61 Now Jericho was tightly shut because e of the sons of Israel ; no one went out and no one came in. 2 The Lord said to Joshua , "See , I have given Jericho into your hand , with its king and the valiant warriors . 3 "You shall march around the city , all the men of war circling the city once e . You shall do so for six days . 4 "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark ; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times , and the priests shall blow the trumpets . 5 "It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn , and when you hear the sound of the trumpet , all the people shall shout with a great shout ; and the wall of the city will fall down flat , and the people will go up every man straight ahead ."
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant , and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord ." 7 Then 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 ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Joshua 6:1-7
Commentary on Joshua 6:1-5
(Read Joshua 6:1-5)
Jericho resolves Israel shall not be its master. It shut itself up, being strongly fortified both by art and nature. Thus were they foolish, and their hearts hardened to their destruction; the miserable case of all that strengthen themselves against the Almighty. God resolves Israel shall be its master, and that quickly. No warlike preparations were to be made. By the uncommon method of besieging the city, the Lord honoured the ark, as the symbol of his presence, and showed that all the victories were from him. The faith and patience of the people were proved and increased.
Commentary on Joshua 6:6-16
(Read Joshua 6:6-16)
Wherever the ark went, the people attended it. God's ministers, by the trumpet of the everlasting gospel, which proclaims liberty and victory, must encourage the followers of Christ in their spiritual warfare. As promised deliverances must be expected in God's way, so they must be expected in his time. At last the people were to shout: they did so, and the walls fell. This was a shout of faith; they believed the walls of Jericho would fall. It was a shout of prayer; they cry to Heaven for help, and help came.