Joshua 6:6 is Joshua’s order to the priests to carry the ark of the covenant and lead the way with trumpets before the LORD. It tells the leaders of Israel that the march around Jericho is an act of worship and obedience, with God’s presence going ahead of the army. Joshua speaks these words to the priests of Israel as the people stand outside the walled city of Jericho, just after God has given him the plan for taking it.
Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the LORD’s ark.”
Joshua 6:6 (WEB)
What Joshua 6:6 Means
The phrase “Joshua the son of Nun called the priests” shows a leader acting on instructions he has just received, not improvising a strategy of his own. Joshua gathers the people’s spiritual leaders first, because the plan depends on them. The verse does not describe a battle tactic that the army can manage alone. It describes a procession in which the priests and the sacred ark take the lead.
“Take up the ark of the covenant” points to the chest that represented God’s presence among his people. Carrying it forward meant the people were moving under God’s authority, not their own. The seven priests carrying seven rams’ horn trumpets were not a show of noise but a way of announcing God’s action in the sight of the city. The verse promises a particular movement and a particular sound, but it does not promise that the walls will fall on any schedule the people choose. That result comes later in the chapter and belongs to God.
The Context of Joshua 6:6
The book of Joshua is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, though the closing chapters were likely added by someone later. It records how the Israelites, led by Joshua after Moses’ death, entered and took possession of the land of Canaan. Its first audience was the generation that had been born in the wilderness, and the book tells them that God was keeping his promise to bring them into the land.
Just before verse 6, the LORD gives Joshua the detailed plan: march around the city once each day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day, with the priests sounding the trumpets. Verse 6 is the moment Joshua passes that plan to the priests. Reading it in that setting makes clear that the strange procession was not Joshua’s invention. It was an obedient response to God’s word, and the priests’ role in it was central.
Key Phrases in Joshua 6:6
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
(WEB)
This verse tells Israel to be strong and courageous because the LORD goes with them and will never leave them. It echoes the assurance behind Joshua’s march, showing that God’s presence, not Israel’s strength, is the foundation of the campaign.
Psalm 24:7-10
7 Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in. 8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates; yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.
(WEB)
This psalm pictures the gates of the city lifted up so that the King of glory may enter. It connects the ark’s procession with the honor due to God as the sovereign Lord of battles, showing the same theme of his presence leading his people.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 6:6
Lord, you have led your people before, and you still go ahead of us into the places we fear. Help me to listen for your word and to act on it even when the plan looks unlikely to work. Give me the humility to follow where you lead, and the patience to keep walking in obedience until you choose to act. Let my steps express trust in your presence rather than my own strength. Amen.
