How did the walls of Jericho fall according to Joshua 6:20? Biblical Text: Joshua 6:20 “So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. As soon as they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they captured the city.” Narrative Summary Israel marched around Jericho once a day for six days, led by priests carrying the ark. On the seventh day they circled the city seven times; then the priests blew long trumpet blasts, the nation shouted, and the walls fell. Rahab’s house, built against the city wall (Joshua 2:15), remained standing. All valuables were devoted to the LORD; the city itself was put to the torch. Immediate Mechanism Described in Scripture The text attributes the event directly to God’s intervention. No siege ramps, no battering rams, no human engineering strategies are recorded. Verse 16 explicitly quotes Joshua: “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!” The grammatical form נָפַל (naphal) denotes a sudden, completed action: the wall “fell down flat.” The result—“every man straight ahead”—implies outward collapse creating a natural ramp for assault. Divine Agency and the Theology of Miracles 1. Miracles authenticate God’s covenant promises (Exodus 34:10). 2. The fall follows a pattern of creation power: God speaks; reality obeys (cf. Genesis 1; Psalm 33:9). 3. Hebrews 11:30 interprets the event as faith’s reward: “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.” 4. The miracle prefigures eschatological judgment accompanied by trumpet blasts (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 11:15). Structural Details of Jericho’s Fortifications • Tell es-Sultan (ancient Jericho) sat in the Jordan Rift, ca. 825 ft (250 m) below sea level. • Two-part defense: a 12–15 ft (3.6–4.5 m) high stone revetment wall at the base of the tell, topped by a 6 ft (1.8 m) thick mud-brick wall 20–26 ft (6–8 m) high. A second mud-brick wall encircled the summit. • Combined height from external ground level: ≈ 40 ft (12 m). Contemporary Egyptian reliefs of Canaanite forts corroborate similar double-wall designs. Archaeological Corroboration John Garstang (1930s) reported: – Collapsed mud bricks forming a slope against the revetment wall, “exactly as if the walls had fallen outward.” – A thick burn layer, ash and charred timber ≈ 3 ft (0.9 m). – Jars filled with carbonized grain—evidence of sudden conquest soon after spring harvest (Joshua 3:15) and no long siege. – Scarab seals and pottery forms (cypriote bichrome ware, red-burnished juglets) dating to late MB III–LB I (ca. 1470–1400 BC). Bryant Wood’s pottery re-evaluation (1990, 1999) confirmed Garstang’s LB I destruction, challenging Kathleen Kenyon’s late-1550 BC hypothesis. Kenyon relied heavily on absence of imported Cypriote bichrome ware yet overlooked regional trade lags. Radiocarbon tests on Jericho charcoal (Weinstein; Bruins & Van der Plicht) yield 1410 ± 40 BC (2σ), consistent with an early-date conquest around 1406 BC. Chronological Considerations 1 Kings 6:1 places the Exodus 480 years before Solomon’s 4th regnal year (966/965 BC), yielding 1446 BC. Forty wilderness years bring Israel to 1406 BC; Jericho would therefore fall early in that campaign. Egyptian texts (Amenhotep II’s Asiatic slave list) fit large Semitic inflow shortly after 1446 BC. Naturalistic Proposals Evaluated Seismic Activity: Jericho lies on the Dead Sea Transform fault. Earthquakes (e.g., Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5) occur in the region. A quake could destabilize mud-brick walls. Yet Scripture times the collapse precisely to Israel’s shout and trumpet blast. A providentially timed quake would still be an act of God, matching Psalm 114:7: “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.” Psychological Warfare: Some suggest intimidating marches undermined morale and prompted surrender. The explicit text, the burned city, and collapsed fortifications contradict this theory. Spiritual and Typological Significance • Jericho as “firstfruits” of Canaan mirrors firstfruits offerings (Leviticus 23:10), devoted to God alone (ḥerem). • Joshua (Hebrew: Yehoshua, “Yahweh saves”) foreshadows Jesus (Greek: Iēsous) leading His people into inheritance. • Scarlet cord in Rahab’s window prefigures Christ’s blood securing salvation for all who trust (Joshua 2:18; Hebrews 9:14). • Seven trumpets, seven days echo Sabbath rest and Jubilee themes, signaling divine completion and liberation (Leviticus 25). Lessons for Faith and Obedience 1. God’s methods may appear irrational to human strategy yet prove effectual (1 Corinthians 1:25). 2. Obedience precedes victory; Israel circled the city in silent faith before seeing results. 3. Judgment and mercy operate simultaneously: Rahab spared, Jericho judged. 4. Material devoted to God warns against covetousness (Achan’s sin in Joshua 7). Relation to New Testament Revelation The same resurrection power that collapsed Jericho’s walls is at work in believers (Ephesians 1:19–20). Trumpet imagery links Jericho to Christ’s return when, at “the last trumpet,” physical barriers—graves themselves—will yield (1 Corinthians 15:52). Jericho thus serves as an Old Testament testimony to the ultimate victory secured in the risen Messiah. Conclusion According to Joshua 6:20, the walls of Jericho fell through direct divine intervention timed with Israel’s faithful obedience. Archaeological strata at Tell es-Sultan, radiocarbon data, and pottery analysis strongly corroborate a sudden destruction circa 1406 BC matching the biblical narrative. The event stands as a historical miracle revealing God’s sovereignty, presaging Christ’s redemptive work, and calling every generation to trust the LORD who makes walls—physical, spiritual, and eternal—crumble at His word. |
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