Joshua 6: The walls of Jericho fall, and Rahab is spared
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What happens?
Yahweh tells Joshua that he has given Jericho into his hand, and tells him how to march around the city: once a day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day, with seven priests blowing rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day the people shout, the wall falls down flat, and they take the city. They destroy everything in it, people and animals, as a thing devoted to Yahweh, put the silver, gold, bronze and iron in Yahweh's treasury, and burn the city. Rahab and her family are brought out alive, as the spies had sworn, and Joshua puts a curse on anyone who rebuilds Jericho.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God's own words are in 4 of the 27 verses: his words to Joshua in verses 2 to 5. Joshua speaks to the priests in verse 6 and to the people in verses 7, 10 and 16 to 19 (in verse 7 the Hebrew letters say "they said"). He speaks to the two spies in verse 22, and puts the people under an oath in verse 26. These are Joshua's words, so they are not in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in.
In plain English: Jericho was shut up tight because of the Israelites. No one went out, and no one came in.
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2Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Joshua, "Look, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and its strong fighting men.
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3All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days.God speaks
In plain English: All your men of war are to march around the city, going around it once. Do this for six days.
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4Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.God speaks
In plain English: Seven priests are to carry seven trumpets of rams' horns ahead of the ark. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, and the priests are to blow the trumpets.
The Hebrew words: "Trumpets of rams' horns" is literally "trumpets of yobel". The dictionary gives yobel as "the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound)", and also as the instrument and "the festival thus introduced".
How it is translated: This Bible says "jubilee" in 19 of the 25 verses that use yobel: the fiftieth year in is called by this word, "a jubilee". In the 5 verses of this chapter that use it, it says "rams' horns" or "ram's horn".
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5It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the city wall will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.”God speaks
In plain English: When they sound a long blast on the ram's horn, and you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people are to give a great shout. Then the city wall will fall down flat (literally: in its place, or: under itself), and the people are to go up, each man straight ahead."
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6Joshua 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 Yahweh’s ark.”
In plain English: Joshua the 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 ahead of Yahweh's ark."
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7They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
In plain English: They (or: he) said to the people, "Go forward! March around the city, and let the armed men go ahead of Yahweh's ark."
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8It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of Yahweh’s covenant followed them.
In plain English: When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh went forward and blew the trumpets, and the ark of Yahweh's covenant followed them.
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9The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.
In plain English: The armed men went ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark (this Bible: and the ark went after them). The trumpets kept sounding as they went.
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10Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”
In plain English: Joshua commanded the people, "Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Do not let a word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout."
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11So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp.
In plain English: So he had Yahweh's ark carried around the city, going around it once. Then they came back into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
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12Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark.
In plain English: Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh's ark.
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13The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went.
In plain English: The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns ahead of Yahweh's ark kept walking and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them, and the rear guard came after Yahweh's ark. The trumpets kept sounding as they went.
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14The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.
In plain English: On the second day they marched around the city once and went back to the camp. They did this for six days.
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15On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. On this day only they marched around the city seven times.
In plain English: On the seventh day they got up early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on that day did they march around the city seven times.
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16At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city!
In plain English: The seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city.
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17The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
In plain English: The city and everything in it is to be devoted (or: set apart for destruction) to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute is to live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers we sent.
The Hebrew word: "Devoted" is cherem, a thing under the ban. It comes from charam, the word explained in the note on . The dictionary gives cherem as "usually a doomed object". What is cherem belongs to Yahweh: the people and animals are destroyed (verse 21), and the metal goes into Yahweh's treasury (verses 19 and 24).
How it is translated: In Joshua this Bible says "devoted" or a longer form in all 8 verses that use cherem.
Good to know: Verses 17 to 21 say plainly what was done at Jericho: everyone in the city, men and women, young and old, and the animals, was killed, and only Rahab and her family were spared. This is the war law of that time as the text records it (see ), and Jewish and Christian readers differ on how to read it now.
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18But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it.
In plain English: But you, keep away from what is devoted, so that you do not devote it to destruction and then take some of it. That would make the camp of Israel a thing devoted to destruction (this Bible: accursed) and bring trouble on it.
The Hebrew word: "Trouble" is akar, which the dictionary gives as "properly, to roil water" (to stir it up and make it muddy), and "to disturb". The same word comes back in , where Joshua says to Achan, "Why have you troubled us?", and the place is named the Valley of Achor in .
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19But all the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.”
In plain English: All the silver and gold, and the things made of bronze and iron, are holy to Yahweh. They are to go into Yahweh's treasury."
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20So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city.
In plain English: So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they gave a great shout, and the wall fell down flat. The people went up into the city, each man straight ahead, and they took the city.
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21They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
In plain English: They completely destroyed (this Bible: utterly destroyed) everything in the city with the sword (literally: with the mouth of the sword): men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
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22Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you swore to her.”
In plain English: Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring the woman out, with all she has, as you swore to her."
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23The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel.
In plain English: So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers and all she had. They brought out all her family and put them outside the camp of Israel.
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24They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron into the treasury of Yahweh’s house.
In plain English: They burned the city and everything in it. Only the silver and the gold, and the things made of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of Yahweh's house.
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25But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
In plain English: But Joshua spared the life of Rahab the prostitute, her father's family and all she had. She has lived among Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Good to know: The New Testament names Rahab three times: ("By faith Rahab the prostitute didn't perish with those who were disobedient"), (she "received the messengers and sent them out another way"), and , which names a Rahab as the mother of Boaz in the family line of Jesus. Many readers take her to be this Rahab; that verse does not say.
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26Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.”
In plain English: At that time Joshua put them under an oath: "Cursed before Yahweh is the man who sets out to rebuild this city of Jericho. He will lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son."
Good to know: tells that in the days of King Ahab, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho, "with the loss of Abiram his firstborn" and "his youngest son Segub", "according to Yahweh's word, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun".
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27So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
In plain English: So Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame spread through all the land.
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