Joshua 6:6 is Joshua giving the first clear order of the march around Jericho: the priests are to lift the ark of the covenant and go forward with seven trumpets made from rams’ horns, leading the way before the Lord’s ark. The verse shows that the conquest of the city was carried out as an act of worship and obedience, not as a military display. Joshua speaks here to the priests of Israel, who were responsible for the holy ark and the sacred trumpets, and he is passing on instructions he had received directly from the Lord.
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 verse begins with Joshua calling the priests together, which tells you he was acting as the human leader of a plan that had come from God. He did not invent the strategy. He is relaying it, and the priests are needed because only they could carry the ark and sound the trumpets in the way the Lord had described.
The command to “take up the ark of the covenant” is the center of the verse. The ark was the visible sign of God’s presence among his people, so placing it at the front of the procession made clear that the victory belonged to the Lord and not to Israel’s strength. The seven trumpets, called shofars, were ram’s horns used for signals and for calling the people to attention.
What the verse does not do is explain why seven was the number or why marching was the chosen method. It gives the order without a long argument, which asks the reader to trust the instruction before seeing the result. It promises nothing about how the walls will respond. That promise comes in the verses that follow, and even there the focus is on God acting, not on Israel’s cleverness.
The Context of Joshua 6:6
The book of Joshua tells the story of Israel entering and taking possession of the land of Canaan after the wandering in the wilderness. It is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, though much of it was likely written or compiled later, and its first readers were the people of Israel who needed to understand how they came into the promised land. The fall of Jericho is one of the book’s most memorable episodes, and it set the pattern for trusting God’s word in the face of an apparently impossible obstacle.
Just before the verse, in verses 3 through 5, the Lord has already laid out the plan: march around the city once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day, with the trumpets sounding and the people shouting. Verse 6 is the moment Joshua turns that plan into action by assigning the priests their role. Verses 7 through 9 then show the people obeying immediately, which means the verse reads best as the hinge between God’s instruction and Israel’s response.
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 speaks of the Lord going before his people and never leaving them, which is the same assurance the ark represented as it led Israel forward. Reading it alongside Joshua 6:6 shows that the presence of God was the foundation for every step the people took into the land.
Hebrews 11:30
By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days.
(WEB)
The writer of Hebrews names the walls of Jericho falling as an act of faith, not of military skill. Reading it with Joshua 6:6 helps you see that the march was an expression of trust, and that the account is remembered as a demonstration of faithfulness rather than force.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 6:6
Lord, you led your people forward with a plan that seemed strange to human eyes, and you asked them to trust your word before they could see any result. Help me to take up the part you have given me with the same willingness, even when the way ahead is unclear. Where I am tempted to rely on my own strength or my own timing, remind me that you are the one who goes before me. Give me faithful hands and a steady heart for the next step you show me today. Amen.
