Josh. 6 Jericho is shut up by the Israelites, Josh. 6:1. The people and seven priests with the ark go round it six days, Josh. 6:2–14. On the seventh day they go round seven times; the priests blow the trumpets; the people shout; the city accursed; nothing to be taken, but all consecrated; the…

Straitly shut up; not only by night, as before, Josh. 2:5, but constantly and diligently.

Who are in it, resolved and ready to defend it with their utmost strength.

Go round about the city once, at convenient distance, out of the reach of their arrows; thus shalt thou do six days, every day once. This and the following course might seem ridiculous and absurd, and is therefore prescribed and used by God, that they might learn to take new measures of things, and…

Of rams’ horns, or, of the jubilees, i.e. such trumpets wherewith they were to sound in the years of jubilee, Lev. 25:9. Either this, or one of the other six, was certainly a sabbath day; and it is not material which was it, for the command of the Lord of the sabbath was sufficient to legitimate…

When they make a long blast, as is usual in the close of musical sounds. The wall of the city; not all of it, which was not only unnecessary, but inconvenient, and might have given the people better opportunity of escaping; but only a considerable part of it, where the Israelites might fitly enter;…

God would have them armed, both for the defence of themselves and the ark, in case the enemies should make a sally upon them, and for the execution of the Lord’s vengeance upon that city.

The rereward being opposed to the armed men, may seem to note the unarmed people, who were desirous to be spectators of this wonderful work. The priests; which is rightly supplied here from Josh. 6:4.

Ye shall not shout; because shouting before the time appointed would be ineffectual, and so might give them some discouragement, and their enemies matter of insulting.

Shout, to testify your faith in God’s promise, and thankfulness for this glorious mercy, and to encourage yourselves and brethren, and to strike a terror into your enemies.

Accursed, i.e. devoted to utter destruction, Lev. 27:21, Lev. 27:29, Deut. 12:0. This he spake by instinct or direction from God, as is evident from 1 Kings 16:34.

Make the camp of Israel a curse, by provoking God to punish them for your sin, in which they may be one way or other involved; or at least upon the occasion of your sin: for, to speak properly God will not (the case of Adam’s sin only excepted) punish one man for the sin of another, as he hath oft…

Except that of which images were made, which were to be utterly destroyed, Ex. 32:20, Deut. 7:25. Consecrated unto the Lord; being first made to pass through the fire, Num. 31:22–23.

Being commanded to do so by the sovereign Lord of every man’s life; and being informed by God before that the Canaanites were abominably wicked, and deserved the severest punishments.

The harlot’s house, together with the wall upon which it leaned, was left standing, either by a special favour of God to her, or for the reason alleged upon Josh. 6:5.

Till they were cleansed from the impurities of their Gentile state, and instructed in the Jewish religion, and solemnly admitted into that church in the usual way, to which Rahab’s good counsel and example had doubtless very much prepared them; and this stupendous work of God confirmed their…

For that general command of rooting out the Canaanites seems to have had some exception, in case any of them had sincerely and seasonably cast off their idolatry and wickedness, and submitted themselves to the Israelites, as we shall see hereafter.

Adjured them; or, made them to swear; caused the people, or some in the name of all, to swear for the present and succeeding generations, and to confirm their oath by a curse. Before the Lord, i.e. from God’s presence, and by his sentence, as they are said to east lots before the Lord, Josh.