The Fall of Jericho
Joshua 6
The fall of Jericho is one of the most dramatic and memorable stories in the Old Testament. It describes the first major military victory of the Israelites after their entrance into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. The story is particularly remarkable because the city was not conquered through conventional military tactics, superior weapons, or a prolonged siege. Instead, the Israelites followed an unusual set of instructions given by God, marching around the city for seven days until its formidable walls collapsed.
For the Israelites, the destruction of Jericho represented far more than the capture of an important city. It was the beginning of their establishment in Canaan, the fulfillment of promises made to Abraham centuries earlier, and a demonstration that their future depended upon their relationship with God. At the same time, the story raises important questions for modern readers about warfare, divine judgment, faith, obedience, and the relationship between biblical narratives and archaeological evidence.
The Situation at Jericho
Following the Israelites’ crossing of the Jordan River, Joshua and the people established their camp at Gilgal, on the western side of the river. They had entered the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but the land was already occupied by numerous Canaanite peoples who lived in established cities and agricultural communities.
The Israelites were newcomers to this territory. Although they had spent forty years in the wilderness preparing for this moment, they had little experience conducting a major military campaign. They were now facing a land containing fortified cities, established armies, and populations that were determined to defend their homes.
Their first major obstacle was Jericho.
Jericho occupied a strategically important position in the Jordan Valley, near a plentiful water supply and along routes connecting the Jordan Valley with the central highlands of Canaan. Its location made it an important gateway into the interior of the land. Controlling Jericho would give the Israelites a foothold from which they could move farther into Canaan.
The biblical account describes Jericho as a strongly fortified city. Its gates had been closed because of the approaching Israelites, and nobody was permitted to enter or leave. The inhabitants knew that a large population had crossed the Jordan River and that the Israelites were camped nearby.
The city was effectively under lockdown.
From a military perspective, Jericho presented a formidable challenge. Its defensive walls appeared to make a direct assault extremely difficult. The Israelites did not possess the equipment or established siege capabilities that might ordinarily have been required to overcome such defenses.
However, the biblical narrative presents the coming confrontation in a different way. The decisive factor would not be Israel’s military strength but God’s involvement in the outcome.
God’s Instructions to Joshua
As Joshua considered the challenge before him, God appeared to him with a promise of victory.
God told Joshua that Jericho, its king, and its fighting men had already been delivered into his hands. The victory was presented not as something that might happen if the Israelites fought successfully, but as something that God had already determined.
God then gave Joshua an unusual set of instructions concerning how the city was to be captured.
The Israelites were to march around Jericho once each day for six consecutive days. Seven priests would walk ahead of the Ark of the Covenant, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. Armed soldiers would accompany them, while the priests and the Ark would occupy the central position in the procession. Other soldiers would follow behind.
The Ark of the Covenant was particularly important. It represented God’s covenantal presence among the Israelites and contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Its presence in the procession demonstrated that this was not simply a military expedition. The religious identity of Israel and its relationship with God stood at the center of the undertaking.
The priests were instructed to blow their trumpets as the procession moved around the city. However, the people themselves were commanded to remain silent. They were not to shout, speak, or make any noise until Joshua gave the signal.
For six days, they would repeat this procedure.
On the seventh day, however, the instructions would change. The Israelites were to march around the city seven times. After the seventh circuit, the priests would sound a prolonged blast on their trumpets. At that moment, Joshua would command the people to shout with all their strength.
God promised that when the people shouted, the walls of Jericho would collapse, allowing the Israelites to enter the city.
The instructions were extraordinary. There would be no conventional siege, no attempt to batter down the gates, and no prolonged assault against the defensive walls. Instead, the Israelites were being asked to demonstrate complete obedience to a plan whose success depended upon divine intervention.
Joshua accepted the instructions and prepared the people to carry them out.
The March Around Jericho
Joshua summoned the priests, soldiers, and people and explained what they were to do.
