Joshua 6 16

Joshua 6:16 kjv

And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

Joshua 6:16 nkjv

And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!

Joshua 6:16 niv

The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!

Joshua 6:16 esv

And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.

Joshua 6:16 nlt

The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the town!

Joshua 6 verses

Joshua 6 16 Meaning

Joshua 6:16 records the pivotal moment during the siege of Jericho when, at God's instruction relayed through Joshua, the Israelite army and priests completed their prescribed ritual. Following the final trumpet blast on the seventh circuit, Joshua commanded the people to shout a great battle cry, for the Lord Himself had miraculously delivered the formidable city into their hands, thereby demonstrating divine power and faithfulness in fulfilling His covenant promises.

Joshua 6 16 Context

Joshua 6 details the conquest of Jericho, the first city Israel was to take in Canaan, setting a crucial precedent for their invasion. Prior to this verse, the Israelites, led by priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant, had marched around the city once a day for six days in silence, save for the priests blowing trumpets. On the seventh day, they circled the city seven times. This highly unusual, divinely prescribed strategy emphasized obedience, faith, and that the victory belonged to God, not human military prowess. The historical and cultural context underscores Jericho's formidable defenses as a well-fortified city of the late Bronze Age, making its fall through non-traditional means a profound theological statement against the strength of Canaanite cities and their gods, and for the supremacy and faithfulness of Yahweh. The ritual itself was a public demonstration of trust in God's promises and methods, setting a pattern for how Israel was to engage in covenant war, consecrated by divine power.

Joshua 6 16 Word analysis

• And it came to pass (וַיְהִי - wayhî): A common Hebrew narrative transition, emphasizing that the event unfolded according to divine timing or established sequence, indicating certainty.
• at the seventh time (בַּפַּעַם הַשְּׁבִיעִית - bappām haššeḇîʿît):
  • seventh (שְּׁבִיעִית - šabbît): From šebaʿ (seven). The number seven often signifies completion, perfection, divine fullness, or covenant. It appears repeatedly in this narrative (seven days, seven priests, seven trumpets, seven circuits). This highlights the divine timing and orchestrated nature of the event, echoing God's rest on the seventh day of creation (Gen 2:2) and the structure of biblical feasts (Lev 23).
  • time (פַּעַם - paʿam): A turn or repetition.
• when the priests blew (תָּקְעוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים - tāqəʿû hakkōhănîm):
  • priests (הַכֹּהֲנִים - hakkōhănîm): Specifically, those ordained to serve Yahweh, emphasizing the religious and spiritual nature of this "battle." Their role reinforces that this was a holy war led by God, not merely a military endeavor.
  • blew (תָּקְעוּ - tāqaʿ): To blow, thrust, or strike, particularly of trumpets. This term denotes a forceful, decisive sound, not a mere blast.
  • with the trumpets (בַּשּׁוֹפָרוֹת - baššôfārōt): Plural of shofar (שׁוֹפָר). These are ram's horn trumpets, not silver trumpets used for specific cultic signals (Num 10). The shofar was used for war calls, alarming, proclaiming, assembling, and marking new moons/holidays (e.g., Rosh Hashanah). Its primitive sound underscores the supernatural power at work, as the instrument itself held no inherent destructive power.
• Joshua said (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ - wayyōʾmer Yəhôšuaʿ): Joshua's leadership is depicted as perfectly aligned with God's command (Josh 6:2), acting as God's instrument to direct the people.
• unto the people (אֶל-הָעָם - ʾel-hāʿām): The command is given collectively to all Israel present, making it a communal act of faith and obedience.
• Shout (הָרִיעוּ - hārîʿû):
  • A verb from the root ru'a (רוּעַ), which means to shout, cheer, make a loud noise, break into a joyful cry or acclamation. In a military context, it signifies a war cry or alarm (e.g., 1 Sam 17:52). Crucially, it also carries strong cultic connotations as a shout of praise, triumph, or an act accompanying the manifestation of God's presence or intervention (Ps 47:1, Ps 66:1, Zep 3:14). Here, it's not a shout of fighting but a shout of victory already achieved by God.
• for the LORD (כִּי נָתַן יְהוָה - kî nātan Yəhwāh):
  • for (כִּי - kî): Indicates cause or reason. The shouting is a response because of what God has already done.
  • the LORD (יְהוָה - Yĕhōwāh): The sacred, covenantal name of God (Yahweh), emphasizing His personal, active, and faithful involvement. It is His action alone that ensures victory.
• hath given you (נָתַן לָכֶם - nātan lākēm):
  • hath given (נָתַן - nātan): Perfect tense, indicating a completed action from God's perspective. The victory is already a fait accompli in God's decree, even before the walls physically collapse. This signifies divine sovereignty and foreknowledge.
  • you (לָכֶם - lākēm): Plural, addressing the entire congregation of Israel, indicating a communal gift and victory.
• the city (הָעִיר - hāʿîr): Jericho, a symbol of powerful, impenetrable human defenses, serving as a tangible testament to God's superior might over human constructs and perceived limitations.

