JOS 6

Joshua 6:4

WEB

Seven 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.

BSB

Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.

KJV

And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Matthew Henry

Verses 1–5

Joshua 6:1–5

We have here a contest between God and the men of Jericho, and their different resolutions, upon which it is easy to say whose word shall prevail.

I. Jericho resolves Israel shall not be its master, Jos 6:1. It was straitly shut up, because of the children of Israel. It did shut up, and it was shut up (so it is in the margin); it did shut up itself, being strongly fortified both by art and nature, and it was shut up by the obstinacy and resolution of the inhabitants, who agreed never to surrender nor so much as sound a parley; none went out as deserters or to treat of peace, nor were any admitted in to offer peace. Thus were they infatuated, and their hearts hardened to their own destruction - the miserable case and character of all those that strengthen themselves against the Almighty, Job 15:25.

II. God resolves Israel shall be its master, and that quickly, The captain of the Lord's host, here called Jehovah, taking notice how strongly Jericho was fortified and how strictly guarded, and knowing Joshua's thoughts and cares about reducing it, and perhaps his fears of a disgrace there and of stumbling at the threshold, gave him here all the assurance he could desire of success (Jos 6:2): See, I have given into thy hand Jericho. Not, "I will do it, but, I have done it; it is all thy own, as sure as if it were already in thy possession." It was designed that this city, being the first-fruits of Canaan, should be entirely devoted to God, and that neither Joshua nor Israel should ever be one mite the richer for it, and yet it is here said to be given into their hand; for we must reckon that most our own which we have an opportunity of honouring God with and employing in his service. Now. 1. The captain of the Lord's host gives directions how the city should be besieged. No trenches are to be opened, no batteries erected, nor battering rams drawn up, nor any military preparations made; but the ark of God must be carried by the priests round the city once a day for six days together, and seven times the seventh day, attended by the men of war in silence, the priests all the while blowing with trumpets of rams' horns, Jos 6:3, Jos 6:4. This was all they were to do. 2. He assures them that on the seventh day before night they should, without fail, be masters of the town. Upon a signal given, they must all shout, and immediately the wall should fall down, which would not only expose the inhabitants, but so dispirit them that they would not be able to make any resistance, Jos 6:5. God appointed this way, (1.) To magnify his own power, that he might be exalted in his own strength (Psa 21:13), not in the strength of instruments. God would hereby yet further make bare his own almighty arm for the encouragement of Israel and the terror and confusion of the Canaanites. (2.) To put an honour upon his ark, the instituted token of his presence, and to give a reason for the laws by which the people were obliged to look upon it with the most profound veneration and respect. When, long after this, the ark was brought into the camp without orders from God, it was looked upon as a profanation of it, and the people paid dearly for their presumption, Sa1 4:3, etc. but now that it was done by the divine appointment it was an honour to the ark of God, and a great encouragement to the faith of Israel. (3.) It was likewise to put honour upon the priests, who were appointed upon this occasion to carry the ark and sound the trumpets. Ordinarily the priests were excused from war, but that this privilege, with other honours and powers that the law had given them, might not be grudged them, in this service they are principally employed, and so the people are made sensible what blessings they were to the public and how well worthy of all the advantages conferred upon them. (4.) It was to try the faith, obedience, and patience, of the people, to try whether they would observe a precept which to human policy seemed foolish to obey and believe a promise which in human probability seemed impossible to be performed. They were also proved whether they could patiently bear the reproaches of their enemies and patiently wait for the salvation of the Lord. Thus by faith, not by force, the walls of Jericho fell down. (5.) It was to encourage the hope of Israel with reference to the remaining difficulties that were before them. That suggestion of the evil spies that Canaan could never be conquered because the cities were walled up to heaven (Deu 1:28) would by this be for ever silenced. The strongest and highest walls cannot hold out against Omnipotence; they needed not to fight, and therefore needed not to fear, because God fought for them.

