1Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.
3March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.
4Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.
5And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your people will charge straight into the city.”
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.
9While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.
10But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!”
11So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there.
12Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.
13And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding.
14So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times.
16After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!
17Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.
18But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.
19For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”
20So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.
21With the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
22Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.”
23So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.
25And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.
26At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
27So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Joshua 6 Section and Chapter Commentary
Josh 6:1-27
Conquest of Canaan and the Wrath of God
The conquest narratives in Numbers and Joshua illustrate how salvation for one group can create suffering for another. God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants, but its occupation required the Israelites to slaughter the existing inhabitants, as seen in the command to destroy Jericho. Similarly, the Book of Revelation depicts God's wrath leading to the annihilation of most of humanity for the salvation of a select few, demonstrating a recurring biblical theme where salvation for some entails suffering for others.
Summarized by AI · The Dark Side of Christmas · Lecture 2: Dealing With the Dark Side · watch the clip
Archaeological Discrepancies with Jericho and Ai
Archaeological evidence contradicts the biblical accounts of the conquest of Jericho and Ai. While both cities were significant Canaanite sites destroyed at some point, they were unoccupied during the Late Bronze Age (13th century BCE), the period when the biblical account places Joshua's conquest. This suggests that Joshua could not have conquered and destroyed them as described, as they were already in ruins.
Summarized by AI · The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings · Lecture 2: Joshua and the Conquest of Canaan | Too Good to Be True · watch the clip
Jericho's conquest: Archaeology contradicts Joshua's narrative
Archaeological evidence at Jericho indicates that the city was already a pile of ruins during the period Joshua would have conquered it, contradicting the biblical narrative in the Book of Joshua. This suggests that the story of Jericho's fall is a literary creation, possibly explaining the origins of a ruined city rather than a historical account of its destruction.
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God's role in the conquest of Jericho and the concept of 'herem'
The narrative of Jericho's fall in Joshua 6 emphasizes that God, not Israelite military prowess, was responsible for the victory. This divine intervention is linked to the concept of 'herem,' meaning the complete devotion of everything to God through annihilation. This meant that the Israelites were not to benefit from the conquest, with all spoils either destroyed or dedicated to God, except for metal items to be given to the house of God.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 12: Joshua and Judges · watch the clip
Josh 6:1-21
Marcion's Antithesis: Jericho and God's Wrath
Marcion likely used the account of the Battle of Jericho in Joshua 6 as an example in his Antithesis. He would contrast the Old Testament God's command to utterly destroy all inhabitants, including women, children, and animals, with Jesus's New Testament teachings of loving enemies and turning the other cheek. This stark difference supported Marcion's view that the wrathful God of the Old Testament was distinct from the benevolent God of Jesus, implying Jesus could not be part of the former's material creation.
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The Egyptian false prophet and the walls of Jericho
Another figure, referred to as the Egyptian false prophet, gathered a large following and led them to the Mount of Olives. Josephus reports that this prophet intended to demonstrate that, at his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall, echoing the biblical story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho. This again illustrates the pattern of prophetic figures reenacting biblical miracles to inspire their followers.
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Josh 6:17-21
Marcion's rejection of the God of Genesis as Christ's Father
Marcion argued that the God of Genesis, who created the material universe, could not be the father of Christ. He viewed the Genesis God as a lower, morally flawed deity, entangled in fleshly concerns, blood sacrifices, and vengeance, as evidenced by passages like Adam and Eve's punishment or Joshua's conquests. Such a God, Marcion contended, was incompatible with Christ's divine father.
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God's command to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan
In the conquest narratives, particularly in the Book of Joshua, God commands the Israelites to invade the Promised Land and destroy its inhabitants. This includes the explicit order to kill every man, woman, child, and animal in cities like Jericho, not merely to settle empty land. The justification for this genocide is to prevent the Israelites from being contaminated by the worship of other gods by these people.
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The Harem and its Rhetorical Function
The biblical command of 'harem' (extermination) in Joshua, though historically unfulfilled, serves a significant rhetorical purpose. It was likely invented to explain the disappearance of Canaanite groups by attributing their destruction to Israel's conquest. Furthermore, the concept of harem in Deuteronomy is applied not only to Canaanites but also to Israelites who worship incorrectly, effectively equating disobedient Israelites with Canaanites and justifying their potential elimination.
