⁸ When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD's covenant followed them. ⁹ The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!" ¹¹ So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.
¹² Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. ¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. ¹⁴ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! ¹⁷ The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
²⁰ When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. ²¹ They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it -- men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
²² Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." ²³ So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
²⁴ Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house. ²⁵ But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho -- and she lives among the Israelites to this day.
²⁶ At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates."
²⁷ So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

Check out a parallel incident in Exodus 3:1-6. The person in the bush is called the __________________. To find out who that is, look up these verses and/or consult a Bible dictionary:

Genesis 22:11,15

Genesis 31:11-13

Exodus 23:20-23

Judges 6:11-18

Judges 13:3-6

What significance can you attach to the appearance of this person to Joshua, at this time?

6:1-5 If Jericho was already "delivered" to Israel, why do you think they had to go through all these motions?

"Through archeological digs we have a better idea of what Jericho was like Jericho was not a big city; it was only about seven acres in its entirety. What it really was was a fortress a very strong fortress prepared to resist siege."

Francis Schaeffer

6:6-21 Simply outline the course of events in the fall of Jericho:

What word is used to describe the way the defeated city was to be treated? (see verses 18 & 21)

For background concerning this act of God's judgment, read Genesis 15:12-21 (the Abrahamic covenant) what does "not yet complete" mean (15:16)?

"Usually the Hebrew word means a ban for utter destruction, the compulsory dedication of something which impedes or resists God's work, which is considered to be accursed before God. This word is used regarding almost all the cities which Joshua's troops destroyed.

Because the Hewbrew word "to be holy" also carries the thought of setting apart from ordinary use in surrender to God, we must distinguish objects set apart because they are "devoted" from those set apart because they are "holy".

In respect to the objects to be destroyed, they were considered to be offensive to God and injurious to His work. Objects to be set apart because holy were pleasing to Him and useful."

Theological Wordbook of the O.T.

6:22-25 According to the last phrase of verse 23, what must have happened between that day ("a place outside the camp") and "this day" of verse 25? What did that change represent?

What kind of impact do you think Rahab's presence in Israel would make?

6:26 Based on your study of verse 21 above, would you say that Joshua is overdoing it a little here? (see Deut. 13:16)

Was Jericho ever rebuilt? (see 1 Kings 16:34)

[Note: Scholars make this point "The curse is not meant for those who used the site of Jericho for habitation it involves the refortification of Jericho. The words "foundation" and "gates" refer to the establishment of a wall around the city."]

6:27 This is a fulfillment of what verse in chapter one?

As people talked about Joshua and his exploits, what "hidden" message would they be drawn to? (hint: what does "Joshua" mean?)