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Fall of Jericho
Joshua 6· Event· Bible story & events
Debated by scholarsHistorians and scholars disagree.
Joshua 6 tells how Jericho's walls collapsed after Israel marched around the city for seven days.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Following God's instructions, the Israelites circle Jericho once a day for six days, priests blowing ram's-horn trumpets ahead of the Ark. On the seventh day they circle seven times, shout, and 'the wall fell down flat' (Joshua 6:20). The city is destroyed; only Rahab, who had hidden Israel's spies, and her family are spared. Joshua curses anyone who rebuilds it.
Why it matters
The first victory in the Promised Land, credited entirely to God, not siegecraft. Rahab appears in Jesus' family tree (Matthew 1:5).
Sources and history
Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) is one of the world's oldest towns, about 10,000 years old. Kathleen Kenyon's 1950s digs dated its walls' fall to c. 1550 BC; little stood there by 1400–1200 BC.
Questions and debates
In 1990 Bryant Wood argued for a destruction c. 1400 BC, matching the biblical date; a 1995 radiocarbon study supported Kenyon. Most archaeologists side with Kenyon.
Connections (2)
▸Joshua and the conquest of Canaan began with Fall of JerichoDebated by scholars
The connection
Jericho, an oasis city just west of the Jordan, is the first target after the crossing. Joshua sends spies, whom Rahab hides, and the city falls by God's power rather than by siege (Joshua 2, 6). It sets the pattern: conquest through faith and obedience.
When and where
Jericho (Tell es-Sultan), in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, near the northern end of the Dead Sea.
How do we know?
Text plus archaeology: the site is real and long excavated, but its destruction layers do not match the biblical dates.
Questions and debates
Some suggest Jericho's ancient ruins inspired a later story; others argue the dating is wrong. Erosion of later layers complicates the evidence.
▸Fall of Jericho saw priests circle the walls with Tabernacle and the Ark of the CovenantFaith & scripture
The connection
At Jericho the Ark leads the procession: seven priests with ram's horns go before it, armed men before and after, for seven days (Joshua 6:4–13). The Ark signals that God, not Israel's army, wins the battle.
When and where
Around Jericho's walls, after the Jordan crossing, where the Ark had also held back the river (Joshua 3).
How do we know?
Scripture only. Ancient armies did carry gods' images or shrines into battle, as Egyptian and Assyrian reliefs show.
Questions and debates
Many scholars read the procession as a ritual retelling, perhaps reflecting later worship practice, rather than a battle report.