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Joshua 6:10

10 To the people Joshua gave this command: "You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout."

Joshua 6:10 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 6:10

And Joshua had commanded the people
When he gave them their orders to pass on, and compass the city, ( Joshua 6:7 ) ;

saying, ye shall not shout;
that is, on any of the six days as they went round the city, only on the seventh; for this being a sign of victory, it was not to be made until the day when it should be obtained; otherwise, had they shouted, and nothing followed on it, it would have exposed them to the contempt of the inhabitants of Jericho, and would have put them in spirit, and hardened them:

nor make any noise with your voice;
as laughing, singing This profound silence was to be observed, to add to the gravity and solemnity of the procession; and on account of the surprising miracle that was to be wrought, and particularly because of the ark, the symbol of the divine Presence, borne before them; and when God in his providence was about to speak in so awful a manner, and to do such a surprising work, it was very fit and decent that they should be silent before him; see ( Habakkuk 2:20 ) ( Zechariah 2:13 ) ;

neither shall [any] word proceed out of your mouth;
no conversation or discourse were to be had with each other as they passed along; for this is only to be restrained to the procession; when they returned, and in their camp, they might talk and discourse as at other times:

until the day I bid you shout, then shall ye shout;
for as yet it seems Joshua had not told them how many days they should surround the city in this manner, and on what day the shout should be made by them.

Joshua 6:10 In-Context

8 As Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets; the rear guard came after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually.
10 To the people Joshua gave this command: "You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout."
11 So the ark of the Lord went around the city, circling it once; and they came into the camp, and spent the night in the camp.
12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.