Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 6:7
And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
He said – The reading in the Hebrew text is they said. Joshua no doubt issued his orders through the officers of the people (compare Jos 1:10).
Him that is armed – i. e. the warriors generally, not a division only. The rereward Jos 6:9 was merely a detachment, and not a substantial portiere of the host; and was told off, perhaps, from the tribe of Dan (compare the marginal reference) to close the procession and guard the ark from behind. Thus the order would be
(1) the warriors,
(2) the seven priests blowing the cornets,
(3) the ark,
(4) the rear-guard.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
God would have them armed, both for the defence of themselves and the ark, in case the enemies should make a sally upon them, and for the execution of the Lords vengeance upon that city.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he said unto the people, pass on, and compass the city,…. The women and children, the young men under twenty years of age, the unarmed part of the camp, as distinguished from the armed men:
and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord; to guard the ark, protect the priests, and defend the people, should any sally be made by the enemy upon them. These seem to design all the males that were above twenty years of age able to bear arms, and fit for war; though some restrain it to the forty thousand of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, Jos 1:14.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(7) Pass on, and compass the city.The meaning of this proceeding becomes clearer when we remember that the centre of the procession is the written law of God. The ark is the vessel that contains it. The armed men that precede it are its executioners. The priests who blow the trumpets are its heralds. It was this law that had brought Israel over Jordan; this law that was henceforth to be established in Canaan; this law that was about to take vengeance on the transgressors. The whole law of Moses is but the expansion of the Decalogue; and the Pentateuch contains an ample statement of the transgressions which had brought the inhabitants of Canaan under the ban of the Divine law. The seven days march round Jericho, in absolute silence, was well calculated to impress on the inhabitants the lesson of the forbearance of God. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence. For several generations the long-suffering of God had waited, while the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. In the first year of the Exodus He had threatened them, bringing the sword of Israel to their borders; and then He had drawn back His hand from them, and given them forty years respite more. But now the long-suffering of God had waited long enough. The shout that burst from the lips of Israel was a signal that He would wait no longer.
Looked at thus, the shout of Israel at the sound of the trumpet on the seventh day becomes no inapt figure of that which is connected with it by the language of Holy Scripturethe shout, accompanied by the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, which shall notify to the world our Lords second coming. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence any more (Ps. 1. 3 and 21; 1Th. 4:16).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. And he said Such in the Hebrew is the marginal reading, while the text is plural, and they said; that is, the subordinate officers, to whom Joshua made known the divine plan of the conquest. See chap. Jos 1:10, note.
Him that is armed Literally, the armed one. The reference is collectively to the armed host of forty thousand from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Eastern Manasseh. These, according to chap. Jos 4:13, marched before the ark of the Lord.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And they said to the people, “Pass on, and surround the city, and let the armed men pass on before the Ark of YHWH.”
Some manuscripts have ‘he’. So these words were either those of the priests or of Joshua himself. Either way they came from Joshua either directly or indirectly. Verse 8 would support ‘he’, but as the more difficult reading ‘they’ may well be correct.
The instruction was given to march round the city, surrounding it, the armed men leading the way followed by the Ark of YHWH. ‘The people’ taking up the rear. The latter may possibly also have included women and children so that all would see the demonstration of the power of YHWH on their behalf, (but not necessarily. It may be that only armed men were involved, both leading the way and following. The Hebrew definite article regularly simply means ‘those I am talking about’). The armed men to the front may have been the Transjordanian troops (Jos 4:12-13), ‘the people’ the troops from the remainder, who would also have included older men who wanted to be involved.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 7-9. And he said unto the people, Pass on We apprehend, that it was not only the soldiers who formed this procession, but that all the people joined in it; that the armed men went before the ark; and that after it came the rest of the people, making as it were the rear-ward. It is certain, however, that Onkelos, and the Rabbis Solomon, Jarchi, and Kimchi, understand by the rear-ward, the single tribe of Dan, which was thus appointed, Num 10:25.; and they suppose, that before the ark went armed only the troops of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasseh. But we keep to our version, which follows the LXX and Vulgate. The Hebrew word measeph, which we translate rear-ward, signifies, literally, gathered up; i.e. that company which closed the march, and collected together all that belonged to the procession. We might translate it, the gathered multitude. On the contrary, however, it must be owned, that it seems a little improbable to suppose, that three millions of souls should every day have gone in procession round Jericho for a week together, and on the last day seven times. On this supposition, the city must have been very small. Perhaps, therefore, this procession was composed only of the fighting men; and by the people we are to understand, throughout the whole narration, only those who were armed.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
There must have been somewhat particularly animating when the trumpets were blown, which bid defiance to the enemy, but inspired courage to the Lord’s people. We have a striking instance in the encouragement it gave Ahijah against Jeroboam: 2Ch 13:12 . The office of the priest was intended as encouraging also, because it promised the Lord’s presence. See Deu 20:1-4 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 6:7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
Ver. 7. And let him that is armed. ] Those two tribes and a half especially. Jos 1:14 ; Jos 4:12-13
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he. In Hebrew text written “they”, but read “he”. In some codices, with five early printed editions, both written and read “he”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
that is armed: Jos 6:3, Jos 1:14, Jos 4:13
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 6:7-10. Let him that is armed pass on God would have them armed, both for the defence of themselves and the ark, in case the enemies should make a sally upon them, and for the execution of the Lords vengeance upon that city. The rereward Which, being opposed to the armed men, may seem to denote the unarmed people, who were desirous to be spectators of this wonderful work. Ye shall not shout Because shouting before the time appointed would be ineffectual, and so might give them some discouragement, and their enemies matter of insulting.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6:7 And he said unto the people, {f} Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
(f) This is chiefly meant by the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.