The Bible Says
Joshua 6:6-11 Meaning

Joshua 6:6-11 designates the order of the marching. In the previous passage, the LORD instructed Joshua to lead the Israelites in a seven-day ritual to conquer Jericho. They were to march around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. At the end of the parade, seven priests would blow their trumpets, the Israelites would shout, and God would cause the wall of Jericho to collapse, allowing His people to enter and possess the city (Joshua 6:1-5).

In Joshua 6:6-11, the text begins by identifying Joshua as the son of Nun to show that he was the Joshua of Deuteronomy who would succeed Moses. He was “filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him” (Deuteronomy 34:9). He was a faithful assistant to Moses, so God chose him to become the next Israelite leader after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1).

Joshua obeyed the divine instructions meticulously. In communicating the message, he repeated the words God gave him in the previous section (vv. 2-5). In so doing, Joshua highlighted the importance of the march around Jericho. He first addressed the religious leaders of Israel and said: Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD (v. 6).

The ark was a wooden box overlaid with gold. It contained the stone tablets on which the LORD wrote the Ten Commandments. It was a sacred object that symbolized the presence of God with Israel (Exodus 25:10-22). As such, the Israelites needed to follow the ark carried by the priests so God could guide them and grant them victory over their adversaries as they conquered the Promised Land. God would do so for the Israelites because He was their covenant God, as indicated by the term LORD.

The Hebrew term translated as LORD is Yahweh, the self-existent and eternal God who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). It often emphasizes God’s covenant relationship with the Israelites. In this relationship, Yahweh was the Suzerain ruler, and Israel was the vassal. God was their covenant partner who worked things out for their good. His commands were always in their best interest. In our passage, God would ensure His people take the necessary steps to conquer Jericho. Therefore, He provided them with the Ark of the Covenant that signaled His presence among them. The priests would carry it as they led the people to make clear that Israel depended on God to achieve success in the land of Canaan. Apart from Him, they could do nothing (Exodus 33:15).

Having addressed the priests, Joshua now turned his attention to the covenant community of Israel. He said to the people, Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the LORD (v. 7). The phrase armed men is synonymous with “valiant warriors,” a term used for the mighty men of Jericho in verse 2. It is also synonymous with “men of war” in verse 3. In the Pentateuch (“the Law,” the first five books of the Old Testament), the phrase also refers to the Israelite adult males who came out of Egypt but died in the wilderness (Numbers 31:28; Deuteronomy 2:14). In Joshua, the phrase armed men refers to the new generation of military men who were ready to fight to conquer the land of Canaan.

It is important to note that the use of the phrase (armed men) in this passage does not encompass all of Israel’s soldiers. The men walking in front of the ark were the vanguard, and those behind were the rear guard (v. 9). Thus, the advance guard would go first because they were probably the most experienced fighters.

The Israelites obeyed Joshua, who faithfully relayed the divine revelation to them. And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the LORD went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them (v. 8). That the priests carried their trumpets before the LORD identifies the Ark of the Covenant with the footstool of God’s throne, a sacred place where God communicated with Moses (Numbers 7:89). These priests can be seen as heralds, announcing how God progressed to conquer Jericho. The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark while they continued to blow the trumpets (v. 9).

The procedure was thus as follows: the vanguard went first, and the seven priests sounding the trumpets followed them. Next, the priests holding the Ark followed those blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard came after them. This order shows that the Israelite army encircled the ark  and its priests. They did so not to protect it but to honor it since it signaled the presence of the LORD. Moreover, Joshua issued a command to the people and repeated it three times to emphasize its importance. First, he said: You shall not shout (v. 10).

In ancient times, people often issued war cries to frighten their enemies or increase their confidence. In this war against Jericho, however, the Israelites could not do so because the LORD their God would fight for them. Second, Joshua commanded the people: You shall not let your voice be heard. The people could not even talk during the procession, prompting Joshua to repeat the command a third time: You shall not let a word proceed out of your mouth until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout (v. 11).

During the march, the LORD required silence from His covenant people, except for the rams’ horns. They were to remain quiet until instructed otherwise. The Israelite army would advance toward their foes with much discipline and order. They were to follow all the instructions Joshua gave them. So, he had the ark of the LORD taken around the city, circling it once (v. 11). At this point, the procession had begun. At Joshua’s command, the people who transported the ark and the soldiers went around Jericho and circled it once. Then, they came into the camp and spent the time in the camp. This activity marked the first day of the march. There were six more days of marching before Jericho would fall, as God promised. During those days, the Israelites were to patiently obey these instructions, relying fully on God to bring about the defeat of their enemy.