Joshua 6:4

4 And in the seventh day, the priests shall take seven clarions, which be used in the jubilee; and they shall go before the ark of [the] bond of peace; and seven times ye shall compass the city, and the priests shall trump with the clarions. (And on the seventh day, the priests shall take seven trumpets, which be used on the Jubilee; and they shall go before the Ark of the Covenant; and seven times ye shall go around the city, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.)

Joshua 6:4 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 6:4

And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of
rams' horns
The ark was to be taken up and carried by priests round the city. Ben Gersom observes, that this was to direct the Israelites to keep and do according to all that was written in it; that is, in the law, which was contained in it; but no doubt the design of it was to show, that the subduing of Jericho, and the miracle that would be wrought, were owing to the power and presence of God, of which the ark was a symbol: and before it were to go seven other priests, with trumpets in their hands; which, according to our version, were made of rams horns: in the original it is "jobelim", or "jubilee" trumpets. Some think it means only such as they were to use in the year of jubilee; so Abarbinel and others, as Masius and Noldius ^F24; that they had their name from Jubal, the first inventor of musical instruments, ( Genesis 4:21 ) ; for rams' horns are objected to because they are solid, and not hollow; as if they could not be bored and made hollow, and fit for such a purpose. The Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, interpret the word by rams horns, as we do ^F25; and observe what R. Akiba said,

``when (says he) I went into Arabia, I heard them call; a ram "jobel"; and the trumpet itself is called "jobel", because made of a ram's horn ^F26:''

and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times;
in the same manner as on the other days:

and the priests shall blow with the trumpets;
which they were to do; and did every day.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 P. 160. No. 1515.
F25 So Joseph. Antiqu. l. 5. c. 6. sect. 5.
F26 Kimchi, Sepher. Shorash. rad. (lby) R. Sol. Urbim. Ohel Moed, fol. 39. 2.

Joshua 6:4 In-Context

2 And the Lord said to Joshua, Lo! I have given into thine hands Jericho, and the king thereof, and all the strong men of it. (And the Lord said to Joshua, Lo! I have given Jericho into thy hands, and its king, and all the strong men there.)

3 All ye fighters, compass the city once by the day; so ye shall do in six days (so ye shall do for six days).

4 And in the seventh day, the priests shall take seven clarions, which be used in the jubilee; and they shall go before the ark of [the] bond of peace; and seven times ye shall compass the city, and the priests shall trump with the clarions. (And on the seventh day, the priests shall take seven trumpets, which be used on the Jubilee; and they shall go before the Ark of the Covenant; and seven times ye shall go around the city, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.)

5 And when the voice of the trump shall sound longer, and more by whiles, and shall sound in your ears, all the people shall cry together with (the) greatest cry; and the walls of the city shall fall all-down (and the city walls shall all fall down), and all (the) men shall enter by the place, against which they stand.

6 Therefore Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and said to them, Take ye the ark of the bond of peace, and seven other priests take they seven clarions of the jubilee years, and go they before the ark of the Lord. (And so Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and said to them, Take ye the Ark of the Covenant, and seven other priests take they seven trumpets used in the Jubilee years, and go they before the Ark of the Lord.)