Глава 6

1. The Lord gives Jericho to the power of Joshua and reveals an extraordinary way to take it. 5. Transmission of the divine command to the priests and people. 7. Fulfillment of divine command. 14. Circumvention of the city on the 7th day and dooming Jericho to damnation. 21. Rescue of Raavi. 25. Curse to the restorer of the walls of Jericho. 26. Glory of Joshua. When Joshua, fulfilling the demand of what appeared to him, took off his shoes and at the same time clearly understood that he was in the presence of God, the Lord revealed His will to him. Joshua 6:1. Then the Lord said to Joshua: Behold, I have delivered Jericho and its king, [and the mighty people therein], into your hands; Joshua 6:2. go around the city, everyone capable of war, and go around the city once [a day]; and do this for six days; Joshua 6:3. and the seven priests shall bear the seven trumpets of jubilee before the Ark; and on the seventh day go round the city seven times, and let the priests blow the trumpets; Joshua 6:4. When the jubilee horn blows, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then let all the people shout with a loud voice, and the wall of the city will collapse to its foundation, and [all] the people will go [to the city, rushing] each from his side. Joshua 6:5. And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests [of Israel] and said to them: Bring up the Ark of the Covenant; and the seven priests shall bear the seven trumpets of jubilee before the Ark of the Lord. Divine revelation begins with the announcement to Joshua of the determination of the higher will to transfer Jericho, along with the king and strong people, into the hands of the Israeli leader. Then the Lord indicates the very method for fulfilling this definition - an extraordinary method, in which the power of weapons was completely eliminated and replaced by the almighty power of the Lord God of Israel. It consisted in the fact that the Ark, preceded by all the Israelites capable of war and seven priests with jubilee trumpets, should be carried around once for six days, and on the 7th day 7 times, and only at this last circumambulation, when the sound of the priestly trumpet was heard, all the people exclaimed with a loud voice; at this time “the wall of the city will be destroyed to the ground.” The most important thing in this method, as it is only outlined in general terms by the writer of the book, is that the Ark or “the Ark of the Lord circles around Jericho” (Josh. 6:10), which, as serving as the throne of the Lord, marks His direct presence among His people. The biblical writer expressed this idea of ​​the Ark of the Lord by using the divine name instead of the Ark: “Lord” (Joshua 6:7) (the same in the Hebrew text and the Greek-Slavic translation). From the people, all those capable of war, under the guidance of the Lord, bypass the city, just as during ordinary wars enemy troops surround the conquered city. But while the latter, during such an attack in ancient times, poured earthen ramparts and set up cars, the Israeli army does not undertake anything like that; instead, it must remain completely silent while walking around the city (except for the last minute), thereby expressing reverence for its Supreme Leader, and also that victory over the enemy will not be achieved through weapons. The presence of the Lord among the Israeli army was also indicated by the sound of a trumpet, which served as one of the signs of the Lord’s descent onto Sinai (Exodus 19:16), and in ritual institutions it served as a reminder to the Lord about His people (Numbers 10:9). The fact that persons (7 priests), objects (7 jubilee trumpets or horns) and actions (7 days of circumambulation around Jericho, 7 circumambulation on the 7th day) are determined by the sacred number 7, the number of God’s deeds during the creation of the world, shows that these persons, objects and actions are not of a military nature, but of a sacred nature, imbued with the thought of God as the only culprit of what is about to happen. How insignificant the participation of the people in the capture of Jericho was, this is expressed by the fact that, in addition to walking, they were given one action: a loud exclamation when walking around the city for the 7th time on the 7th day. The fact that the writer calls the one who appeared to Joshua the Lord is consistent with other places in the biblical text, for example, Exodus 3:2,4 ff., where the name Angel of the Lord is replaced by the names: Lord and God. The words Joshua 6:1: “[and those in him]” are absent from the Hebrew text and a significant number of Greek copies. Jubilee trumpets