Question 1

In verse 20, what actions are linked together, and how does the verse connect them as cause-and-effect?

Accepted Answer

Verse 20 links several actions in a tight sequence: priests blow trumpets, the people hear the trumpet sound, the people give a great shout, the wall falls down flat, and then the people go up into the city and take it. The verse presents the hearing of the trumpet and the “great shout” as the immediate lead-in to the wall’s collapse. The text does not explain a mechanism; it narrates the timing and the result. The key effect is that the wall’s fall opens direct access for the attackers.

Question 2

What does “the wall fell down flat” most clearly accomplish in the story, regardless of how one pictures the collapse?

Accepted Answer

The clearest narrative function is that the wall’s fall removes Jericho’s main barrier and makes entry straightforward. The verse immediately explains the practical result: “the people went up into the city… and they took the city.” Whatever the exact direction or pattern of the collapse, the text stresses that the attackers do not need to search for a gate or engineer a breach under pressure. The wall’s fall is the turning point that changes the situation from prolonged circling to immediate capture.

Question 3

How does the phrase “every man straight before him” shape the reader’s picture of the assault?

Accepted Answer

The phrase suggests an advance that is direct and unimpeded. It can imply that the opening into the city was broad enough that individuals could move forward without detouring, lining up, or funneling through a narrow gap. It also contributes to the sense of order and momentum: people move forward decisively rather than in confusion. Even if it is not meant to describe each person’s exact path, it reinforces the point that the city’s defenses no longer slow the attackers once the wall collapses.

Question 4

In verse 21, what groups are explicitly named as included in the destruction, and what wording communicates the scope?

Accepted Answer

Verse 21 explicitly lists humans by broad categories: “man and woman,” “young and old.” It also names livestock: “ox, and sheep, and donkey.” The verse uses comprehensive language (“all that was in the city”) and a strong verb phrase rendered “utterly destroyed,” then specifies the means as “with the edge of the sword.” The combination of “all,” the paired human categories, and the added animals communicates that the destruction is presented as sweeping and not limited to combatants.

Question 5

What is the relationship between verse 20’s brief statement “they took the city” and verse 21’s description of destruction?

Accepted Answer

Verse 20 gives a summary outcome of the battle: entry happens and the city is taken. Verse 21 then describes what “taking” involved in this case: widespread killing of the city’s inhabitants and certain animals. The structure is simple and sequential: breach → entry → capture → destruction. The text does not pause to describe negotiations, prisoners, or division of goods in these verses; instead it moves quickly from capture to the city’s being wiped out. That tight connection shapes the meaning of “took” here as conquest with severe aftermath.

Question 6

What details are not explained in these verses, and how might that affect how confidently one interprets them?

Accepted Answer

These verses do not explain how the wall fell (natural event, structural failure, or other), the exact geometry of the collapse, whether any parts of the city were spared, or why animals are included. They also do not give numbers, timelines after entry, or any exceptions. Because of that, interpretations that specify precise mechanics or reconstruct detailed street-by-street events go beyond what is said. The text is confident about sequence and outcomes—collapse, entry, capture, and comprehensive destruction—but spare about process and rationale within these two verses.

Joshua 6:20-21

Scripture