And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
Parallel translations
- WEB All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days.
- BSB March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.
- NKJV You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
- NASB And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days.
- NLT You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel was to march around Jericho once a day for six days. The strategy was not military but obedient trust in God's word.
Overview
God's battle plan defied conventional warfare; marching around a fortified city accomplishes nothing by ordinary means. The instruction tested Israel's willingness to obey even when the method made no human sense. Faith here means doing what God commands and trusting Him for the outcome.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Cor 4:7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
- Num 14:9Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
- Josh 6:7And 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.
- 1 Cor 1:21–25For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
- Josh 6:14And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 6:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.