The armed men were placed at the front of the procession. Seven priests carrying ram’s horn trumpets followed them, with the Ark of the Covenant carried behind the priests. Additional armed men brought up the rear.
The procession then began its first march around Jericho.
The inhabitants of the city must have watched with considerable curiosity and apprehension. Instead of attacking the walls, the Israelites simply walked around the city in an organized procession. The priests sounded their trumpets, but the people remained silent.
After completing one circuit, the Israelites returned to their camp.
The same procedure was repeated on the second day, then the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth days.
Each day the Israelites marched around Jericho once and returned to their camp. Each day the inhabitants of the city witnessed the same unusual activity.
The biblical account does not describe what the people inside Jericho thought about these repeated marches. They may have been puzzled, frightened, or simply uncertain about what the Israelites intended to accomplish.
From the perspective of the Israelites, however, the daily marches were an exercise in discipline and obedience. They had been given a promise, but they were required to follow God’s instructions without knowing exactly how or when the promised victory would occur.
The silence of the people was also significant. They were not to celebrate prematurely or attempt to force the outcome through their own efforts. They were to wait until Joshua gave the command.
For six days, the Israelites followed the instructions precisely.
Then came the seventh day.
The Seventh Day
Early on the seventh morning, Joshua assembled the people and instructed them to prepare for the final procession.
This time, the Israelites would march around Jericho seven times rather than once.
The procession began, with the armed men leading, followed by the seven priests carrying their trumpets, the Ark of the Covenant, and the remaining soldiers.
The first circuit was completed, followed by the second. The procession continued around the city, repeating the journey until seven complete circuits had been made.
The atmosphere must have been increasingly intense. The inhabitants of Jericho were watching the same procession that had appeared every day for nearly a week, but on this occasion the Israelites were behaving differently.
After completing the seventh circuit, the priests sounded a long blast on their trumpets.
Joshua then gave the command.
He instructed the people to shout because God had given them the city. He also reminded them that Jericho and everything in it had been devoted to God. The Israelites were not to treat the city as ordinary spoils of war.
Joshua specifically warned them not to take anything that had been placed under the ban of destruction. Anyone who violated this instruction would bring serious consequences upon the Israelite community.
The silver, gold, and objects made of bronze and iron were to be set aside for the treasury of the Lord.
Joshua also reminded the people that Rahab and everyone belonging to her household were to be spared, in accordance with the promise made by the Israelite spies who had visited her earlier.
Everything was now ready.
The Walls of Jericho Collapse
The priests sounded their trumpets, and Joshua gave the signal for the people to shout.
The Israelites raised a tremendous cry, and the biblical account describes what happened next in one of the most dramatic passages in Scripture.
The walls of Jericho collapsed.
The fortified defenses that had protected the city were suddenly overcome, and the Israelites advanced directly into the city. According to the biblical narrative, the collapse opened the way for them to take possession of Jericho.
The event was presented as a miraculous demonstration of God’s power. The Israelites had not conquered the city through superior military equipment or conventional battlefield tactics. They had followed God’s instructions, and the promised victory had occurred.
The story emphasizes that the collapse of the walls was not simply the result of human military achievement. It was understood as an act of divine intervention.
The Israelites entered the city and carried out the destruction described in Joshua’s account.
The biblical text states that the inhabitants, including men and women, young and old, were killed, along with the livestock. The city was subsequently burned, with the exception of the valuable metals that were reserved for the treasury of the Lord.
This aspect of the story is among the most difficult for modern readers. The destruction extended beyond the soldiers defending the city to include its civilian population. The biblical writer presents the event as an act of divine judgment, but it also raises profound moral and theological questions about violence, warfare, and the treatment of innocent people.
These questions deserve serious consideration rather than being overlooked.
The account reflects an ancient understanding of warfare in which the destruction of an enemy city could be interpreted as the execution of divine judgment. Modern readers, including many Jewish and Christian scholars, approach these passages with considerable attention to their historical setting, literary character, and ethical implications.
