Joshua 6:7

7 Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the LORD .”

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 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”

6 So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the LORD ’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.”

7 Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the LORD .”

8 After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams’ horns started marching in the presence of the LORD, blowing the horns as they marched. And the Ark of the LORD ’s Covenant followed behind them.

9 Some of the armed men marched in front of the priests with the horns and some behind the Ark, with the priests continually blowing the horns.