Cross-references: Josh 6:1 · Job 15:25 · Josh 6:2 · Josh 6:3 · Josh 6:4 · Josh 6:5 · Ps 21:13 · 1Sam 4:3 · Deut 1:28

Hebrew interlinear

H7651

שֶׁבַעshebaʻ/sheh'-bah/

n — seven, full, seven times, week, indefinite

Derivation: or (masculine) (שִׁבְעָה); from 7650; a primitive cardinal number;

seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number

KJV: ( by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.

שֶׁ֫בַע

n.m — seven

שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה 394 n.m. et f. seven

H3548

כֹּהֵןkôhên/ko-hane'/

n-m — officiating, priest, acting priest

Derivation: active participle of 3547;

literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)

KJV: chief ruler, × own, priest, prince, principal officer.

כֹּהֵן

n.m — priest

כֹּהֵן 750 n.m. priest

H5375

נָשָׂאnâsâʼ/naw-saw'/

v — lift

Derivation: or נָסָה; (Psalm 4:6 [7]), a primitive root;

to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative

KJV: accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ( man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, × needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, swear, take (away, up), × utterly, wear, yield.

נָשָׂא

vb — lift

נָשָׂא 656 vb. lift, carry, take

Qal

1. lift, lift up

2. Bear, carry

3. Take, take away

Niph.

1. be lifted up

2. refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

3. be borne, carried

4. be taken away, carried off

Pi.

1. lift up = exalt

2. fig. = desire, long

3. carry, bear continuously

4. take, take away

Hithp. lift oneself up

Hiph.

1. cause one to bear iniquity

2. appar. cause to bring, have brought

H7782

שׁוֹפָרshôwphâr/sho-far'/

n-m — cornet, clear

Derivation: or שֹׁפָר; from 8231 in the original sense of incising;

a cornet (as giving a clear sound) or curved horn

KJV: cornet, trumpet.

שֹׁפָר

n.m — horn

שֹׁפָר, שׁוֹפָר 72 n.m. horn, for blowing

H3104

יוֹבֵלyôwbêl/yo-bale'/

n-m — blast, continuous, signal

Derivation: or יֹבֵל; apparently from 2986;

the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound); specifically, the signal of the silver trumpets; hence, the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced

KJV: jubile, ram's horn, trumpet.

יוֹבֵל

n.m — ram

יוֹבֵל, יֹבֵל n.m. ram, ram's horn, cornet

H6440

פָּנִיםpânîym/paw-neem'/

n-m — face, before

Derivation: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from 6437);

the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)

KJV: accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, × as (long as), at, battle, because (of), beseech, countenance, edge, employ, endure, enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, × him(-self), honourable, impudent, in, it, look(-eth) (-s), × me, meet, × more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), × on, open, out of, over against, the partial, person, please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, regard, right forth, serve, × shewbread, sight, state, straight, street, × thee, × them(-selves), through ( -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), upon, upside ( down), with(-in, -stand), × ye, × you.

פָּנֶה

n.m — face

[פָּנֶה], pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. face, also faces

I.

1. face, faces

2.

a. presence, person

b. technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence

3. face of seraphim

4. face of animals

5. face (= surface) of ground

6. as adv.loc. before

7. for other phrases

II. with prepositions

H727

אָרוֹןʼârôwn/aw-rone'/

n-m — box

Derivation: or אָרֹן; from 717 (in the sense of gathering);

a box

KJV: ark, chest, coffin.

אֲרוֹן

n.m — chest

אֲרוֹן, c. art. הָאָרוֹן, הָאָרֹן 203 n.m. chest, ark

1. chest, for money-offerings

2. sarcophagus, mummy-case

3. chest, ark in tabernacle & temple

H3117

יוֹםyôwm/yome/

n-m — day

Derivation: from an unused root meaning to be hot;

a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)

KJV: age, always, chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), elder, × end, evening, (for) ever(-lasting, -more), × full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, old, outlived, perpetually, presently, remaineth, × required, season, × since, space, then, (process of) time, as at other times, in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), × whole ( age), (full) year(-ly), younger.

