Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 6:9
And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, [the priests] going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
9. the rereward ] The remaining warriors were to act as a rearguard. During the march through the wilderness this duty devolved on the tribe of Dan (see Num 10:25). “Rereward” means the “rearguard” of an army; guard and ward being related as guise and wise, Fr. guerre, and E. war. It is a corruption of the Fr. arrire-garde, as vanguard for avant-garde; or rather the first part of the word is formed from the O. Fr. riere (Lat. retro). Comp. 1Sa 29:2, “but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish;” Isa 52:12, “the God of Israel will be your rereward;” Isa 58:8, “the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward;” Shakespeare, . Hen. 6. 3. 3,
“Now in the rearward comes the duke, and his;”
Rom. and Jul. 3.2,
“But with a rearward following Tybalt’s death,
Romeo is banished.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 9. The rereward came after the ark] The word measseph, from asaph, to collect or gather up, may signify either the rereward, as our translation understands it, or the people who carried the baggage of the army; for on the seventh day this was necessary, as much fighting might be naturally expected in the assault, and they would need a supply of arms, darts, &c., as well as conveniences for those who might happen to be wounded: or the persons here intended might be such as carried the sacred articles belonging to the ark, or merely such people as might follow in the procession, without observing any particular order. The Jews think the division of Dan is meant, which always brought up the rear. See Nu 10:25.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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 Jos 6:4.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets,…. Whom Jarchi, Kimchi, and Abarbinel, interpret of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; that is, as many of them as Joshua took with him over Jordan; though rather all the armed men in the camp are meant; at least along with those mentioned went the standards of Judah and Ephraim:
and the rereward came after the ark; because the tribe of Dan was the rereward in journeying, Nu 2:31; hence the Targum paraphrases the words,
“and the tribe of the house of Dan went after the ark;”
and so both Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it: but rather the body of the people unarmed are designed; at least these were brought up by the standard of Dan; or otherwise no place in this procession is appointed for them, whose business it was to make the great shout on the seventh day with the rest:
[the priests] going on and blowing with the trumpets; the word “priests” is not in the text, but is rightly supplied; for, as Kimchi and Abarbinel observe, this is not said of the rereward, but of the priests, for they only bore and blew the trumpets; and so the Targum reads,
“the priests going on, &c.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. The rearward Margin, the gathering host; that part of the army which occupies the last place on the march, protecting the front columns, and gathering up the faint and sick. The tribe of Dan had this position in the wilderness. Num 10:25. Had the ark been at the head of the column, its usual place, it would have been more exposed to capture by a sudden sally of the enemy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rearward went after the Ark, blowing with the trumpets as they went.’
YHWH’s instructions were followed obediently. The armed men led, followed by the Ark and the priests blowing the rams’ horns, followed by the people, until the city was surrounded. The watchers on the walls waited apprehensively for what would come next.
In the last phrase ‘the priests’ is, as shown, not there in the Hebrew. It is to be assumed. The point is that while it was the priests who blew the rams’ horns all were seen as participating. This emphasises the importance of the action. The sevenfold horns were depicting the power of YHWH about to be revealed.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Though the armed men went before, yet their services would not be required. The victory God our Saviour had graciously reserved to himself. Silence throughout the camp intimated as much, similar to what was said to Israel, at the Red Sea. Exo 14:13-14 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 6:9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, [the priests] going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
Ver. 9. And the rereward came after the ark. ] Heb., The gathering host, that in their march through the wilderness was wont to arise at the fourth alarm, and their charge was to look that nothing was left behind. Num 10:25 See Trapp on “ Psa 27:10 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
went = marching.
rereward = the main or central body. Compare Num 10:25.
came = marched.
going = marching.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
and the rereward: Heb. gathering, host, Jos 6:13, Num 10:25, Isa 52:11, Isa 58:8
Reciprocal: Jos 6:2 – I have
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the {g} rereward came after the ark, [the priests] going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
(g) Meaning, the gathering host, in which was the standard of the tribe of Dan, Num 10:25.