Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Joshua 6:1) Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out and none came in.
In the last chapter and post, the Israelites had come into their promised land and were camped at Gilgal. The kings and all their people in the Canaanite lands were terror-stricken because of the Israelites and all the miracles the Lord had wrought for them. Jericho was nearest the Israelites' camp and where spies had gone to check out the land. Now the city of Jericho was securely shut so that no one could go in nor go out. This was surely due to their fear of the Israelites.
(2) And the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given into your hand Jericho and its king and the mighty men of valor."
The Lord, who appears to be the Lord Jesus as discovered at the end of the last chapter, spoke to Joshua and told him he could see that Jericho, its king, and its soldiers, had already been delivered into his hand, as was evident by their fear.
(3) "And you shall compass the city, all men of war, and go round about the city once. This you shall do six days."
The Lord told Joshua he and all the Israelite men of war, those of fighting age and fit, were to surround the city of Jericho, and march around the city one time. They were to do that same thing for six days in a row.
(4) "And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns, and the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets."
The Lord instructed Joshua that seven priests were to go before the ark of the covenant that was carried by other priests. The seven priests would carry trumpets of rams' horns and blow their trumpets as the army marched around Jericho. This was to bring attention to and proclaim the Lord represented by the ark was leading His people around Jericho, so there would be no doubt that the Lord Himself performed the coming miracle for His people. On the seventh day the Israelites were to march around Jericho seven times. All these sevens, seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days, were surely significant. In the Bible, seven usually signifies completion and/or perfection.
(5) "And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him."
On the seventh day, after going around Jericho seven times, the priests or one priest, as the horn is singular, would make one long blast, and when they heard that, all the people were to shout with a great shout and the wall of the city would fall down flat. It probably wasn't the entire wall of the city, so that the inhabitants could not escape, but a section perhaps just large enough for the Israelite army to go up into the city in a procession just as they had been going around the wall of the city.
(6) And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord."
Joshua the son of Nun, or Joshua, the understanding one (Joshua 2:1 notes), called the priests and told them to take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and let seven of them bear trumpets of rams' horns and go before the ark.
(7) And he said to the people, "Pass on and compass the city, and let him who is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord."
Joshua told the people to go forward and encircle the city. The armed soldiers were to go before the ark probably to clear and make safe the way, then would go the seven priests with trumpets immediately before the ark, and the people would follow the ark.
(8) And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord and blew with the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. (9) And the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark while the trumpets went on blowing.
After Joshua spoke to the people, the armed men went out before the ark, followed by the seven priests with their trumpets sounding before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the rear guard, or assembly, the people, followed the ark, while the trumpets continually blew.
(10) And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout."
Joshua had commanded the people before they started forth that they were not to shout, nor utter any word or make any sound until Joshua gave the order to shout, and only then were they to shout.
(11) So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going around it once, and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
The ark of the Lord carried by the priests who followed the seven priests who followed the army, and with the people following it, went around the walls of the city of Jericho one time, and then returned to their camp where they lodged for the night.
(12) And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
The next morning Joshua rose up early, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord, prepared to go around the city for a second time.
(13) And 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 rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets continually blew.
Then gathered the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets to go before the ark, and the armed men went before them, and the assembly of people making up the rear guard went after the ark, while the trumpets continually blew.
(14) And the second day they compassed the city once and returned to the camp; so they did six days.
That second day the people went around the city walls one time and then returned to their camp. They did that for six days.
(15) And 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.
Then on the seventh day, the people rose early and went around the city seven times. That was the only day they had gone around seven times.
(16) And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!"
Then after the seventh time around, the priests blew one long blast with their trumpets, and Joshua told the people to shout because the Lord had given them the city of Jericho.
(17) "And the city shall be accursed, it and all that are in it, to the Lord; only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all with her in the house because she hid the messengers that we sent."
It's interesting, the original word "cherem" that was translated as "accursed" can mean "cursed or doomed" or "devoted or dedicated to," seemingly opposite meanings. However, it absolutely describes Jericho at that point. The city was doomed and completely dedicated to the Lord to do with it as He wished. Not only the city, but all who were in it, except Rahab and her family within her house, because of the kindness she had shown the spies.
(18) "And you, in any way, keep from the accursed thing, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed thing and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it."
Joshua went on to tell the people that they were to avoid in every way possible the cursed thing of Jericho. Mainly, that was taking of anything in Jericho that was cursed and bringing it into the Israelite camp to curse and trouble it.
(19) "But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron, consecrated to the Lord, they shall come into the treasury of the Lord."