are the special designation of trumpets that were blown at the beginning of the year of jubilee (Lev.25:9); they differed from the silver trumpets, which served during the journey to gather the community and when announcing the departure (Num. 10:2). In Joshua 6:4 the jubilee trumpet is called the horn of jubilee, because, of course, it was made from the horns of animals. In the oldest copies of the LXX translation (Vatican and Alexandria), Joshua 6:3 or - according to other editions - Joshua 6:4 is not read, despite the special importance of its content, since it is in it that the command to encircle the Ark around Jericho is imposed. This verse was also absent from the ancient handwritten Slavic translation (V. Lebedev, p. 360). But it is in the Ambrosian list, also ancient. Joshua 6:5–15. The following narrative serves as an account of how Joshua announced the divine command to the priests and the people (Joshua 6:5–9) and how it was carried out by both (Joshua 6:9–15). This fulfillment, while conforming essentially to the divine command, presents some details not clearly stated in it. Thus, by order of Joshua, one of the armed men indicated a place in front of the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 6:6), ahead of the priests (Joshua 6:8), and the rest of the people, with the priests at the head, who blew the trumpets, had to follow the Ark (Joshua 6:8,12); the people during the circumambulation of Jericho should not have spoken or made any exclamations (Joshua 6:9); the circumambulation began “early in the morning” (Josh. 6:11), and on the 7th day - “early, at the dawn” (Josh. 6:14) so ​​that before nightfall a sevenfold circuit around the city could be completed. Joshua 6:6. And he said [to them to say] to the people: Go and circumambulate the city; Let those armed go before the Ark of the Lord. Joshua 6:7. As soon as Jesus told the people, the seven priests who carried the seven jubilee trumpets before the Lord went and blew [loudly] the trumpets, and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord followed them; The words “[to them, so that they say]” are brought from the Slavic Bible (...to them...command), following the Greek translation αὐτοῖς ... παραγγείλατε. This corresponds to this in the Hebrew text, as it is written: “vayomer” - “and they said”, but it reads: “vayomer” - “and said”. Of these readings, the most consistent seems to be the last one, according to which Joshua himself conveyed the command to the people, the basis for which is that in Joshua 6:9, both according to the Hebrew text and the Greek-Slavic translation, “Jesus himself gave the command to the people and said.” Joshua 6:8. the armed men walked ahead of the priests, who blew trumpets; and those who walked behind followed the Ark [of the Covenant of the Lord], blowing trumpets as they went along. Joshua 6:9. Jesus gave a command to the people and said: Do not shout, and do not let your voice be heard, and do not let a word come out of your mouth until the day I say to you: “Shout!” - and then exclaim. Joshua 6:10. Thus the Ark [of the Covenant] of the Lord went around the city and went around one day; and they came to the camp and spent the night in the camp. Joshua 6:11. [The next day] Jesus rose early in the morning, and the priests carried up the Ark [of the Covenant] of the Lord; Joshua 6:12. and the seven priests who carried the seven trumpets of jubilee before the Ark of the Lord walked and blew the trumpets; the armed men walked ahead of them, and those walking behind followed the Ark of the Lord and blew trumpets as they walked. Joshua 6:13. Thus, the next day they walked around the city once and returned to the camp. And they did this for six days. Joshua 6:14. On the seventh day they got up early, at dawn, and walked around the city in the same way seven times; On this day alone they walked around the city seven times. Joshua 6:15. When the priests blew the trumpets the seventh time, Jesus said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has delivered the city to you!” “And those who walked behind followed the Ark [of the Covenant of the Lord] as they went along, blowing trumpets.” These words in the Vatican, Alexandria and some other lists, as well as in the Sistine Bible, correspond to: κιβωτοῦ τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου... σαλπίζοντες - “and the priests who walked behind the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord sounding a trumpet” 63. According to this translation, the sound of the trumpet was made by the priests who followed the Ark, and not by the people who walked with them. This feature of the Greek