יוֹם

n.m — day

יוֹם 2285 n.m. day

1. day, opp. night

2. Day as division of time

3. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

4. Pl. days of anyone

5. Days

6. יוֹם = time

7. Phrases

H7637

שְׁבִיעִיshᵉbîyʻîy/sheb-ee-ee'/

a — seventh

Derivation: or שְׁבִעִי; ordinal from 7657;

seventh

KJV: seventh (time).

שְׁבִיעִי

m — seventh

שְׁבִיעִי m. שְׁבִיעִית f. 97 adj.num.ord. seventh

H5437

סָבַבçâbab/saw-bab'/

v — revolve, surround, border

Derivation: a primitive root;

to revolve, surround, or border; used in various applications, literally and figuratively

KJV: bring, cast, fetch, lead, make, walk, × whirl, × round about, be about on every side, apply, avoid, beset (about), besiege, bring again, carry (about), change, cause to come about, × circuit, (fetch a) compass (about, round), drive, environ, × on every side, beset (close, come, compass, go, stand) round about, inclose, remove, return, set, sit down, turn (self) (about, aside, away, back).

סָבַב

vb — turn about

סָבַב vb. turn about, go around, surround

Qal

1. turn, intrans.

2.

a. march, or walk, around

b. go partly round, circle, skirt

c. make a round, or circuit, go about to

d. surround, encompass

Niph.

1.

a. turn oneself against, close round upon

b. turn round (from a direct course)

c. esp. of boundary: turn round from, toward

2. pass. be turned over to, into the power of

Pi. to change, transform, the aspect of the matter

Po‛.

1. encompass (with protection)

2. come about, assemble round

3. march or go about

4. enclose, envelop

Hiph.

1.

a. turn (trans.), cause to turn

b. bring over (i.e. to allegiance)

c. turn into, of changing name

d. = bring round, of changing name

2.

a. cause to go around

b. surround with (acc.) wall

c. perh. also encompass (as foe)

Hoph.

1. be turned, of cart wheel

2. surrounded, i.e. set, of jewels

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H5892

עִירʻîyr/eer/

n-m — city, waking, encampment, post

Derivation: or (in the plural) עָר; or עָיַר; (Judges 10:4), from 5782

a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)

KJV: Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.

עִיר

n.f — city

עִיר 1092 n.f. city, town

1. city, town, abode of men

2. of fortress in a city

3. appar. fortified place, of any size

עִיר

n.[m.] — excitement

עִיר n.[m.] excitement;—of terror; of rage

H6471

פַּעַםpaʻam/pah'-am/

n-f — stroke

Derivation: or (feminine) פַּעֲמָה; from 6470;

a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications, as follow)

KJV: anvil, corner, foot(-step), going, (hundred-) fold, × now, (this) once, order, rank, step, thrice, (often-), second, this, two) time(-s), twice, wheel.

פַּ֫עַם

n.f — beat

פַּ֫עַם 118 n.f. beat, foot, anvil, occurrence

H8628

תָּקַעtâqaʻ/taw-kah'/

v — clatter, slap, clang, drive, become bondsman

Derivation: a primitive root;

to clatter, i.e. slap (the hands together), clang (an instrument); by analogy, to drive (a nail or tent-pin, a dart, etc.); by implication, to become bondsman by handclasping)

KJV: blow (a trumpet), cast, clap, fasten, pitch (tent), smite, sound, strike, × suretiship, thrust.

תָּקַע

vb — thrust

תָּקַע 67 vb. thrust, clap, give a blow, blast

Qal

1. thrust, drive

2. give a blast, blow

3. strike, clap hands

Niph.

1. if a horn shall be blown

2. who is there that will strike himself (i.e. pledge himself) into my hand?

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