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| 1 ¶ Now Jericho was straitly
shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came
in.
.2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. .4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seve.n trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye 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. |
1
- Jericho ... shut up We do not see them here shutting the gates.
This is parenthetical to show the situation.
4 - Seven trumpets We find seven angels with trumpets of warning beginning in Revelation 8, re0802d. |
| 6 ¶ And Joshua the son
of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant,
and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark
of the LORD.
.7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. |
6 - Son of Nun Joshua's father was not mentioned
in verse 2 and is not mentioned in the rest of the chapter. The more complete
name may emphasize Joshua's authority.
People ... to compass Those specified in verses 3 and 4. Link above |
| In obedience
to the divine command Joshua marshaled the armies of Israel. No assault
was to be made. They were simply to make the circuit of the city, bearing
the ark of God and blowing upon trumpets. First came the warriors, a body
of chosen men, not now to conquer by their own skill and prowess, but by
obedience to the directions given them from God. Seven priests with trumpets
followed. Then the ark of God, surrounded by a halo of divine glory, was
borne by priests clad in the dress denoting their sacred office. The army
of Israel followed, each tribe under its standard. Such was the procession
that compassed the doomed city. No sound was heard but the tread of that
mighty host and the solemn peal of the trumpets, echoing among the hills
and resounding through the streets of Jericho. The circuit completed, the
army returned in silence to their tents, and the ark was restored to its
place in the tabernacle.
With wonder and alarm the watchmen of the city marked every move, and reported to those in authority. They knew not the meaning of all this display; but when they beheld that mighty host marching around their city once each day, with the sacred ark and the attendant priests, the mystery of the scene struck terror to the hearts of priest and people. Again they would inspect their strong defenses, feeling certain they could successfully resist the most powerful attack. Many ridiculed the thought that any harm could come to them through these singular demonstrations. Others were awed as they beheld the procession that each day wound about the city. They remembered that the Red Sea had once parted before this people, and that a passage had just been opened for them through the river Jordan. They knew not what further wonders God might work for them. (Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets p. 448.) |
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| .8
And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto 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 that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. |
- See link above |
| 12 And Joshua rose early
in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
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 rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. |
- See link above |
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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. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. 
.17 ¶ And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. .18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they they all had come from of the LORD. .20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: 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. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. The Bible text seems to indicate the walls as fallen more than is indicated by the illustration. Some of the stones may have been carried away for other construction. We do not know. 17 - Rahab ... shall live The illustration by Gene Fackler reflects archaeological findings. A lower wall with houses built against it jos0215 was found to have been on the north side of the city. Part of it did not fall. Image © 2002 by Associates for Biblical Research, (717) 892-1044. They publish a great magazine, too. http://www.biblearchaeology.com/. 18 - Trouble Then name "Achan" may have come from the Hebrew word translated "trouble." 19 - All the silver ... As the first fruits. The principle helped the people remember that all they had came from the Lord. |
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| 22 But Joshua had said
unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house,
and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto
her.
23 And the young men that 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 without the camp of Israel. 24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put 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 dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. |
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| .26
And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before
the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the
foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set
up the gates of it.
27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country. |
26 - Cursed See 1ki1634. |