translation deserves special attention, because it resolves the bewilderment aroused here by the words of the current Hebrew text, which were trumpeted during the procession by the people walking behind the Ark, while the people in the verse that follows are instructed to maintain complete silence. The word "priests", retained in the Greek translation of this passage, is here required by the context of the biblical speech. Joshua 6:16. the city will be under a spell, and everything in it will be to the Lord [of hosts]; Only let Rahab the harlot live, she and everyone who is in her house; because she hid the messengers whom we sent; Joshua 6:17. but beware of the accursed, lest you yourself be cursed if you take anything from the accursed, and lest you bring a curse upon the camp of the [sons of] Israel and cause harm to it; Joshua 6:18. and all silver and gold, and vessels of copper and iron, shall be holy to the Lord, and shall enter into the treasury of the Lord. Joshua 6:19. The people shouted and blew trumpets. As soon as the people heard the voice of the trumpet, the people [all together] exclaimed with a loud [and strong] voice, and the [entire] wall [of the city] collapsed to its foundation, and [all] the people went into the city, each on their own side, and took the city. Joshua 6:20. And they consigned to the curse everything that was in the city, both husbands and wives, both young and old, oxen, and sheep, and donkeys, [everything] they destroyed with the sword. When on the 7th time of the 7th day, which was probably Saturday, there was a procession around Jericho and the priests were blowing trumpets, Joshua ordered the people to shout as a sign that the Lord had handed over the city to him, and at the same time announced that this city “will be under a curse,” i.e. completely dedicated to God as an irrevocable gift. “Conjuration” in Hebrew is “herem”, which means “separation”, “perfect consecration”, according to the Greek translation ἀνάθεμα, which has the same meaning. According to the laws on exorcism (Lev.27:28–33, Deut.13:15,20:17–18, etc.), all living things, from man to livestock, were put to death, and everything else was destroyed or transferred to the sanctuary. The oath was the highest vow in Old Testament times, which expressed complete, selfless devotion to God and gratitude (Num. 21:2). That Joshua cast a spell on Jericho before its capture indicates that he was fully aware of the great significance of the event that was about to take place. The fall of the walls of Jericho was as much a miracle of divine omnipotence as it was an invaluable gift of God to the Israeli people, necessary for the conquest of the land of Canaan. If the Israelites under the walls of Jericho had been left to their own devices, the capture of this fortified city would, no doubt, have presented them with the greatest difficulties, given their lack of various weapons necessary for the capture of such cities and their unaccustomment, as those raised in the desert, to this military matter. With a prolonged siege of Jericho, help would, of course, come to its rescue from other Canaanite cities, and the Israelites would have to simultaneously wage war on both these latter and the besieged city. The fall of the walls of Jericho, which took place through the action of God in a very short period of time, not only saved the Israeli people from the difficulties of the siege of the fortified city, but at the same time served as an obvious sign of God’s blessing for everyone on his efforts to take possession of the land of Canaan, and at the same time, a guarantee of success in achieving the goal. And just as much as this miracle of divine omnipotence should have raised the spirit of the Israelites, it, no doubt, increased the decline of spirit among the Canaanite peoples. When thinking about the great significance of the miraculous fall of the walls of Jericho, the extraordinary vow made by Joshua becomes clear - to dedicate this city with everything in it to the Lord as the firstfruits of the cities of the land of Canaan. This vow was not meant to apply only to Rahab. In the words “To the Lord [of hosts]” the latter was introduced from the Greco-Slavic translation, based on most Greek lists, which read: τῷ Κυρίω Σαβαώθ (in the Vatican and other lists) or: τῷ Κυρίω τῶν δυνάμεων (in the Alexandrian, Ambrosian and other lists). The “Treasury of the Lord,” into which the gold, silver and other metals found in Jericho were to be deposited, was located at the Tabernacle of Meeting (Num. 31:54). In the words “[whole] wall” the first word is not found in some of the most ancient (Alexandrian, Ambrosian) and