Joshua 6:16 · Bible study
Joshua 6:16 Commentary: The Shout of Unseen Victory
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Joshua declares 'Yahweh has given you the city' before the walls fall. This study explores the past-tense promise as a model of faith.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Joshua commands the people to shout because God has already given them the city, a statement of faith in the certainty of God’s promise.
- Key words: Shout (rua, a war-cry of triumph), given (natan, perfect tense indicating completed action), for (ki, causal connection: the reason for shouting).
- Main debate: There is little debate on this verse; the primary challenge is the later herem (devoted destruction), but v.16 itself focuses on faith and promise.
- Theological theme: Faith as assurance of things hoped for, the certainty of God’s word, and obedient action as the response to promise.
- Best use: Teaching on faith that acts before seeing, the prophetic perfect in Scripture, and the pattern of worship that trusts God’s prior victory.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!
WEB World English Bible 2000
At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for Yahweh has given you the city!
KJV King James Version 1769
And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for Jehovah hath given you the city.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and it cometh to pass, at the seventh time, the priests have blown with the trumpets, and Joshua saith unto the people, `Shout ye, for Jehovah hath given to you the city;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And it came to pass the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people, Shout; for Jehovah has given you the city.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And when in the seventh going about the priests sounded with the trumpets, Joshua said to all Israel: Shout: for the Lord hath delivered the city to you:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y como los sacerdotes hubieron tocado las bocinas la séptima vez, Josué dijo al pueblo: Dad grita, porque Jehová os ha entregado la ciudad.
E quando os sacerdotes tocaram as trombetas pela sétima vez, Josué disse ao povo: Dai grito, porque o SENHOR vos entregou a cidade.
A la septième fois, comme les sacrificateurs sonnaient des trompettes, Josué dit au peuple: Poussez des cris, car l’ Éternel vous a livré la ville!
Und beim siebentenmal, da die Priester die Posaunen bliesen, sprach Josua zum Volk: Macht ein Feldgeschrei; denn der HERR hat euch die Stadt gegeben.
En het geschiedde ten zevenden male, als de priesters met de bazuinen bliezen, dat Jozua tot het volk sprak: Juicht, want de HEERE heeft ulieden de stad gegeven!
La settima volta, come i sacerdoti sonavan le trombe, Giosuè disse al popolo: “Gridate! perché l’Eterno v’ha dato la città.
I stało się, gdy siódmy raz obchodzili, a kapłani trąbili w trąby, rzekł Jozue do ludu: Krzyczcież teraz; albowiem Pan podał wam miasto.
город будет под заклятием, и все, что в нем — Господу [сил]; только Раав блудница пусть останется в живых, она и всякий, кто у нее в доме; потому что она укрыла посланных, которых мы посылали;
到了第七 次，祭司 吹 角的時候，約書亞 吩咐 百姓 說：「呼喊吧，因為 耶和華 已經把 城 交 給你們了！
And the seventh time, at the sound of the priests' horns, Joshua said to the people, Now give a loud cry; for the Lord has given you the town.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Joshua 6:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across theological traditions agree that Joshua's command to shout rests on the certainty of God's promise, not on visible evidence. Gill notes that the shout comes as if victory 'is sure,' demonstrating plainly that the deliverance 'was of the Lord, and no other.' Jamieson-Fausset-Brown connect this obedience directly to the faith commended in Hebrews 11:30 and observe that the six-day delay 'brought out their faith and obedience in so remarkable a manner.' Wesley adds that the shout served both to 'testify your faith in God's promise' and to 'strike a terror into your enemies.' The Hebrew verb natan (given) stands in the perfect tense, describing a completed action even though the walls still stand. This is not a prediction; it is a declaration of what God has already done in His decree. The shout, then, is not a request for victory but the response to a victory already granted.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Joshua's command to shout is based on God's certain promise, not on the visible fall of the walls; the past-tense language expresses assurance that God will act.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The past tense 'has given' | All commentators see it as expressing certainty based on God's promise. | Not debated; the prophetic perfect is a standard Hebrew idiom, and no alternative reading challenges this. |
| The purpose of the shout | It serves as an expression of faith, praise, and a war-cry. | Wesley emphasizes the terror it struck in enemies; Gill and JFB stress the testimony of faith. |
| The relation to the herem (devoted destruction) | The city is devoted to God as firstfruits of the land. | Christians differ on whether the herem has any normative application today; some see it as a unique historical command, others as a type of God's final judgment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The conquest of Jericho opens Israel's campaign in Canaan. The city was a heavily fortified Canaanite stronghold, the first obstacle after crossing the Jordan. God's battle plan deliberately defied conventional military strategy: silent marches for six days, seven circuits on the seventh day, then a collective shout. The ark of the covenant led the procession, and seven priests blew shofars (rams' horns), instruments associated with both worship and warfare (Num 10:9). The number seven, seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days, seven circuits, signals divine completion and the perfection of God's timing.
The surrounding verses (vv. 17-19) introduce the herem, the 'devoted' ban, which set Jericho apart as the firstfruits of the land. Every living thing was to be destroyed or consecrated to God. This practice, while troubling to modern readers, served as a boundary marker: the holiness of God and the complete break with Canaanite culture. The sparing of Rahab and her family (v. 17) shows grace operating within judgment.
