Joshua 6:7

7 Then he told the people, "Set out! March around the city. Have the armed guard march before the Chest of God."

Joshua 6:7 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 6:7

And he said unto the people, pass on, and compass the city,
&c.] 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, ( Joshua 1:14 ) ( 4:12 ) .

Joshua 6:7 In-Context

5 And then, a long blast on the ram's horn - when you hear that, all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs. The city wall will collapse at once. All the people are to enter, every man straight on in."

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and told them, "Take up the Chest of the Covenant. Seven priests are to carry seven ram's horn trumpets leading God's Chest."

7 Then he told the people, "Set out! March around the city. Have the armed guard march before the Chest of God."

8 And it happened. Joshua spoke, the people moved: Seven priests with their seven ram's horn trumpets set out before God. They blew the trumpets, leading God's Chest of the Covenant.

9 The armed guard marched ahead of the trumpet-blowing priests; the rear guard was marching after the Chest, marching and blowing their trumpets.