Summarized by AI · The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings · Lecture 2: Joshua and the Conquest of Canaan | Too Good to Be True · watch the clip
Joshua 6 Verse Notes
Josh 6:1
God ordains killing of threatening outsiders
The Old Testament conquest narratives demonstrate God's command for the Israelites to kill entire populations of non-Israelites in the Promised Land. This was often justified by the belief that these outsiders posed a threat to the Israelites' worship of Yahweh, as seen in the destruction of Midianites and Jericho.
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Archaeological Discrepancies in Conquest Narratives
Archaeological evidence contradicts the biblical account of a swift, unified Israelite conquest under Joshua. While some cities listed in Joshua 12:9-24 show destruction, these events occurred over an extended period (mid-13th to mid-12th century BCE), not simultaneously. Furthermore, many sites mentioned in the conquest narratives, such as Ai and Jericho, were uninhabited or only small villages during the supposed time of Israel's entry, meaning there were no major cities for them to destroy or repopulate as described.
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Joshua's conquest lacks archaeological support
The biblical account of the Israelite conquest of Canaan under Joshua is not supported by archaeological evidence. Excavations indicate that the cities Israel was supposedly conquered were not destroyed at the time described, leading historians to conclude that the conquest as depicted in the Bible did not happen.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · History vs Myth: Can We Trust the Stories in the Hebrew Bible? · watch the clip
The Antithesis: Contrasting Old and New Testament Gods
Marcion's book, 'The Antithesis,' highlighted contradictions between the Old Testament and Jesus's teachings to prove the existence of two different gods. For example, he contrasted God's command to annihilate Jericho in Joshua 6 with Jesus's teaching to love enemies. Another example was Elisha's curse on boys in 2 Kings, leading to their mauling by bears, versus Jesus's invitation for children to come to him.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Meet Marcion: The First Great Christian Heretic · watch the clip
God's Love and Wrath in the Old Testament
The Old Testament God is often characterized by wrath and vengeance, while the New Testament God is seen as loving and forgiving. However, this is an oversimplification. The Old Testament God also demonstrates love for his people, Israel, and commands them to love God and their neighbors. Simultaneously, he is a God of justice and wrath, inflicting suffering and death on others, as seen in the conquest of Jericho.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Is the God of Revelation the Same as the God of Jesus? · watch the clip
Archaeological Disproof of the Conquest Model
Early biblical archaeology, driven by a desire to confirm biblical accounts, initially claimed to find evidence for the conquest model, as seen with Jericho. However, later archaeological work, particularly by Kathleen Kenyon, revealed that Jericho was an abandoned ruin during the supposed time of conquest. Similarly, Ai, meaning 'ruin,' was also a ruin, indicating that these cities were already destroyed when the Israelite stories about conquering them were created.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Josh 6:17
Holy War and Divine Judgment
The concept of 'Holy War' or 'herem' in Joshua, involving complete destruction devoted to God, serves a theological purpose for the Deuteronomistic historians. It aims to demonstrate divine judgment against corrupt Canaanite societies, emphasize the purity of Yahweh worship by eliminating foreign religious influence, and portray God as a warrior actively fighting Israel's battles. This theme is crucial for later explanations of the exile as punishment for disobedience.
Summarized by AI · Digging Up Dirt on Joshua · Digging Up Dirt on Joshua: Historical Conquest or Fan Fiction? · watch the clip
Josh 6:20-21
Biblical Morality and Situational Ethics
The speaker challenges the idea of objective morality derived from the Bible by pointing out instances of actions described in scripture that would be considered immoral by modern standards, such as polygamy among patriarchs, Solomon enslaving people, and the Israelites slaughtering the inhabitants of Jericho. This suggests that morality, even within biblical narratives, is often situational rather than universally objective.
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Josh 6:24-25
Rahab's story explains the presence of non-Israelite populations
The story of Rahab in Joshua 2 and 6 serves to explain the continued presence of certain non-Israelite populations, like the Rahabites, centuries after the supposed conquest. Despite the command for complete annihilation, Rahab and her family were spared, allowing their descendants to dwell among the Israelites, thus accounting for their existence in the authors' present.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 12: Joshua and Judges · watch the clip
