6:6-16 Wherever the ark went, the people attended it. God's ministers, by the trumpet of the everlasting gospel, which proclaims liberty and victory, must encourage the followers of Christ in their spiritual warfare. As promised deliverances must be expected in God's way, so they must be expected in his time. At last the people were to shout: they did so, and the walls fell. This was a shout of faith; they believed the walls of Jericho would fall. It was a shout of prayer; they cry to Heaven for help, and help came.
So the ark of the Lord compassed the city,.... Being bore by the priests, who carried it round the city; it may as well be rendered and interpreted as it is by Kimchi,"he, i.e. Joshua, caused the ark of the Lord to compass the city;''
that is, he gave orders to the priests to take it up, and go round with it on the first day:
going about it once; on that day, and no more; keeping at such a distance, as to be out of the reach of stones or arrows cast from the walls of the city:
and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp; the night following; not only the priests that bare the ark, but those that blew with the trumpets, and all the armed men, and the people.
that is, he gave orders to the priests to take it up, and go round with it on the first day:
going about it once; on that day, and no more; keeping at such a distance, as to be out of the reach of stones or arrows cast from the walls of the city:
and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp; the night following; not only the priests that bare the ark, but those that blew with the trumpets, and all the armed men, and the people.