Rahab and Her Family Are Saved
Amid the destruction of Jericho, one household was specifically protected.
This was the household of Rahab, the woman who had sheltered the Israelite spies before their crossing of the Jordan.
Her story had begun earlier, in Joshua 2.
When Joshua sent two men to investigate Jericho, they entered the city and found refuge in Rahab’s house. She concealed them from the authorities who were searching for them and helped them escape by lowering them through a window in the city wall.
Rahab had recognized that the Israelites were not simply another invading army. She had heard about their escape from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and their victories over the kings east of the Jordan.
She believed that the God of Israel was the true God of heaven and earth.
In return for protecting the spies, she asked them to spare her and her family when the Israelites eventually captured the city. The spies agreed, provided that she displayed a scarlet cord in the window of her house and gathered her family inside.
The scarlet cord would identify her household when the Israelites entered Jericho.
Now, as the city fell, Joshua remembered the agreement.
He instructed the two spies who had previously visited Jericho to go to Rahab’s house and bring her and her family out of the city.
The men entered the city and rescued Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, her sisters, and everyone else belonging to her household.
They were brought to a place outside the Israelite camp and were spared from the destruction.
Joshua 6:25 states that Rahab continued to live among the Israelites.
Her rescue is an especially important element of the story because it demonstrates that the biblical narrative does not present every inhabitant of Jericho as beyond redemption. Rahab had recognized the power of Israel’s God and had acted courageously on the basis of that belief.
Her faith and actions were remembered in later biblical writings.
The New Testament refers to Rahab in two important places. Hebrews 11:31 includes her among those remembered for their faith, while James 2:25 points to her actions in protecting the Israelite messengers as an example of faith expressed through deeds.
In Christian interpretation, Rahab’s story also became an illustration of how someone from outside the covenant community could become part of God’s unfolding purposes.
Her inclusion is particularly significant because she was a Canaanite woman living in a city that the Israelites regarded as an enemy stronghold.
The Destruction of Jericho
After Rahab and her family had been removed, the Israelites completed the destruction of Jericho.
The city was burned, and its buildings and possessions were destroyed. The silver, gold, bronze, and iron objects were reserved for the treasury of the Lord rather than distributed among the soldiers.
This prohibition against taking personal possessions was important to the biblical understanding of the conquest.
The victory belonged to God, and the Israelites were not to regard the city as an opportunity for personal enrichment.
The biblical text describes Jericho as having been placed under the ban, a Hebrew concept known as herem. In this context, the term refers to the dedication of something to God through its removal from ordinary human use, often through destruction.
The concept appears elsewhere in the Old Testament, particularly in accounts of warfare and divine judgment.
From the perspective of the biblical writers, the destruction of Jericho was therefore not simply a military victory. It was a religious event in which the Israelites were expected to recognize God’s authority and obey his commands.
The prohibition against taking personal possessions would become particularly important in the next episode of the story, when an Israelite named Achan violated the command and took objects from Jericho for himself.
His actions would have serious consequences for the entire community.
Joshua Pronounces a Curse on Jericho
Before concluding the account, Joshua pronounced a solemn curse upon anyone who attempted to rebuild Jericho.
He declared that anyone who undertook to rebuild the city would do so at the cost of his firstborn son when laying its foundations and his youngest son when setting up its gates.
The curse was intended to establish the destruction of Jericho as a lasting reminder of the city’s defeat.
The biblical account later returns to this pronouncement in 1 Kings 16:34.
During the reign of King Ahab, a man named Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. According to the biblical writer, the curse pronounced by Joshua was fulfilled when Hiel lost his firstborn son, Abiram, during the laying of the city’s foundations, and his youngest son, Segub, when its gates were installed.
The reference in 1 Kings connects the events of Joshua’s conquest with the later history of Israel’s monarchy.
It also demonstrates how the memory of Jericho’s destruction remained important in the biblical tradition long after the original conquest narrative.
