And He said. Hashem then told him that, notwithstanding all this, He would deliver Jericho into his hand, together with its king and armies, although they were mighty warriors. Joshua would not prevail through strength, but through a miracle.

The Questions (3) Why does Scripture repeat both “You shall march around” and “encircle”?

And you shall march around. The Ark was not to circle the city with Joshua alone; rather, all the men of war were to march around it.

Encircle. There is a distinction between going around and encircling. “Going around” may refer even to an incomplete circuit, whereas encircling denotes only a complete circuit around all four sides, as I explained in my commentary on the Torah concerning the words “around the altar” (Leviticus 1:5). He adds that they must encircle the city on all four sides.

And seven. The advance guard marched before the priests, while the priests carrying the shofars followed the advance guard and preceded the Ark, as stated in verse 9.

And the priests shall sound the shofars. This means throughout all seven days. It was their practice to sound a tekiah on a day of rejoicing and a teruah on a day of battle against an adversary, as it says: “When you go to war,” etc., “you shall sound a teruah,” etc.; “and on the day of your rejoicing,” etc., “you shall sound a tekiah,” etc. (Numbers 10:9–10). He informed them that the priests would now sound a tekiah as a sign of rejoicing and victory.

When they sound a prolonged blast—when you hear it. That is, immediately together with the great shofar blast, the people shall raise a teruah, so that the two sounds will intermingle and follow one another without interruption. This will clarify the verse below (verse 16).

And Joshua summoned. I have already written that when this Divine communication came to him, he was with the Ark and the people before Jericho, for he intended to begin the battle. Until then, the Levites had carried the Ark; he now commanded the priests to carry it, because once wonders were to be performed through it, it was fitting that the priests should bear it, as stated above (3:5).

The Questions (7) What is meant by “Pass on and march around”? Where were they to pass?

Pass on. The Ark ordinarily traveled at the head of the people, as explained above (3:2), whereas now the people were commanded to proceed before the Ark, as explained above (verse 4). He therefore said, “Pass on” before the Ark. Until this point, the advance guard—the Reubenites and Gadites—had marched before the children of Israel, as explained above (4:12). Now the order was reversed, with the most important element coming last: the Ark marched at the rear, the advance guard before it, and the entire people before them. Thus it says, “The advance guard shall pass before the Ark of Hashem,” occupying an intermediate position between the people and the Ark. It might have been possible for the people to remain where they were, while the advance guard moved backward to take its place behind them, and the Ark then moved behind the advance guard. But this would have been disrespectful to the Ark. Joshua therefore commanded the Ark and the advance guard before it to remain in place while the people first passed them and moved to the front. The advance guard then passed and stood between the people and the Ark, leaving the Ark at the rear. The purpose of this order was to demonstrate that victory would come through the Ark. The advance guard therefore needed to remain close to it, just as the Cherethites and Pelethites encamp around the commander of an army. This also fulfilled the original condition, as it says, “Every armed man among you shall cross over before Hashem for battle” (Numbers 32:21). This is explained more fully above (1:13): When Moses originally stipulated the condition with them, he required them to march as advance troops before Hashem, because he thought that the entire war would be conducted miraculously. In that event, they would not march before the children of Israel, but before the Ark, which would itself fight and conquer. Afterward, Moses saw that the war would follow a more natural course of military conquest, and they therefore needed to march before the children of Israel, who would themselves fight and conquer. But in the battle of Jericho, where the conquest was miraculous, the words “Every armed man among you shall cross over before Hashem” were fulfilled: They did not march before the children of Israel, but before the Ark.

The Questions (8) The statement, “And it came to pass when Joshua had spoken,” is unclear, for the sentence lacks a predicate telling us what then occurred. The commentators’ explanation is strained. Furthermore, why does Scripture repeat “passed on and sounded” and “going on and sounding”?

