Joshua 6

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 27 verses.

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=35-37}} Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q47 (4QJosh{{sup|a}}; 200–100 BCE) with extant verses 5–10.{{sfn|Ulrich|2010|pp=249–250}}[https://thewaytoyahuweh.com/dead-sea-scrolls/general-info/#joshua Dead sea scrolls - Joshua]{{sfn|Fitzmyer|2008|p=34}}

[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q47-1 4Q47 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library]

Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B; $\backslash mathfrak\{G\}$^B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; $\backslash mathfrak\{G\}$^A; 5th century).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=73-74}}{{efn|The whole book of Joshua is missing from the extant Codex Sinaiticus.{{Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Codex Sinaiticus}}}}

Fragments of the Septuagint Greek text containing this chapter is found in manuscripts such as Washington Manuscript I (5th century CE), and a reduced version of the Septuagint text is found in the illustrated Joshua Roll.{{Cite web|url=https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/language-culture/discrepancies-in-manuscripts-show-how-old-testament-scribes-edited-the-book-of-joshua|title=Discrepancies in manuscripts show how Old Testament scribes edited the Book of Joshua|date=January 29, 2018|website=University of Helsinki}}{{Cite journal|title=The septuagint-version of the book of Joshua|first=Martin|last=Rösel|authorlink=Martin Rösel|date=January 1, 2002|journal=Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament| volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=5–23 |via=Taylor and Francis+NEJM|doi=10.1080/09018320210000329|s2cid=161116376}}[http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/illuman/9-10_08.html Facsimiles of Illuminated Manuscripts of the Medieval Period] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213003229/http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/illuman/9-10_08.html |date=2012-02-13 }}. Only contains Joshua chapter II to the end of chapter X

The narrative of Israelites conquering the land of Canaan comprises verses 5:13 to 12:24 of the Book of Joshua and has the following outline:{{sfn|Firth|2021|pp=27–29}}

:A. Jericho (5:13–6:27)

::1. Joshua and the Commander of the Lord's Army (5:13–15)

::2. Instructions for Capturing the City (6:1–5)

::3. Obeying the Instructions (6:6–21)

::4. The Deliverance of Rahab's Family and the City's Destruction (6:22–25)

::5. Curse and Renown (6:26–27)

:B. Achan and Ai (7:1–8:29)

:C. Renewal at Mount Ebal (8:30–35)

:D. The Gibeonite Deception (9:1–27)

:E. The Campaign in the South (10:1–43)

:F. The Campaign in the North and Summary List of Kings (11:1–12:24)

The account of the attack on Jericho follows the commissioning scene (Joshua 5:13–15) with a note (verse 1) that the people of Jericho were gripped with fear (cf. Joshua 2:24), so the city was 'shut up inside and out'.{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=163}} The instructions in verse 2–5 from God is reported directly, rather than through the commander, beginning as a battle plan but then transforming into an extended act of worship: the men of war were to march around the city once a day for six days, together with priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant and seven priests going ahead of the ark carrying ram's horn trumpets, and then on the seventh day they all to circumambulate Jericho for seven times before the priests blew the trumpets long and all men shout loudly.{{sfn|Firth|2021|p=131}} With the extended blast of trumpet and the great noise of shouting, God promised that the walls of Jericho would fall, allowing the Israelites to get into the city and destroy it.{{sfn|Firth|2021|pp=131–132}} The ark itself represents God's presence in Israel's Holy War (cf. 1 Samuel 4:1-3).{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=163}}

File:Liten askenasisk sjofar 5380.jpg made from a ram's horn.]]

:[God said to Joshua:] "And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat,[a] and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him."{{bibleref2|Joshua |6:5|ESV}} ESV

• "Ram's horn"" from {{langx|he|קרן היובל}}, {{Strong-number|qe-ren|H|7161}} ha-{{Strong-number|yō-w-ḇêl,|H|3104}},[https://biblehub.com/text/joshua/6-5.htm Joshua 6:5 Hebrew text analysis]. Biblehub for "shofar" is only used here in the whole Hebrew Bible.{{sfn|Rösel|2011|p=99}}

{{main|Battle of Jericho}}

File:JSC the battle of Jericho.png (1794-1872)]]

The whole procedure before the actual battle is an act of religious obedience and devotion without military realism to emphasize that in this primary account of Israel's Holy War the victory belong to YHWH.{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=163}} In contrast to the triumphant victories in the Transjordanian Holy War (Deuteronomy 2:26–3:11, especially 2:31), a new significance and solemnity is presented here about the taking of Jericho, as the 'first fruit' of the conquest of the promised land.{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=163}}