• "at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets": This phrase highlights the climax of a precisely orchestrated, divinely-mandated ritual. The emphasis on "seven" (completion, divine perfection) coupled with the shofar blasts underscores that this was a holy war led by Yahweh, not conventional military strategy. The trumpets here were not primarily military signals but spiritual instruments heralding God's impending act.
• "Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city": This is a direct command followed by the divine rationale. The command "Shout!" (Ru'a') is a battle cry but also a cultic shout of triumph and acclamation of God's power. The immediate declaration "for the LORD hath given you the city" emphasizes that the victory is already a past certainty in God's plan and a divine gift, requiring the people's response of faith-filled declaration, not a shout to cause the walls to fall, but a shout because God had already caused them to fall in His counsel. It's a statement of sovereign power and accomplished promise.

Joshua 6 16 Bonus section

• The unusual method of conquest (marching, trumpets, silence) served as a direct polemic against reliance on human strength, military strategy, and pagan deities. It stripped away any credit from Israel and placed it solely on Yahweh, teaching them early in the conquest that Canaan was taken by God's hand, not theirs.
• The Jericho account is often seen as a foundational narrative illustrating the principle of "divine grace preceding human obedience." God first declared, "I have given you Jericho" (Josh 6:2), then prescribed the method. The shout and the walls falling are a result of this divine gift and a display of Israel's obedient faith.
• The seven-fold pattern in this narrative echoes biblical patterns of creation and covenant, reinforcing the idea of a new creation or beginning for Israel in the promised land, secured through divine perfect completion.
• The specific timing ("seventh time") and action (shout and trumpets) can be seen as a collective, culminating act of worship, demonstrating profound trust that activates God's promised power, echoing principles found in spiritual warfare throughout Scripture where worship and proclamation precede breakthrough.

Joshua 6 16 Commentary

Joshua 6:16 marks the culmination of the extraordinary siege of Jericho, serving as a powerful declaration of God's direct intervention. The meticulous execution of divine instructions for seven days and seven circuits highlights Israel's absolute dependence on Yahweh and the pivotal role of obedient faith. When Joshua commands the shout, it is not merely a military tactic but an act of spiritual warfare, a public declaration of trust in God's pre-ordained victory. The priests' blowing of the shofars, instruments with deep spiritual and cultic significance, signals a divine appointment rather than just a military maneuver. The immediate preceding declaration that "the LORD hath given you the city" confirms that the shouting is a response to an accomplished fact in God's economy, a celebratory proclamation of a victory already sealed by God's decree. This verse encapsulates the theological truth that true strength and triumph derive solely from God's power and His faithfulness to His covenant people, manifested through their obedient trust in His unconventional methods. It signifies that human effort, however structured, must align with divine will to witness supernatural results, establishing God as the true warrior for Israel.