Joshua’s Reputation Spreads
The chapter concludes by emphasizing that God was with Joshua and that his reputation spread throughout the land.
The victory at Jericho established Joshua’s authority among the Israelites and demonstrated that he was the legitimate successor to Moses.
Moses had led the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Joshua was now leading them into the land that had been promised to their ancestors.
The successful capture of Jericho provided the Israelites with an important psychological and religious victory. They had crossed the Jordan River, entered Canaan, and overcome their first major obstacle.
The story also established a pattern that would characterize much of the subsequent conquest narrative. Israel’s success was understood to depend upon its obedience to God rather than simply upon its military capabilities.
However, the next episode would demonstrate that obedience could not be taken for granted.
In the following chapter, Joshua 7, the Israelites would suffer an unexpected defeat at the city of Ai because of Achan’s disobedience. The contrast between the victory at Jericho and the defeat at Ai would reinforce one of the central theological themes of the Book of Joshua: the relationship between Israel’s covenant obligations and its fortunes in the land.
The Historical and Archaeological Questions
The fall of Jericho is also one of the most frequently discussed subjects in biblical archaeology.
The ancient site of Jericho is generally identified with Tell es-Sultan, located near the modern city of Jericho in the Jordan Valley. Archaeologists have investigated the site for more than a century, uncovering evidence of settlements extending back thousands of years.
Excavations have revealed that Jericho was among the earliest known fortified settlements in the ancient world. Archaeologists have discovered remains of defensive walls, towers, domestic buildings, and evidence of several periods of destruction and rebuilding.
However, determining which archaeological evidence, if any, corresponds to the conquest described in Joshua 6 has been difficult.
One of the most important archaeological investigations was conducted by British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon between 1952 and 1958. Her excavations led her to conclude that the major destruction of the fortified Bronze Age city occurred around 1550 BCE, considerably earlier than the traditional biblical chronology that places Joshua’s conquest around 1400 BCE.
Other scholars have proposed different interpretations of the archaeological evidence, and the precise chronology remains debated.
More recent research has continued to examine the evidence of destruction, including collapsed mudbrick walls, burned buildings, and evidence of stored grain. Nevertheless, the relationship between these remains and the biblical account cannot be established with certainty.
The central difficulty is chronological. If the destruction occurred around 1550 BCE, it would have taken place before the commonly proposed dates for the Israelite conquest. If the biblical conquest is assigned a later date, the archaeological evidence becomes more difficult to reconcile with the traditional interpretation.
There is also a broader scholarly debate about how the Israelites emerged in Canaan. Some scholars understand the biblical conquest narratives as reflecting an actual military invasion, while others emphasize the possibility that early Israel developed largely from within Canaanite society itself, through a gradual process of social, political, and religious transformation.
Still others propose combinations of migration, localized conflict, and the emergence of new communities.
Consequently, the story of Jericho occupies an important place in discussions about the relationship between biblical tradition and archaeological evidence. The biblical narrative presents a dramatic military victory, but archaeology has not established that the events occurred precisely as described in Joshua 6.
The Religious and Spiritual Significance of the Story
The fall of Jericho has remained an influential story in Judaism and Christianity because it addresses several enduring questions about faith, divine power, human responsibility, and the relationship between religious conviction and action.
One of its central themes is the importance of obedience.
The Israelites were given instructions that appeared unusual and perhaps even unreasonable from a conventional military perspective. Nevertheless, they followed those instructions for seven days. The story presents their obedience as an essential element of the victory.
Another important theme is faith in circumstances where the outcome is uncertain.
For six days, the Israelites marched around the city without any visible indication that their efforts were succeeding. The walls remained standing, and the people inside Jericho continued to be protected by their defenses. Yet the Israelites continued following the instructions they had received.
The story therefore illustrates the biblical understanding of faith as more than intellectual agreement. Faith involves trust expressed through action, patience, and perseverance.