The prominence of the number seven stands out (seven trumpets, verse 8; days, seven circuits on the seventh day, verses 14–15; cf. verse 4), as also elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 1:1–2:4; 4:24) and in the ancient literature such as those of Ugarit.{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=163}} The theology of the herem, or 'ban', at the centre of the narrative, and of the Holy War, was also known outside Israel (King Mesha of Moab wrote of having laid Israelites under the herem, on the mid-ninth century Moabite Stone), with its implications detailed in verses 17, 21 (cf. Deuteronomy 20:16–18 for the law): all living

creatures are to be put to death, and all the city's wealth is to be devoted to God by being placed in the 'treasury of the LORD'

(that is, in any sanctuary of YHWH).{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=164}} The battle story contains a clear note about the protection given to Rahab and her family (verses 22–25), according to the commitment made in chapter 2.{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=164}}

Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, "Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates."{{bibleref2|Joshua|6:26|NKJV}} NKJV

Joshua's curse of Jericho in this verse will be grimly echoed in 1 Kings 16:34.{{sfn|McConville|2007|p=164}}

The site of ancient Jericho was excavated by:{{cite web |title= Tell es-Sultan/Jericho |website= lasapienzatojericho.it |url= http://www.lasapienzatojericho.it |access-date=6 November 2018}}

• Charles Warren (1868) with the British Palestine Exploration Fund.
• Ernst Sellin and Carl Watzinger (1907, 1909, 1911) with the German Oriental Society.
• John Garstang (1930–1936) with the University of Liverpool and the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
• Kathleen Kenyon (1952–1958)
• The Italian-Palestinian Expedition (1997–2017) by "La Sapienza" University and Palestinian MOTA-DACH under the direction of Lorenzo Nigro, Nicolò Marchetti, Hamdan Taha, Jehad Yasine etc.

{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|

• Ark of the Covenant
• Brass
• Children of Israel
• Curse
• Gold
• Harlot
• Iron
• Jordan River
• Kohen
• Nun
• Promised Land
• Rahab
• Shofar
• Silver}}
• Related Bible parts: Joshua 2, Joshua 5

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{ref begin}}

• {{cite book | last= Coogan| first = Michael David | author-link= Michael D. Coogan | title = The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 | editor-last1 = Coogan | editor-first1= Michael David | editor-first2 = Marc Zvi | editor-last2 = Brettler | editor-first3 = Carol Ann | editor-last3 = Newsom | editor-first4= Pheme | editor-last4 = Perkins | edition= Augmented 3rd | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2007 |isbn = 978-0195288810 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HmpMPgAACAAJ}}
• {{cite book|last = Firth |first = David G. |title = Joshua: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary | series = Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) | edition= illustrated | publisher = Lexham Press | year= 2021 | isbn= 9781683594406 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=McF5zQEACAAJ }}
• {{cite book|last = Fitzmyer|first = Joseph A.|authorlink= Joseph Fitzmyer |title = A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature|publisher = William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TILXeWJ2eNAC | year = 2008|isbn = 9780802862419|location = Grand Rapids, MI }}
• {{cite book | last= Halley | first= Henry H. | author-link= Henry Hampton Halley | title= Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary |edition=24th (revised)| publisher= Zondervan Publishing House | date= 1965 | url= https://archive.org/details/halleysbiblehand00henr | url-access= registration| isbn= 0-310-25720-4}}
• {{Cite book | last = Hayes | first = Christine | title = Introduction to the Bible |publisher = Yale University Press | year = 2015 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SKbkXYHxvlAC |isbn = 978-0300188271}}
• {{cite book|last= McConville | first= Gordon | chapter = 9. Joshua | title=The Oxford Bible Commentary | editor-first1=John | editor-last1 = Barton | editor1-link = John Barton (theologian) | editor-first2=John | editor-last2= Muddiman | editor2-link = John Muddiman | publisher = Oxford University Press | edition= first (paperback) | year = 2007 | pages = 158–176 | isbn = 978-0199277186 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJdVkgEACAAJ | access-date=February 6, 2019}}
• {{Cite book | last = Rösel | first = Hartmut N. | title =Joshua | volume = 6 | series= Historical commentary on the Old Testament | edition = illustrated | publisher= Peeters | year= 2011 | isbn= 978-9042925922 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=HdontwAACAAJ }}
• {{Cite book | editor-last = Ulrich | editor-first = Eugene | title = The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants | year = 2010 | publisher = Brill | url = https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls }}
• {{cite book | last = Würthwein | first = Ernst | author-link = Ernst Würthwein | title = The Text of the Old Testament | publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans |location = Grand Rapids, MI | year= 1995 | translator-first1 = Erroll F.| translator-last1 = Rhodes | isbn = 0-8028-0788-7 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC | access-date= January 26, 2019}}

{{Refend}}

• Jewish translations:
• [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15790/showrashi/true Yehoshua - Joshua - Chapter 56 (Judaica Press)]. Hebrew text and English translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
• Christian translations:
• [http://www.gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=Joshua+6 Online Bible at GospelHall.org] (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
• [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=6&chapter=6&version=9 Joshua chapter 6. Bible Gateway]

{{Book of Joshua}}

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06

Category:Fall of Jericho