And it came to pass when Joshua spoke, etc., that they passed on and sounded the shofars. Do not think that while the priests and the Ark stood and waited for all the people and the advance guard to pass before the Ark, as explained above (verse 7), the priests did not sound the shofars because they had been commanded to sound them only while circling the city. Scripture therefore explains that when Joshua spoke to the people—when he gave them the command stated in verse 7, “Pass on and march around the city”—the seven priests carrying the seven shofars were already standing before Hashem. At that time, they passed on and sounded the shofars: The people passed before the Ark, while the priests sounded the shofars throughout the entire time that the people were passing. Once the people had passed, the resulting order was that the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem proceeded behind them—that is, behind the people.

And the advance guard marched before the priests. It occupied an intermediate position between the people and the Ark, as explained above (verse 7). Do not think that all the priests were stationed beside the Ark; only the seven priests sounding the shofars were there, while the remaining priests marched together with the tribe of Levi among the people.

And the rear guard. This was the tribe of Dan, which marched behind the Ark, while all the other tribes marched before it, ahead of the advance guard.

Going on and sounding. Even while they marched, they did not cease sounding the shofars. In the preceding verse, Scripture spoke of their sounding them while standing in place, until the people had passed.

You shall not raise a teruah. This means a shout of rejoicing. Nor shall you even make your voices heard by crying aloud, nor shall any word come from your mouths, even in a whisper.

Until the day. That is, until the seventh day.

And they came into the camp. They returned to Gilgal, where the camp was situated, as stated below (9:6; 10:6) and elsewhere.

The Questions (12–13) Why did Joshua rise early on this day but not on the first day? Why does Scripture relate again that the priests carried the Ark and that seven priests carried seven shofars? It should have said briefly that everything was done as on the first day. And why does it repeat “they went on and sounded” and “going on and sounding”?

And Joshua rose early. On the first day, they did not need to rise early because they were already within the territory of Jericho, as explained above (5:13; 6:1).

And the priests carried. On this occasion, the priests carried the Ark directly from Gilgal to Jericho. This had not occurred on the first day, when the Levites carried it as far as Jericho, since the Divine communication came to Joshua only when he was already at Jericho, as explained above (verse 6).

And the seven priests. In this respect as well, this day differed from the first. On the first day, the priests had not carried the Ark from Gilgal to Jericho, nor had they proceeded in this formation, with the advance guard marching before the priests. Now, however, this order began immediately when they departed from the camp. There was also a difference in that the priests went on, sounding the shofars: They began sounding them as soon as they set out from Gilgal and did not stop throughout their journey. Therefore, Scripture says again, going on and sounding the shofars.

The Questions (15) Why does this verse contain an obvious repetition?

In this prescribed manner, etc. The fact that all the actions performed in this matter were assigned the number seven—seven priests, seven shofars, seven days, and seven circuits—was intended to emphasize the seventh number, which is sacred in days, months, years, Sabbatical cycles, and everything else, as is well known. Here, the circuits contained two sets of seven. 1] A sevenfold cycle of days: They encircled the city for seven days, once each day. This cycle was completed by the first circuit on the seventh day. Thus it says, “They encircled the city in this prescribed manner”—meaning one circuit—which, together with the circuits performed on the preceding weekdays, made seven. That same circuit was then also counted as the first of the following set of seven circuits performed exclusively on that day, because it was the seventh and sacred day. Therefore, Scripture adds, Only on that day did they encircle the city seven times.

The Questions (16–20) The words “The priests sounded the shofars, and Joshua said, ‘Raise a teruah’” imply that the priests sounded a great blast. Why, then, does Scripture say again afterward (verse 20), “The people raised a teruah, and they sounded the shofars,” and then state a third time, “And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the shofar that they raised a teruah”?

And it came to pass that the priests sounded the shofars. This does not mean that they had already sounded the prolonged blast, for then the people would have been obligated to raise a teruah immediately, as explained above (verse 5). Rather, the priests were still sounding the shofars as they had until then and had not yet sounded the prolonged blast upon the ram’s horn. Joshua wished to signal the priests to sound the prolonged blast, which would mark the conclusion of the shofar blasts and the victory, at which point the people were required to raise a teruah. First, however, he needed to instruct them how to treat the city and its spoil. Once the wall fell, each man would advance directly before him, and there would be no opportunity then to issue commands and warnings. He therefore began by telling them, Raise a teruah—meaning: The time has come for you to raise the teruah as a sign that Hashem has given you the city.