All the silver and gold, brass and iron, again both cursed and dedicated, were cursed for anyone in Jericho and for any of the Israelites, but they were dedicated only to the Lord to be brought into the treasury of the Lord.
(20) So the people shouted when the long blast of the trumpets blew, and it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
The people did as Joshua told them and they shouted with a great shout when the long blast of the trumpets blew, and the city wall of Jericho fell down flat so that the people went up into the city in a procession, and they were able to take the city. There was no doubt that God had toppled that wall. Nothing that the people had done the past seven days should have made that wall fall except that God willed it. However, He did command obedience from the Israelites to do as He instructed with regard to going around the wall seven days. He taught them to trust in Him even when it seemed impossible or didn't make sense. Just trust God. He taught patience. God said the wall would fall when they did as He commanded. If some soldiers had decided that marching around a wall was fruitless and decided they had a chance to go over the wall and catch the enemy unaware, they would have demonstrated lack of faith in God and displayed faith only in themselves, and their actions would have surely failed. By trusting in their Lord and obeying His word and believing it even though it took time, they were able to take the city.
(21) And they utterly destroyed all in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
As God had commanded, the Israelites completely destroyed the city, and every living thing in it, regardless of age or gender, humans and animals alike. The inhabitants of Canaan were an abominably wicked people and deserved the righteous judgment of God. The Judge of all the earth can do no wrong, so as this was ordered by Him, you can be sure it was righteous. If any should worry that innocent children were killed, as God knows all, what was, what will be, and what would have been, you can be sure He is just. If any children would have grown up innocent, then God took them home to be with Him to escape their life among the heathens.
(22) But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, "Go into the harlot's house and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her."
However, Rahab and her family were spared because Joshua had told the two spies she had hidden to bring them out of the city, as they had sworn to her they would do.
(23) And the young men who 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 all her kindred and left them outside the camp of Israel.
The men who had been the spies went in the city and brought out Rahab and her entire family and kinsmen to the outside of their camp. The entire extended family was saved because of the actions of one woman in their family. Passages like this have always comforted me. There are many examples in the Bible, even in the New Testament, that say "you and your household will be saved" (Acts 16:31). However, we know that to be saved an individual must accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but if God said all in the family will be saved, then each individual in that family will come to accept Jesus, I have no doubt. Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36 that He had come to set family members against each other. That is because He would bring truth to one that would be in complete opposition to the beliefs of his family, and we all know how passionate those discussions can become. However, once again, I believe that if God said your entire family would be saved, then those contentious family members will eventually come around. But did God tell each of us that our entire household would be saved? Maybe in some cases He did, but even if in doubt, we should continually pray for our family. God's will is that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), so He will be continually drawing people to Himself. I can't help but wonder sometimes who it was praying for me that I would eventually come to Jesus.
I had always heard that Rahab even became an ancestor of the Messiah Jesus Christ! What an honor that one act of faith brought to her. However, in studying that, I now find that may not be true. In the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5, the name is spelled differently. That in itself doesn't disqualify it from being the same person as Rahab, as Boaz is also spelled differently in the same verse. Often in the Bible we find different spellings of the same name and person. However, this very smart article demonstrates that it cannot be automatically assumed that Rachab in Jesus's genealogy was the same as Rahab the harlot.
(24) And they burnt the city with fire and all that was in it; only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
The Israelites burned the entire city of Jericho and everything that was in it, but they brought all the silver, gold, and brass and iron vessels out of the city and put them into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
(25) And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household and all that she had, and she dwells in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Joshua saved Rahab and all her family and all that she had from the destruction of the city. She still lived in Israel at the time Joshua wrote this account. This was due to her one faithful act of hiding God's messengers. This is another passage that gives me great hope and encouragement. We don't always have to do huge important things for the kingdom of God, but if we are faithful to do His will, whatever it may be, we shall be blessed.
(26) And Joshua charged at that time, saying, "Cursed the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation in his firstborn, and in his youngest he shall set up its gates."
Joshua then pronounced a curse on anyone who rose up to rebuild Jericho. He would begin building the foundation at the expense of the life of his firstborn and would lose his youngest as he finished the gates, suggesting that all his children would die along the way if he persisted in rebuilding Jericho. Indeed, that appears to have happened as recorded in 1 Kings 16:34:
In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.
(27) So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was throughout the country.
The Lord was with Joshua as He had been with Moses because of his faith and obedience, and his fame spread throughout the country because of his wisdom and courage, and for the knowledge that the all-powerful God of the universe was with him, and that struck terror in the inhabitants of the land.
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