Significance of Seven
Background Info
The popular spiritual “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” extols Joshua’s bold faith and obedience. The story has also been transformed into a Nintendo game and a VeggieTales video. Such popular expressions of this paradigmatic story of divine intervention rely on textectomy—cutting out the violence against Jericho’s inhabitants, who come under the sword, as devoted to the LORD for destruction (v. 17). This is the reader’s first encounter with the unspeakable horror of such religious devotion in the course of Joshua’s narrative. The story is worthy of close attention not only because it is a text of terror, but also because, when read against the grain of its violence, a crack opens through which some light may come.
Although Joshua is the central figure in this story, the Lord is the One who takes the initiative, who brings down the walls, and whose reputation (along with Joshua’s) is proclaimed through this story. When attending to this text, the reader has three options. One could reject the text outright as an expression of misplaced sacred violence. One might perform a hermeneutical trick so as to gloss over the violence that follows the collapse of the walls. Or one could engage in a sustained conversation between this text, other biblical texts, and our theological traditions and moral convictions. For those engaged in peace-building in particular, Jericho is more than a conundrum: it is an outrage. How shall we be honest about what this story proclaims and listen respectfully to it at the same time? Is there room to speak back and to protest? Perhaps the book of Joshua itself begins to offer clues to the possibility that violence might be transformed. Or perhaps it reflects a vestige of religiously grounded communal (and sacrificial) violence that the Bible itself suspends in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Although the Jericho episode is to be interpreted in the light of what happens in 5:13–15, the clear introduction of God as speaker in chapter 6 suggests a shift in perspective. Chapter 6 also makes explicit connections back to the story of Rahab in chapter 2 and implies connections forward to the story of Achan in chapter 7. The backward and forward look stands in tension with the devotion-to-destruction motif (ḥerem) (cf. 2:10) [Ḥerem, p. 433].
The narrative action in Joshua 6 proceeds by a sequence of instructions and actions that create a series of literary tensions [Plot Tensions in Joshua, p. 452]. Israel is armed but passive, and the enemy is removed rather than defeated (Culley: 33–36). Moreover, the announcement and sequence of ritual actions transforms the reader’s expectations so that by the end one is impressed not only by “a sense of order and inevitability” (Culley: 37) but also by the potential of redemption in the context of a bloody sacrificial act.
Whatever our initial reaction to the notion that people might be devoted to destruction (Heb. ḥerem, vv. 18, 21) or devoted to the LORD for destruction (v. 17), we do well to engage in conversation with Joshua 6 in the light of how the narrative participates in the common conventions of ancient conquest accounts and yet invites readers to reflect on this action retrospectively. Perhaps reading Joshua 6 against the grain of its obvious violence and in the context of warfare narratives in the ancient Near East will allow us to see how this story “thwarts expectations” (Creach: 61) [Conquest Accounts, p. 406].
OUTLINE
3. ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war.… Thus shalt thou do six days, &c.—Directions are here given as to the mode of procedure. Hebrew, “horns of jubilee”; that is, the bent or crooked trumpets with which the jubilee was proclaimed. It is probable that the horns of this animal were used at first; and that afterwards, when metallic trumpets were introduced, the primitive name, as well as form of them, was traditionally continued. The design of this whole proceeding was obviously to impress the Canaanites with a sense of the divine omnipotence, to teach the Israelites a memorable lesson of faith and confidence in God’s promises, and to inspire sentiments of respect and reverence for the ark as the symbol of His presence. The length of time during which those circuits were made tended the more intensely to arrest the attention, and to deepen the impressions, both of the Israelites and the enemy. The number seven was among the Israelites the symbolic seal of the covenant between God and their nation [KEIL, HENGSTENBERG].
God instructs (vv. 1–5)
The Lord did not leave it to Joshua to find a way to conquer Jericho. Rather he gave very detailed and specific instructions. Led by their armed men, seven priests bearing trumpets and priests bearing the ark, the people of Israel were to march around the city once a day for six days (vv. 3–4, 9). On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. At the end of the marching, the seven priests were to blow their trumpets, and all the people were to shout. God promised to bless this seemingly absurd strategy by causing the wall of Jericho to fall (v. 5).
Why did God demand this particular approach? The method of the conquest was designed to show the people the truth of God’s grace. Nothing they did would cause Jericho to fall! God would cause it to fall, and they would receive the city as God’s gift (v. 2).
Israel’s conquest of this mighty city is an illustration of several practical spiritual truths: (1) It is faith that overcomes obstacles, Heb. 11:30 and 1 John 5:4; (2) The weapons we use are spiritual, 2 Cor. 10:4; (3) Christ is the victor and we can trust Him fully, John 16:33. Christians face many “Jerichos” in daily life, and often they are tempted to give up, as the spies did at Kadesh (Num. 13:28ff). But no wall is too high or too strong for the Lord. By faith we win the victory and claim the inheritance!