And it shall be. Since the conquest would be accomplished miraculously by Hashem, it was fitting that the city’s spoils should be consecrated to Hashem, Who conquered it.

Only Rahab the prostitute. She was excluded from the people and the spoil because she had hidden the messengers. (Here Scripture does not say that this was because they had sworn to her, for the people had not taken that oath, and the spies’ oath could not bind the entire nation. Only to the spies themselves did Joshua say (verse 22), “As you swore to her,” because they were personally bound by their oath.) Rahab herself deserved to be saved on her own account, since she had converted before the spies and accepted faith in Hashem, as explained above. This occurred before they crossed the Jordan, when, according to all opinions, they were obligated to accept her, as explained above (2:12). Nevertheless, her property would ordinarily have had to be destroyed because it was included in the ban upon Jericho, and the same would have applied to her family. Scripture therefore says that because she hid the messengers, she and all who are with her shall live. This includes even her property—her ox, her donkey, and everything belonging to her. Therefore Joshua continued, But as for you, guard yourselves from the devoted property. Although the ban did not apply to Rahab’s possessions, it did apply to everything else, and you are not included in her exemption.

But as for you, guard. Guard both yourselves and others; this is why Scripture does not use the reflexive form, “Take care.” He explains that you must guard yourselves lest you take any of the devoted property, and you must also restrain others, because the resulting harm would affect the entire community. Thus he says, And you would make the camp of Israel subject to the ban.

And all the silver. Objects unfit for the treasury of Hashem were to be destroyed, whereas all the silver and gold, which were suitable for consecration, were to be brought into the treasury of Hashem.

And the people raised a teruah, and the priests sounded the shofars. At Joshua’s command, the people raised a teruah, while the priests sounded the prolonged blast, the two following one another immediately, as explained above (verse 5). He explains how this occurred: The moment the people heard the prolonged sound of the shofar, they immediately raised their teruah, so that the two sounds blended together.

And the people went up, each man directly before him. For the wall fell all around the city. Nevertheless, Rahab’s house did not fall, because the part containing her house stood outside the wall, as explained above (2:15), and was not included in the section that collapsed.

And they utterly destroyed. Scripture first relates what they did to every creature possessing the breath of life: They utterly destroyed both people and animals, except for Rahab.

The Questions (22–25) Joshua told the spies to spare Rahab because of their oath, whereas earlier (verse 17) he said it was because she had hidden the messengers. Then Scripture states for a third time (verse 25) that Joshua spared her because she had hidden the messengers. Why repeat what had already been said?

Go into the house of the prostitute. The obligation rests upon you because you swore to her; you must also act in accordance with every detail and condition of the oath.

The young men. They entered with the swiftness of young men and fulfilled their oath.

And the city. Scripture now relates what they did with everything else: They burned the city and all its possessions, while placing the metals in the treasury of the house of Hashem.

But Rahab. Since Joshua was not personally bound by the spies’ oath, Scripture relates that he nevertheless spared her. More than this, she dwelt in the midst of Israel: They provided her with a home and sustenance and accepted her into the religion of Israel because she had hidden the messengers.

Whoever arises and rebuilds it. Rambam explains that the city was to remain as a memorial to the miracle, so that everyone who saw its ruined wall would remember the miracle. Thus our Sages said, “One who sees the wall of Jericho swallowed into the ground must recite a blessing” (Berakhot 54a).

This city. Our Sages explained (Sanhedrin 113a): Neither may Jericho be rebuilt under the name of another city, nor may another city be built under the name of Jericho. The prohibition applied both because it was this city and because its name was Jericho.

At the cost of his firstborn. Because he seeks to rebuild ruins for himself as a memorial to his name—as it says, “Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever,” etc., “they call their lands by their own names” (Psalms 49:12)—neither name nor remnant, offspring nor descendant, will remain to him.

And Hashem was with him. For the Heavenly Court concurred with Joshua’s curse, as was demonstrated in the case of Hiel the Bethelite (I Kings 16:34).