The presence of the Ark of the Covenant also emphasizes the importance of God’s relationship with Israel. The Ark was not simply a religious object accompanying an army. It represented the covenant between God and the people, reminding them that their identity and future were connected to that relationship.
Rahab’s rescue introduces another important dimension. Although Jericho was condemned in the biblical narrative, Rahab and her family were spared because she had recognized Israel’s God and acted courageously. Her story suggests that faith and loyalty could cross the boundaries separating Israelites from other peoples.
At the same time, the destruction of Jericho raises difficult ethical questions that should not be ignored. The killing of the city’s inhabitants, including children and other noncombatants, challenges modern understandings of justice and the moral character of God.
Some traditional interpretations understand the event as a unique act of divine judgment within the specific historical circumstances of ancient Israel. Other scholars emphasize the literary and theological character of the conquest narratives, noting that ancient accounts of warfare frequently used sweeping language to describe the complete defeat of an enemy.
These approaches do not eliminate the moral difficulties, but they help explain why the passage continues to receive serious attention from biblical scholars and theologians.
For modern readers, the story should not be understood as permission to use religious belief to justify violence against other peoples. Its ancient setting and theological claims must be considered carefully rather than transferred uncritically into contemporary life.
The Lasting Legacy of Jericho
The fall of Jericho became one of the defining moments in Israel’s traditional account of entering the Promised Land.
The story marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of the Israelites. After generations of slavery, wandering, and uncertainty, they had entered the territory that their ancestors had been promised.
Jericho became a symbol of the obstacles that stood before them and of the belief that their future depended upon God’s faithfulness.
The story also became an important part of the religious imagination of later generations. The image of walls collapsing after the sounding of trumpets has appeared in religious teaching, music, literature, and popular culture.
In Christian interpretation, the New Testament provides an additional perspective. Hebrews 11:30 specifically remembers the fall of Jericho as an example of faith, stating that the walls fell after the people had marched around them for seven days. The passage places the event among other examples of people who trusted God’s promises even when the outcome could not be seen in advance.
The story of Rahab also received particular attention in early Christianity, becoming an example of faith that was demonstrated through courageous action.
For Judaism, the fall of Jericho belongs to the larger historical and religious account of Israel’s entry into the land and the establishment of its covenant identity.
Together, these traditions have preserved Jericho as a powerful symbol of divine intervention, faith, obedience, and the fulfillment of promises.
Conclusion
The fall of Jericho represents a decisive turning point in the biblical story of Israel. Under Joshua’s leadership, the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and confronted their first major obstacle in the Promised Land. Rather than relying upon conventional military methods, they followed an extraordinary set of instructions that culminated in the collapse of the city’s walls.
The destruction of Jericho was understood by the biblical writers as a demonstration of God’s power and faithfulness. It reinforced the belief that the Israelites’ future depended upon their covenant relationship with God and their willingness to follow his commands.
Yet the story is more complicated than a simple account of military victory. The rescue of Rahab and her family introduces a theme of faith and inclusion, while the destruction of the city’s population raises enduring questions about divine judgment and the morality of ancient warfare. Archaeological investigations have also introduced important questions about the historical circumstances and chronology of the event.
For these reasons, the fall of Jericho remains one of the most significant and debated stories in the Old Testament.
It marks the beginning of Israel’s conquest narrative, establishes Joshua as the leader of a new generation, and introduces themes that will continue throughout the Book of Joshua.
Above all, the story communicates the biblical conviction that the destiny of Israel was not determined solely by human strength or military ability, but by its relationship with the God who had promised to lead the people into a new homeland.
Principal biblical references: Joshua 2, Joshua 5:13 through Joshua 6:27, Joshua 7, 1 Kings 16:34, Hebrews 11:30-31, and James 2:25.
This summary continues the narrative sequence of your Great Stories of the Bible series. The natural next story is Achan’s Sin and the Defeat at Ai (Joshua 7), which provides an important contrast to Israel’s victory at Jericho