I. The Captain of the Host (5:13–6:5)
Jericho was a closed city. Joshua stood by the city and saw a man there with a drawn sword. Fearlessly, Joshua asked the man to declare himself, and he discovered that the Man was the Lord of Hosts! This is the “battle” title of the Lord; it speaks of His supreme command of the hosts (armies) of Israel and of heaven. See Pss. 24:10 and 46:7, 11; 1 Kings 18:15; Isa. 8:11–14; Hag. 2:4; James 5:4. Jesus Christ had come down to direct the battle, and Joshua was quick to acknowledge His leadership. The first step toward victory is to confess that you are second in command.
There can be no victory for the Lord in public unless we experience worship of the Lord in private. Joshua fell on his face in worship; he took off his shoes in humility; and he turned all his plans over to his Commander when he said, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” As Christian soldiers (2 Tim. 2:3; Eph. 6:10ff), we must submit to Christ and listen to His orders in the Word. Christ gave to Joshua the exact orders for overcoming the city (6:2–5), and all he had to do was obey by faith. “I have given Jericho to you!” Christ promised. But the people had to step out by faith and claim the victory.
The armed men were to lead the procession (vv. 3, 7), with seven priests following with trumpets (v. 4). The ark was to follow (vv. 4, 7), and then the rest of the people (“the rereward”) finished the procession (v. 9). The procession was to march around Jericho once a day for six days in absolute silence except for the trumpets blowing (v. 10). On the seventh day, they were to march around seven times (making a total of thirteen marches), and on the seventh march they were to blow the trumpets and shout. What a strange plan for fighting a war! But God’s ways are not our ways, and He uses what the world calls “foolish” to confound the mighty (1 Cor. 1:26–31).
God has outlined for us in His Word all we need to know about spreading the Gospel and conquering the enemy. Sad to say, too many Christians (and churches) invent their own plans, borrowing man-made schemes from the world, and their efforts ultimately fail. If we will listen to our Captain’s orders and obey them, He will give the victory.
Ver. 3. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, &c.] Joshua their chief commander under the Lord, and all that were able to make war, even all above twenty years of age; these were to compass the city, not in the form of a siege, but by a procession around it: and go round about the city once; or one time, for the first once in a day, and no more: thus shalt thou do six days; one after another; that is, go round it, once every day, for such a time. This order was given, according to the Jews, the twenty-second of Nisan, after the feast of unleavened bread was over.
Ver. 4. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns, &c.] The ark was to be taken up and carried by priests round the city. Ben Gersom observes, that this was to direct the Israelites to keep and do according to all that was written in it; that is, in the law, which was contained in it; but no doubt the design of it was to shew, that the subduing of Jericho, and the miracle that would be wrought, were owing to the power and presence of God, of which the ark was a symbol: and before it were to go seven other priests, with trumpets in their hands; which, according to our version, were made of rams, horns: in the original it is jobelim, or jubilee trumpets. Some think it means only such as they were to use in the year of jubilee; so Abarbinel and others, as Masius and Noldius; that they had their name from Jubal, the first inventor of musical instruments, Gen. 4:21. for rams’ horns are objected to because they are solid, and not hollow; as if they could not be bored and made hollow, and fit for such a purpose. The Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, interpret the word by rams’ horns, as we do; and observe what R. Akiba said, “when (says he) I went into Arabia, I heard them call a ram jobel; and the trumpet itself is called jobel, because made of a ram’s horn:” and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times; in the same manner as on the other days: and the priests shall blow with the trumpets; which they were to do, and did every day.
Ver. 5. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, &c.] Continue blowing, and protracting, and drawing out the sound a long time; which they did only on the seventh day; on the other days it was but a short blast they made at a time; so that this being different, it would be a good sign and token to the people to do what they are next directed to: and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet; drawn out to a great length: all the people shall shout with a great shout; at once, as when an onset is made in battle, or a victory is obtained: and the wall of the city shall fall down flat; or under itself; which Jarchi interprets, in its place; that is, where it stood, and be swallowed up in it: so the Targum, “and it shall be swallowed up under it;” yet so that somewhat of it should be seen, as an attestation and proof of the miracle, as Kimchi; who says, “it means that it should be swallowed up in its place under the earth, and a little of it appear above ground for a memorial of the miracle:” and the people shall ascend up, every man straight before him; just as they were in the order of procession; for the wall being fallen everywhere, they would have no occasion to make up to one certain place, as when a breach is only made in one place, and the besiegers are obliged to go so many a breast to enter at it; but in this case they might go straight up from whence they were, and enter the city without any obstruction and difficulty.
