Joshua-Chap-6-1-27
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye
shall NOT ADD
TO THE WORD which I command
you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT,
that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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Introduction:
Joshua
Chapter 6 marks the transition from the Israelites’ wilderness journey to the
active conquest of
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Below is the both the ‘Text’
of Joshua Chapter 6, verses 1 to 27: (JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh), as well as ‘excellent Explanations’.
Verse
1.
“Now
Explanation: The city is
under a state of total siege. The “straitly shut”
nature suggests both physical barricades and a psychological paralysis among
the inhabitants.
Verse
2.
“And יְהוָה - the LORD said unto Joshua: ‘See, I
have given into thy hand
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim speaks in the past tense (“I have
given”). Before a single stone falls, the victory is already a completed legal
reality in the heavenly court.
Verse
3. “And ye shall compass the city,
all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
Verse 4. And seven priests shall bear seven
rams’ horns before the ark; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven
times, and the priests shall blow with the horns”.
Explanation: The
strategy is purely symbolic. The number seven (seven priests, seven horns,
seven days, seven circuits) signifies “completeness” or “perfection”, mirroring
the seven days of Creation.
Verse
5.
“And it shall be, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and
when ye hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout with a great
shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go
up every man straight before him”.
Explanation: The “great
shout” (teruah) is the trigger. The phrase “fall down flat”
(literally “under itself”) suggests the massive
fortifications would sink or collapse into their own foundations, creating a
ramp for the soldiers.
Verse
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 rams’ horns before the
ark of יְהוָה - the LORD’.
Verse 7. And he said unto the people: ‘Pass
on, and compass the city; and let the armed body pass on before the ark of יְהוָה - the LORD;”.
Explanation: Order is
paramount. The
Verse
8.
“And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests
bearing the seven rams’ horns before יְהוָה - the LORD passed on, and blew with
the horns; and the ark of the covenant of יְהוָה - the LORD followed them.
Verse 9. And the armed men went before the
priests that blew with the horns, and the rearward went after the ark, the
priests blowing with the horns as they went.
Verse 10. And Joshua commanded the people,
saying: ‘Ye shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any
word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye
shout’”.
Explanation: The silence
of the people for six days is a form of discipline and psychological pressure
on
Verse
11.
“So he caused the ark of יְהוָה - the LORD to compass the city, going
about it once; and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
Verse 12. And Joshua rose early in the
morning, and the priests took up the ark of יְהוָה - the LORD.
Verse 13. And the seven priests bearing the
seven rams’ horns before the ark of יְהוָה - the LORD went on continually, and
blew with the horns; and the armed men went before them; and the rearward came
after the ark of יְהוָה - the LORD, the priests blowing with
the horns as they went.
Verse 14. And the second day they compassed
the city once, and returned into the camp; so they did six days”.
Explanation: This
repetition builds tension. To the observers on the walls of
Verse
15.
“And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they
rose early at 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.
Verse 16. And it came to pass at the seventh
time, when the priests blew with the horns, Joshua said unto the people:
‘Shout; for יְהוָה - the LORD hath given you the city”.
Explanation: The climax
is reached. The instructions have been followed to the letter, and the moment
of transition from silence to sound occurs.
Verse
17.
“And the city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein, to יְהוָה - 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”.
Explanation: The city is
declared cherem (devoted/proscribed). It is
treated as the “firstfruits” of the conquest; therefore,
everything belongs to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and cannot be taken as personal
loot.
Verse
18.
“And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest ye make
yourselves accursed by taking of the devoted thing, so should ye make the camp
of
Verse 19. But all the silver, and gold, and
vessels of brass and iron, are holy unto יְהוָה - the LORD; they shall come into the
treasury of יְהוָה - the LORD”.
Explanation: A stern
warning. To touch the cherem is to
become cherem oneself. This sets the stage for
the tragedy that follows in the next chapter.
Verse
20.
“So the people shouted, and the priests blew with the horns; and it came to
pass, when the people heard the sound of the horn, that 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 before him, and they took the city”.
Explanation: The walls
did not yield to battering rams, but to the resonance of the shofar and the
collective voice of the people, signifying that the victory was supernatural.
Verse
21.
“And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both
young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Verse 22. And Joshua said unto the two men
that had spied out the land: ‘Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence
the woman, and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her’.
Verse 23. And the young men the spies went
in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her
mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; all her kindred also they
brought out, and they set them without the camp of
Explanation: Faithfulness
to one’s word is highlighted. Even in the chaos of total destruction, the
covenant made with Rahab is honoured.
Verse
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 יְהוָה - the LORD.
Verse 25. But Rahab
the harlot, and her father’s household, and all that she had, did Joshua save
alive; and she dwelt in the midst of
Explanation: Rahab’s inclusion “unto this day” emphasizes that her
lineage and story became a permanent part of the national fabric of
Verse
26.
“And Joshua charged the people with an oath at that time, saying: ‘Cursed be
the man before יְהוָה - the LORD, that riseth
up and buildeth this city Jericho; with the loss of
his first-born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his
youngest son shall he set up the gates of it’”.
Explanation: Joshua
places a prophetic ban on the site. It was to remain a ruin as a perpetual
monument to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s intervention.
Verse 27. “So יְהוָה - the LORD was with Joshua; and his
fame was in all the land”.
Explanation: The chapter
concludes by confirming Joshua’s authority. He has successfully led the people
through their first trial, and his reputation now precedes him throughout
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My Closing
Message:
Joshua Chapter
6 teaches us that the greatest obstacles are not overcome by human ingenuity
alone, but by ‘rhythmic obedience’ and ‘patient
endurance’. We the Israelites marched for six days seeing no
results; the walls remained as thick as ever. It was only on the seventh day,
after the final circuit, that the breakthrough occurred. This reminds us that “victory”
often requires a period of silence and steady walking before the “shout” brings
the walls down!
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