When Joshua speaks in v. 16, the people have maintained total silence for six days (v. 10). The tension builds through a week of ritual obedience with no visible result. Only on the final circuit of the seventh day does Joshua break the silence with 'Shout! for Yahweh has given you the city.' The perfect tense of natan (has given) places the act in the past from God's perspective. This is the prophetic perfect: a future event so certain that Scripture speaks of it as already accomplished. The shout becomes the pivot between promise and fulfilment.
Cross-references show this pattern repeated: Gideon's three hundred blew trumpets and shouted 'The sword of Yahweh and of Gideon' (Judg 7:20), and Judah's shout brought divine intervention against Jeroboam (2 Chr 13:15). The shout in ancient Israel was both a war-cry and a cry of worship, uniting human action with divine power.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Joshua 6:16. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. One minor point: the conjunction 'and it came to pass' (vayehi) is omitted in some English translations (e.g., WEB, BSB) but present in the Masoretic Text.
Reception History
The story of Jericho has been sung in spirituals such as 'Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho,' emphasizing the shout as the moment of breakthrough. In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:30 cites the fall of Jericho as an example of faith. Early Christian writers like Origen read the seven-day march as an allegory of the spiritual journey, with the seventh day representing the Sabbath rest of the age to come. The past-tense declaration has been used by preachers across centuries to encourage believers to act on God's promises before the evidence.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Promise Precedes the Proof: God declares victory before it is visible. Our confidence rests on His word, not on circumstances.
- The Shout Is an Act of Faith: The command to shout is obedience that trusts what God has said, even when the walls remain.
- The Assured Victory Shapes Worship: The shout is simultaneously praise and warfare. Faith expresses itself as celebration.
Five-point outline
- Silence and Waiting Prepare the Heart: Six days of marching in silence taught the people to depend on God alone. The quiet built anticipation.
- The Seventh Day Brings the Climax: The pattern of divine completion (seven circuits) signals that God’s timing is perfect.
- The Past-Tense Declaration Anchors Hope: Joshua’s perfect-tense ‘has given’ makes the promise as sure as if already fulfilled.
- The Shout Releases the Power of God: The walls fell only after the people shouted. Human obedience and divine action work together.
- The Victory Demands Devotion to God: The herem that follows reminds Israel that the land belongs to God, and so does everything taken from it.
Illustration hooks
- Waiting for a medical diagnosis: you live as if healed because God’s promise is sure even before the results.
- The final exam: you finish the paper knowing you’ve passed before the grade comes, because you trust the material.
- Planting seeds: the farmer shouts ‘harvest’ before the sprouts appear, because seed and soil are faithful.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know when to keep waiting silently and when to shout?
- What if I feel foolish doing something that doesn’t make sense to others?
- Does this promise of victory guarantee God will give me every battle I fight? (The herem context shows this was a unique, specific command for a holy war.)
Leading a Discussion
Joshua 6:16 captures a moment where faith speaks before it sees. The verse invites you to consider how God’s promises shape your actions, especially when the evidence hasn’t arrived. Use these questions to explore what this means for your group.
Discussion questions
- What strikes you about the timing of Joshua’s command? Why speak ‘has given’ before the walls fall?
- Read Hebrews 11:30. How does the New Testament interpret this event? What does it say about faith?
- The people were silent for six days. What might that silence have been doing in their hearts? Could it have been a test or a preparation?
- Think of a situation where you felt you were ‘marching in circles’ with no result. How could this story reframe that waiting period?
- Joshua shouted because he believed God had already acted. What promises of God are you asked to treat as already fulfilled?
- The shout was collective. How does community strengthen faith when individual belief wavers?
- The following verses speak of total destruction. How do you hold together God’s judgment and God’s mercy in this passage?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 6:5 | It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the city wall will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.” |
| Judges 7:20 | The three companies blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they shouted, “The sword of Yahweh and of Gideon!” |
| Judges 7:22 | They blew the three hundred trumpets, and Yahweh set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. |
| II Chronicles 13:15 | Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. |
| II Chronicles 20:22 | When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck. |
| II Chronicles 20:23 | For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. When they had finished the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy each other. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that Joshua commands the people to shout only after the priests finish blowing the trumpets, and the reason is not that the shout will win the city but that the Lord has already given it. The shout is a response to a completed act of God, not a battle cry.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the shout Joshua commanded was not a battle cry but a grand, unified shout of certain victory, made by both armed and unarmed people together. This shout demonstrated that the city was delivered directly by the Lord, making the divine source of the conquest unmistakable.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the seven-day delay before the walls fell was a deliberate test that highlighted Israel's remarkable faith and obedience. This is the act the writer of Hebrews later celebrates as an example of faith in action.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists the fall of Jericho must be accepted as a
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the shout as both a testimony of faith and thanksgiving to God and a deliberate means to strike terror into the enemies. He adds that the city, given by God, is to be wholly devoted to Him as the first and most wicked of Canaan's cities.