While Abraham acquired water rights and purchased a plot of land for a family grave in Canaan centuries earlier (Gen. 21:22–34; 23), the account of the conquest of Jericho signals the first major step in Israel’s claiming her covenantal inheritance in the promised land. An important oasis guarding the main routes into the heart of Canaan, Jericho (“moon city,” probably dedicated to the Canaanite moon-god) was the first pagan enclave put under the “ban.” The ban dictated that the Israelites kill all people and animals in the Canaanite cities they conquered and also prohibited them from taking precious metals as personal booty. Instead, these spoils were to go into the treasury for the Lord’s house. From the beginning, then, the Israelites violate the rules of holy war by sparing Rahab and her family, though God redeems the Israelites’ gracious action in his plan of salvation not only for Rahab but also for the rest of humanity throughout the ages.
The Israelites take Jericho in a ritualistic manner that both announces the commencement of the holy war and wreaks psychological havoc on the city’s inhabitants. On each day of their six-day siege, the Israelite warriors conduct about a half-mile march around the city, bearing the ark of the covenant and with seven priests blowing rams’ horns sandwiched between the forward and rear contingents. As in the account of creation, the seventh day marks the day of completion and perfection. On this day, the Israelite soldiers march around the city seven times before joining their voices with the trumpet blasts in a thunderous shout, at which time the walls of Jericho fall and give the invaders free access to the city. After destroying Jericho completely, the Israelites place Rahab and her family outside the Israelite camp until the foreigners observe the necessary requirements for ritual purification and incorporation into the Israelite community. Jericho, whose history dates back to 7000 B.C., lay dormant for four centuries, until the curse announced in v. 26 was realized during the reign of the faithless Israelite king Ahab (see 1 Kgs. 16:33–34).
6:2–15 The Lord’s instructions to Joshua and the Israelites had more to do with worship and ceremony than military strategy. The Israelites marched around the city of Jericho once a day for six days. On the seventh day they marched around the city seven times. In the Bible, the number “seven” usually has ceremonial significance, as indicative of the covenant. The Sabbath, or seventh day, was a sign of the covenant, and the Hebrew verb “to swear” (i.e., take an oath of fidelity to a covenant), nishbaʿ, is based on the word for “seven.”
The passage.—For six days soldiers, seven priests blowing rams’ horns, and the ark of the Lord made a single journey around Jericho. On the seventh day, the process was repeated seven times, and on the final circuit the people shouted as the city walls fell before them.
The Israelites were instructed to destroy everything within the city except for Rahab and her household (cf. 2:1–21). The inhabitants were to be killed and their property destroyed. Implements of metal were to be added to the Lord’s treasury. This procedure was a regular feature of the herem or holy war which was a common practice among Israel’s neighbors. This was the supreme act of devotion designed to secure divine blessing since the participants realized no profit from victory. Rahab was excepted from the ban since, by her actions, she had won an enduring place in Israel’s history (v. 25).
Special points.—The spectacular repetition of the number “seven” calls attention to its significance in the Old Testament. It represented a state of completion or fulfillment. Anything done seven times or a multiple thereof was done “just right.”
Archaeological evidence concerning the fall of Jericho has been the subject of considerable discussion. On the basis of excavations at the site from 1929 through 1936, John Garstang concluded that he had uncovered the city destroyed by Joshua.
In the meantime, however, archaeological technique has been improved dramatically. Thus, Miss Kathleen Kenyon in her excavations from 1952 through 1958 showed Garstang’s conclusions to be in error. No walls from Joshua’s time have been found and most remains from that period were washed away by erosion long ago.
These instructions picture a unique ceremony. The ark symbolized the presence of God. The ram’s-horn trumpets were used for going to war and for the ark (2Sm 6:15; Jr 4:19). The mighty shout was used for victory in war and for announcing the ark’s journey (1Sm 4:5; 2Ch 13:15). The command to march around the city uses the same verb as appears in Ps 48:12 where a pilgrimage was made around Jerusalem to inspect its defenses. In 2Kg 6:14 the king of Aram surrounded Dothan to capture the prophet Elisha. Here at Jericho the march involved a ceremonial inspection of the fort’s defenses to note the obstinacy of Jericho and to provide an opportunity for those inside to surrender and open the gates.
The emphasis on seven times and seven days coincides with the Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrating God’s defeat of the enemies of his people. At the first Passover, Israel marched out of Egypt during this feast. In Nm 9–10 the nation marched away from Mount Sinai during this feast. Here they would march into the promised land, and then around and through Jericho, straight ahead.