Joshua 6:7
New International Version
And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

New Living Translation
Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the LORD.”

English Standard Version
And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the LORD.”

Berean Standard Bible
And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the LORD.”

New American Standard Bible
Then he said to the people, “Go forward and march around the city, and the armed men shall go on ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

NASB 1995
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.”

NASB 1977
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.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he said to the people, “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of Yahweh.”

Amplified Bible
He said to the people, “Go forward! March around the city, and let the armed men go ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

Christian Standard Bible
He said to the troops, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He said to the people, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed troops go ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

American Standard Version
And they said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of Jehovah.

English Revised Version
And they said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He told the troops, "March around the city. Let the armed men march ahead of the LORD's ark."

Good News Translation
Then he ordered the people to start marching around the city, with an advance guard going on ahead of the LORD's Covenant Box.

International Standard Version
He told the army, "Go out and encircle the city. Have the armed men march out in front of the ark of the LORD."

Majority Standard Bible
And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

NET Bible
And he told the army, "Move ahead and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD."

New Heart English Bible
And he said to the people, "Advance. March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the LORD's ark."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

World English Bible
They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and He said to the people, “Pass over, and go around the city, and he who is armed passes over before the Ark of YHWH.”

Young's Literal Translation
and He said unto the people, 'Pass over, and compass the city, and he who is armed doth pass over before the ark of Jehovah.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will say to the people, Pass through and surround the city, and he being armed shall pass by before the ark of Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to the people: Go, and compass the city, armed, marching before the ark of the Lord.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He also said to the people, “Go, and circle the city, armed, preceding the ark of the Lord.”

New American Bible
And he ordered the people, “Proceed and surround the city, with the picked troops marching ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

New Revised Standard Version
To the people he said, “Go forward and march around the city; have the armed men pass on before the ark of the LORD.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he said to the people, Pass on and encircle the city, and let those who are armed march on before the ark of the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he said to the people: “Pass by and go around the city, and those who are armed shall pass by before the ark of LORD JEHOVAH”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he said unto the people: 'Pass on, and compass the city, and let the armed body pass on before the ark of the LORD.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Charge the people to go round, and encompass the city; and let your men of war pass on armed before the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Walls of Jericho
6So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.” 7And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.” 8After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.…

Cross References
Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

2 Corinthians 10:4
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Exodus 14:14
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

1 Samuel 17:47
And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. / He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, / so that no one may boast in His presence.

Judges 7:7
Then the LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped the water I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hand. But all the others are to go home.”

2 Chronicles 20:15
And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.

Psalm 44:3
For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.

Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.

Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. / Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

2 Kings 6:16
“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Isaiah 30:15
For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.”

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.


Treasury of Scripture

And he said to the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

that is armed

Joshua 6:3
And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

Joshua 1:14
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them;

Joshua 4:13
About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.

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Advance Ahead Ark Armed Body Circling City Compass March Ordered Round
Joshua 6
1. Jericho is shut up
2. God instructs Joshua how to beseige it
12. The city is composed
17. It is accursed
20. The walls fall down
22. Rahab is saved
26. The builder of Jericho is cursed














And he said to the people
This phrase introduces a command from Joshua, the leader of the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which often implies not just speaking but conveying a message of importance or authority. Joshua, as the appointed leader after Moses, carries the weight of divine authority. His words are not merely his own but are seen as directives from God Himself. This highlights the importance of leadership that is aligned with divine will, a key theme in the narrative of the Israelites' conquest of Canaan.

Advance
The command to "advance" is a call to action, urging the people to move forward in faith. The Hebrew word "עָבַר" (avar) can mean to pass over, go through, or advance. This is not just a physical movement but a spiritual one, symbolizing the transition from wandering in the wilderness to claiming the promises of God. It reflects the necessity of faith in action, a principle that resonates throughout the Christian journey.

and march around the city
The instruction to "march around the city" of Jericho is a strategic and symbolic act. The Hebrew word for "march" is "סָבַב" (sabab), meaning to go around or encircle. This act of encircling Jericho is both a military tactic and a spiritual exercise. Historically, marching around a city could be seen as a siege tactic, but here it is a demonstration of faith and obedience. The Israelites are to trust in God's unconventional methods rather than their own understanding.

with the armed men
The phrase "with the armed men" indicates that this was a coordinated effort involving the warriors of Israel. The Hebrew term "חָלוּץ" (chalutz) refers to those who are equipped or prepared for battle. This highlights the readiness and willingness of God's people to engage in spiritual warfare. It serves as a reminder that while God fights for His people, they are also called to be active participants in His plans.

going ahead of the ark of the LORD
The "ark of the LORD" is central to this narrative, representing God's presence among His people. The Hebrew word for "ark" is "אֲרוֹן" (aron), which signifies a chest or box, but in this context, it is the sacred chest containing the tablets of the covenant. The armed men going ahead of the ark symbolize the protection and reverence due to God's presence. This order of procession underscores the principle that God leads His people, and they follow in faith and obedience. The ark's presence assures victory, as it is not by might nor by power, but by God's Spirit that the walls of Jericho will fall.

(7) Pass on, and compass the city.--The meaning of this proceeding becomes clearer when we remember that the centre of the procession is the written law of God. The ark is the vessel that contains it. The armed men that precede it are its executioners. The priests who blow the trumpets are its heralds. It was this law that had brought Israel over Jordan; this law that was henceforth to be established in Canaan; this law that was about to take vengeance on the transgressors. The whole law of Moses is but the expansion of the Decalogue; and the Pentateuch contains an ample statement of the transgressions which had brought the inhabitants of Canaan under the ban of the Divine law. The seven days' march round Jericho, in absolute silence, was well calculated to impress on the inhabitants the lesson of "the forbearance of God." "These things hast thou done, and I kept silence." For several generations the long-suffering of God had waited, while "the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full." In the first year of the Exodus He had threatened them, bringing the sword of Israel to their borders; and then He had drawn back His hand from them, and given them forty years' respite more. But now the long-suffering of God had waited long enough. The shout that burst from the lips of Israel was a signal that He would wait no longer.

Looked at thus, the shout of Israel at the sound of the trumpet on the seventh day becomes no inapt figure of that which is connected with it by the language of Holy Scripture--"the shout," accompanied by "the voice of the archangel and the trump of God," which shall notify to the world our Lord's second coming. "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence" any more (Ps. 1. 3 and 21; 1Thessalonians 4:16).

Verse 7. - And he said. The text has they said. Our translators follow the Masoretic emendation. If we follow the original we must suppose that the priests, or, as with Keil and Knobel, the Shoterim (Joshua 1:10), conveyed Joshua's command to the troops.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And
ויאמרו (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

he told
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the people,
הָעָ֔ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

“Advance
עִבְר֖וּ (‘iḇ·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

and march around
וְסֹ֣בּוּ (wə·sōb·bū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

the city,
הָעִ֑יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

with the armed
וְהֶ֣חָל֔וּץ (wə·he·ḥā·lūṣ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 2502: To pull off, to strip, to depart, to deliver, equip, present, strengthen

troops
יַעֲבֹ֕ר (ya·‘ă·ḇōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

going ahead of
לִפְנֵ֖י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the ark
אֲר֥וֹן (’ă·rō·wn)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 727: A chest, ark

of the LORD.”
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT History: Joshua 6:7 They said to the people Advance! (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 6:6
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