreading through the land (6:27). It fulfills the commissioning promises that the LORD would be with Joshua as with Moses (1:5) and wherever he went (1:9), and the pledge to exalt him before Israel (3:7). The emphasis falls on the LORD's faithfulness to His word rather than on Joshua's generalship.
- Joshua 6:27 (BSB)“So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.”The chapter closes with the LORD's presence with Joshua and the spread of his fame.
- Joshua 1:5 (BSB)“No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”God had promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses.
- Joshua 1:9 (BSB)“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””God had told Joshua to be courageous because the LORD would be with him wherever he went.
- Joshua 3:7 (BSB)“Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.”God had promised to exalt Joshua in Israel's sight.
General
How does Hebrews 11:30 explain how Jericho's walls came down?
Answer: By faith, after Israel marched around them seven days
When the horns sounded and the people let out a loud shout, the wall collapsed, and Israel charged straight in and took the city (6:20). Hebrews explains what lay behind it: the walls came down by faith, after a week of marching around them (Hebrews 11:30). Faith here means trusting God's promise that He had given them the city (6:2, 5). Israel's marching was the fruit of that trust, not a separate way of earning the victory. Without faith no one can please God (Hebrews 11:6), and Israel took the land by God's power, not its own arm (Psalm 44:3).
- Joshua 6:20 (BSB)“So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.”The horns sound, the people shout, the wall collapses, and Israel takes the city.
- Hebrews 11:30 (BSB)“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.”Hebrews says the walls of Jericho fell by faith after seven days of marching.
- Hebrews 11:6 (BSB)“And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”Without faith it is impossible to please God; faith believes and seeks Him.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel did not win the land by its own arm but by God's power and favor.
Theological
According to Hebrews 11:30, how did Jericho's walls come to fall?
Answer: By faith, after Israel marched around them seven days
At the horn blast and the shout the wall collapsed and Israel took the city (6:20). Hebrews identifies the operative principle as faith: the walls fell through faith after seven days of marching (Hebrews 11:30). The faith in view rested on God's prior word that He had given the city (6:2, 5); the marching was its obedient expression and evidence, not a contributing cause alongside it. Faith that pleases God trusts what He has said (Hebrews 11:6), and the victory belongs to His right hand, not Israel's arm (Psalm 44:3).
- Joshua 6:20 (BSB)“So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.”The horns sound, the people shout, the wall collapses, and Israel takes the city.
- Hebrews 11:30 (BSB)“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.”Hebrews says the walls of Jericho fell by faith after seven days of marching.
- Hebrews 11:6 (BSB)“And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”Without faith it is impossible to please God; faith believes and seeks Him.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel did not win the land by its own arm but by God's power and favor.