later copies, as well as in the Hebrew text, and this omission of the word “all” deserves attention in view of the fact, among other things, that the part of the wall on which or near which (see Joshua 2:15) Rahab’s house was located had to be preserved, otherwise Rahab’s house would have collapsed, which in further words biblical narrative (Josh. 6:21–22) seems to have survived along with everyone who was in it. Joshua 6:21. And Jesus said to the two young men who were spying out the land: Go to the house of that harlot and bring her out from there and all that are with her, since you swore to her. Joshua 6:22. And the young men who had been spying [the city, to the woman's house] went and brought out Rahab [the harlot], and her father and her mother, and her brothers, and all that she had, and all her relatives, and they brought them out, and put them outside the camp of Israel. Raavi and all her relatives were spared their lives as a result of the oath given to her by the former spies who were sent to her house to bring out everyone who was in it. As they did not belong to the people of Israel, they were placed outside the Israeli camp. Subsequently, Rahab became part of the Israeli people and lived among them, when, of course, she abandoned pagan beliefs and openly began to confess the God of Israel. What was said about Rahab: “And she lives among Israel to this day” (Josh. 6:24) - shows that the writer of the book used monuments written a little later after the events themselves. According to the antiquities of Josephus (V:1, 7), Joshua gave her a piece of land and treated her with respect. Living among the Israelites, she became so close to them that she became the wife of Salmon, prince of the tribe of Judah (Ruth. 4:20), and the mother of Boaz (Matt. 1:5), who were the ancestors of David, and together the ancestors of Christ the Savior. The apostles classified Rahab among the Old Testament righteous who were saved from destruction by faith (Heb. 11:31) and by works united with it received justification (James 2:25), and the fathers and teachers of the church in the person of the Canaanite woman Rahab, who believed in the true God and left her former vicious life, saw a prototype of the Church of Christ among the pagans (the creations of blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, vol. I, 272). Joshua 6:25. At that time Jesus swore and said: Cursed is the Lord who raises up and builds this city of Jericho; On his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and on his youngest he will set up its gates. [This is what Azan, a native of Bethel, did: he founded it on Abiron, his firstborn, and set up its gates on the youngest, the saved one.] In order for the walls of Jericho, destroyed by God, to remain an eternal monument to the extraordinary event that had taken place, Joshua imposed a curse on anyone who would want to restore them. The words “he will raise up and build this city Jericho” indicate the construction not of houses, but of city walls, making the inhabited area an enclosed place or city; in this sense the Hebrew verb to build (“bana”) is used, for example, in 1 Kings 15:17: “Baasha began to build Ramah”; 2 Chronicles 11:6: “built” (Slavic Bible) or “fortified (Russian Synodal translation) Bethlehem.” And since the curse was directed specifically at the restorer of the city walls, and not residential buildings, therefore, in the time closest to this event, Jericho did not cease to be an inhabited place of the tribe of Benjamin or a city in the general sense, as can be seen from Joshua 18:21, Judges 3:13, 2 Kings 10:5. The words “[So Azan did... decreed his gates]” are absent in the Hebrew text and the translation of Blessed Jerome, but are found in the most ancient and many later Greek copies and editions. They are found in 1 Kings 16:34, where they are read in a slightly modified form (instead of “Azan” it is read “Ahiel”, instead of “saved” - “Segub”); from here they are transferred to the book. Joshua as the fulfillment of a prophetic curse. In Origen's Hexaples to Joshua 6:25 there is no indication of these words as being superfluous against the Hebrew text: from this it can most likely be concluded that in the Greek translation of his time these additional words were not yet read. And in the final words of Joshua 6:8, according to the Greek translation, the word οἱ ἱερεῖς - “priests” precedes the words “as they walked they blew trumpets.” This addition from the Greek translation is so necessary here that it is made even in translations from the Hebrew, such as the revised English translation of the Bible. You might be interested in: