After marching around the city once each day for six days, they made the circuit in a similar manner seven times on the seventh day. At the conclusion of the final march around the city, the entire army stood at attention while the trumpeters blew a long blast. Then all the people lifted their voices in one great shout. At once the foundations beneath the wall sank deep into the ground, and the walls crumbled into a flat mass of stone over which the Is'ra-el-ites could easily pass into the city.
The strange plan of attack was completely successful; the army of Is'ra-el marched over the fallen walls into the city, the entire population was slain, and enormous spoils of war were taken. The city of Jer'i-cho was burnt to the ground, and Josh'u-a pronounced a special curse upon any person who should ever undertake to rebuild it on the same site. Many years later another city in that vicinity was called Jer'i-cho, but it was on a different site than the one which was utterly destroyed by Josh'u-a.
Before the walls of Jer'i-cho were overthrown, Josh'u-a sent men to rescue Ra'hab and her family from the house in which she had sheltered his two spies. They were put in a safe place outside the camp of Is'ra-el until they had received the ceremonies of purification and adoption by which people who were not Is'ra-el-ites were admitted to the chosen race.
Josh'u-a directed that all the gold and silver and other valuables captured in Jer'i-cho be dedicated to the LORD, and solemnly warned every man against taking anything for himself. One man disobeyed this order, and we shall learn of his punishment in our next story.
In the strange manner in which the city of Jer'i-cho was overthrown the LORD required the trustful, obedient, and laborious service of His people, thereby showing that it is the power of God which brings victory in all the works of His Kingdom, The LORD not only conquered the Ca'naan-ites, but won the hearts of Is'ra-el unto Him in faith and love. The destruction of the people of Jer'i-cho, apparently cruel and vindictive, is an example of God's judgments against idolatry and wickedness.
