1 Now all the entrances to Jericho were closed because of the army of Israel. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, its king, and its trained soldiers. 3 You must march around the city, all the men of war going around the city one time. You must do this for six days. 4 Seven priests must carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you must march around the city seven times, and the priests must sound blasts on the trumpets. 5 Then they must sound a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet all the people must shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat. The soldiers must attack, each one going straight ahead.” 6 Then Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh.” 7 He said to the people, “Go over and march around the city, and the armed men will go ahead of the ark of Yahweh.” 8 Just as Joshua had said to the people, the seven priests carried the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh. As they advanced, they gave a blast on the trumpets. The ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed after them. 9 Armed men walked before the priests, and they made a blast on their trumpets, but then the rear guard walked up behind the ark, and the priests blew their trumpets continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “Do not shout. No sound must leave your mouths until the day I tell you to shout. Only then you must shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of Yahweh to go around the city one time that day. Then they entered their camp, and they stayed the night in the camp. 12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests picked up the ark of Yahweh. 13 The seven priests, who were carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh, walked steadily and gave blasts on the trumpets. Armed soldiers were walking in front of them. But when the rear guard walked after the ark of Yahweh, then the trumpets gave out continual blasts. 14 They marched around the city one time the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 It was on the seventh day that they got up early at daybreak, and they marched around the city in the same way that was their pattern, this time for seven times. It was on this day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 It was on the seventh day, when the priests gave a blast with the trumpets, that Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it will be set apart to Yahweh for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute will live—she and all the ones with her in her house—because she hid the men we sent. 18 But as for you, be on guard about taking the things set apart for destruction, so that after you mark them for destruction, you do not then take any of them. If you do this, you will make the camp of Israel something that must be destroyed and you will bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver, gold, and the things made of bronze and iron are set apart to Yahweh. They must go into the treasury of Yahweh.” 20 When they gave blasts with the trumpets, the people gave a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so every man charged straight in and captured the city. 21 They completely destroyed all that was in the city by the edge of the sword—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep and donkeys. 22 Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute's house. Bring out the woman and all who are with her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out. They brought out her father, mother, brothers, and all the relatives that were with her. They brought them to a place outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city and everything in it. Only the silver, gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron were put into the treasury of the house of Yahweh. 25 But Joshua allowed Rahab the prostitute, her father's household, and all that were with her to live. She lives in Israel to this day because she hid the men whom Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. 26 Then Joshua commanded them at that time with an oath, and he said, “Cursed is the man in Yahweh's sight who rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son, he will lay the foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son, he will set up its gates.” 27 So Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Joshua · Unlocked Literal Bible
Joshua 6 Unlocked Literal Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Rahab
The woman of Jericho who hid the spies and became mother of Boaz.
Cited in the guide: Joshua 2, 6; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31
Places
Jericho
Jericho guarded the eastern entrance to Canaan. The Old Testament city (Tell es-Sultan) fell to Joshua; Herodian Jericho nearby is where Jesus healed Bartimaeus and called Zacchaeus.
Cited in the guide: Joshua 6:20; Luke 19:1-10; Luke 10:30
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Joshua 2:24; Joshua 2:9–14; Psalm 127:1; Joshua 2:7
- 2 Deuteronomy 7:24; Joshua 8:1; Joshua 2:24; Joshua 2:9; Nehemiah 9:24
- 3 2 Corinthians 4:7; Numbers 14:9; 1 Corinthians 1:21–25; Joshua 6:7; Joshua 6:14
- 4 2 Chronicles 20:17; Revelation 16:1; Judges 7:15–22; Revelation 8:2; 1 Kings 18:43
- 5 2 Corinthians 10:4–5; Hebrews 11:30; Exodus 19:19; Joshua 6:16; 2 Chronicles 13:14–15
- 6 Deuteronomy 20:2–4; Acts 9:1; Joshua 3:3; Exodus 25:14; Joshua 3:6
- 7 Joshua 4:13; Joshua 6:3; Joshua 1:14
- 8 Numbers 32:20; Joshua 6:3–4
- 9 Joshua 6:13; Numbers 10:25; Isaiah 58:8; Isaiah 52:11–12
- 10 Isaiah 42:2; Luke 24:49; Matthew 12:19; 2 Samuel 5:23–24; Isaiah 28:16
- 12 Joshua 3:1; Hebrews 11:7–8; Deuteronomy 31:25; Joshua 6:6–8; John 6:10–11
- 13 Galatians 6:9; Matthew 24:13; 1 Chronicles 15:26
- 14 Joshua 6:11; Joshua 6:3; Joshua 6:15
- 15 Psalm 119:147; 2 Peter 1:19; Matthew 28:1
- 16 2 Chronicles 13:15; Joshua 6:5; Judges 7:20–22; 2 Chronicles 20:22–23
- 17 Deuteronomy 20:17; James 2:25; Micah 4:13; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Galatians 3:12
- 18 1 John 5:21; Ephesians 5:11; Joshua 7:11–12; Joshua 7:1; Joshua 7:25
- 19 1 Chronicles 26:20; Matthew 27:6; Mark 12:41; 2 Kings 24:13; 1 Chronicles 18:11
- 20 Hebrews 11:30; 2 Corinthians 10:4–5; Joshua 6:5
- 21 Psalm 137:8–9; Jeremiah 48:18; 1 Samuel 15:3; Joshua 10:39; Joshua 9:24–25
- 22 Hebrews 11:31; Ezekiel 17:18–19; Joshua 6:17; Psalm 15:4; Ezekiel 17:16
- 23 Hebrews 11:7; Genesis 12:2; 1 Corinthians 5:12; Acts 27:24; Ephesians 2:12
- 24 Joshua 8:28; Revelation 17:16; 2 Kings 25:9; Revelation 18:8; Deuteronomy 13:16
- 25 Hebrews 11:31; Judges 1:24–25; Matthew 1:5; Joshua 2:6; James 2:25
- 26 1 Kings 16:34; Acts 19:13; Numbers 5:19–21; Matthew 26:63; 1 Samuel 14:24–46
- 27 Joshua 1:5; Joshua 9:3; Matthew 18:20; Matthew 28:20; Joshua 9:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The Ark is going around the walls of Jericho: there shall come a time at the seventh going round of the Ark, when all the walls of the city unbelieving and contradicting shall fall. Until it come to pass, this man is being troubled in his exercise; and enduring the remains of men contradicting, he would choose wings for flying …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)