The story of the walls of Jericho — Israel took a fortified city not by attacking it, but by marching around it and shouting.
This account is found in Joshua 6, as Israel finally entered the promised land under a new leader.
The Story of the Walls of Jericho
After Moses died, Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River into the promised land. The first city in their path was Jericho, protected by tall, thick walls, its gates shut tight.
God gave Joshua an unusual battle plan. The army was not to attack. Instead, once a day for six days, they would march quietly around the city one time, with priests carrying the ark and blowing trumpets.
For six days they did exactly that, circling Jericho in silence except for the trumpets, then returning to camp. To anyone watching from the walls, it must have looked strange and harmless.
On the seventh day they marched around the city seven times. Then the priests blew a long trumpet blast, Joshua told the people to shout, and the whole army gave a great shout together.
At that moment the walls of Jericho fell down flat. The people climbed straight into the city, and Jericho was taken — not by a battering ram, but by trust and obedience.
Only one household was spared. Rahab, who had hidden Israel’s two spies, was brought out safely with her family, just as the spies had promised her (Joshua 6:22-25).
Key Verses
“I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” Joshua 6:2
“The wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.” Joshua 6:5
“The wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” Joshua 6:20
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
Where Is Jericho?
Jericho sits in the Jordan Valley, a few miles west of the Jordan River and a few miles north of the Dead Sea, and about 17 miles east-northeast of Jerusalem. It lies roughly 850 feet below sea level, which makes it the lowest city on earth, and settlement there goes back more than 10,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world (though there were long stretches when the old site stood empty).
The Bible calls it “the city of palm trees” (Deuteronomy 34:3), because springs made it green in the middle of the desert. The mound where the ancient city stood is called Tell es-Sultan. The modern town of Jericho stands right beside it, in the West Bank.
What Have Archaeologists Found at Jericho?
Jericho has been dug up again and again for over a century, and scholars still disagree about what the remains show.
- 1930s: John Garstang found fallen walls and a burned city, and dated its destruction to around 1400 BC, close to the date many Bible readers give for Joshua.
- 1950s: Kathleen Kenyon dated that destruction to around 1550 BC instead. Many scholars took this to mean there was no walled city left for Joshua to conquer.
- 1990: Bryant Wood re-examined the pottery from the earlier digs and argued for a date near 1400 BC again. His date is a minority view: most archaeologists follow Kenyon, and radiocarbon tests on charred grain from the site also point to the earlier date.
The digs also found a thick layer of burned debris and jars still full of grain. Grain left behind suggests the city fell quickly rather than after a long starving siege. Joshua 6:24 says “they burnt the city with fire,” though archaeologists cannot say for certain that this burned layer is the one Joshua describes.
What the Story of the Walls of Jericho Teaches Us
The plan made no military sense. Marching and shouting do not knock down city walls. The victory was meant to show that the land was being given by God, not seized by Israel’s strength.
The hardest part may have been the waiting: six quiet days of doing something that looked pointless before anything happened. The story rewards patient obedience, even when the outcome is not yet in sight.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How did the walls of Jericho fall?
In Joshua 6, Israel marched around the city once a day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. Then the priests blew the trumpets, the people shouted, and the walls fell down flat.
Who led Israel at Jericho?
Joshua led Israel after Moses died. He brought the people across the Jordan River and followed God’s plan to take the city.
How long did the march around Jericho last?
The people marched around the city once a day for six days, and then seven times on the seventh day before the walls fell.
Why did God have them march instead of attack?
The unusual plan showed that the city was given by God, not taken by Israel’s own strength or weapons. It called for trust and obedience.
Where is Jericho today?
Jericho is in the Jordan Valley, north of the Dead Sea and about 17 miles east-northeast of Jerusalem. The ancient mound, Tell es-Sultan, sits beside the modern town in the West Bank.
Is there evidence the walls of Jericho fell?
Archaeologists found collapsed walls and a burned city, but they disagree about when it was destroyed. John Garstang dated it near 1400 BC; Kathleen Kenyon dated it around 1550 BC, and most archaeologists and radiocarbon tests side with her. Bryant Wood has argued for about 1400 BC, a minority view.
What happened to Rahab at Jericho?
Rahab had hidden Israel’s spies, so she and her family were brought out safely before the city was burned (Joshua 6:22-25).
Where is this story in the Bible?
It is found in Joshua 6, at the start of Israel’s entry into the promised land.