Joshua 6:20 Meaning and Explanation
“So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The long preparation around Jericho reaches its appointed end in this verse. What had been promised in advance now happens in public before the whole people. The account gives attention to hearing, shouting, falling, entering, and taking, showing how God's act and Israel's obedient response meet in one decisive moment.
Joshua 6:20 records the fulfillment of God's promise: at the priests' trumpets and Israel's great shout, Jericho's wall fell flat, Israel entered directly, and the city was taken.
The Context of Joshua 6:20
The LORD promised Joshua that Jericho was already given into Israel's hand and commanded a seven-day procession around the city. Priests carried rams' horn trumpets before the ark while the people kept silence. On the seventh day Israel rose early, circled Jericho seven times, and at the seventh time Joshua ordered the people to shout because the LORD had given them the city. He had also declared the city accursed to the LORD, with Rahab and her household spared, and he warned Israel not to take the accursed thing. Verse 20 now narrates the fall of the wall exactly as promised in verse 5.
What Does Joshua 6:20 Mean?
The verse unfolds the fulfillment in a sequence. The priests blow with the trumpets, the people hear the sound, and the people give a great shout. Then the wall falls down flat. The wording deliberately recalls the earlier promise, demonstrating that the event happened according to the LORD's stated command. Israel goes up into the city, every man straight before him, and takes it. Their direct entry corresponds to the opening God had promised when the wall fell. The people do not receive the city while remaining at a distance from it. They respond to God's work by entering the way made before them and carrying out the task entrusted to them.
Joshua 6 has repeatedly emphasized the ark, the priests, the trumpets, the silence, and the seven-day pattern before arriving at this outcome. That sustained attention keeps the fall of Jericho within the LORD's covenant presence and direction. Verse 20 therefore stands as the chapter's visible confirmation of verse 2: the LORD has indeed given the city. Israel's shouting was an appointed response, and their entrance was active obedience. The chapter does not describe a technique that can be copied to secure any desired outcome. It records a particular command and fulfillment in Israel's history. Its enduring witness is that God keeps his word and calls his people to trust him together in the responsibilities he gives them.
Hebrews 11:30 later remembers Jericho's fallen walls as an event of faith. That connection honors the actual shape of Joshua's narrative: faith waited through seven days, accepted God's unusual command, and acted when the time came. The verse also recalls other deliverances in which God made a path for his people, especially the crossing of the Red Sea. At Jericho the LORD removed the city's barrier, and Israel went up through the opening. The account therefore strengthens hope for obedience in circumstances where God's promise seems larger than our present ability. His faithfulness remains the foundation of every faithful response.
Bible Verses Related to Joshua 6:20
“And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.”
- Joshua 6:5
“And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.”
- Joshua 6:16
“And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”
- Exodus 14:22
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”
- Hebrews 11:30
Where Joshua 6:20 Echoes in Scripture
Hebrews 11:30 is the chief canonical echo of this verse. It says that Jericho's walls fell through faith after the people had circled them for seven days. The later verse preserves both the extraordinary outcome and the persevering obedience that preceded it. Joshua 6:20 gives the event in narrative form, while Hebrews names the trust in God displayed through that obedience.
How to Apply Joshua 6:20 Today
When God has made a duty clear, there comes a time to move forward rather than remain only at the edge of the opening he has provided. Joshua 6:20 encourages us to join trust with obedient action: a conversation that needs honesty, a service that needs our hands, a reconciliation that needs a first step, or a long task that needs renewed courage. We can also remember the place of shared faithfulness. Israel heard together, shouted together, and entered together. Communities can ask how their common worship, careful listening, and practical service may help them respond unitedly to God's direction.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might God be inviting us to step through an opening already set before us? Prayer: Faithful LORD, help us remember your promises and obey with courage. Teach us to listen together, to act with integrity, and to give you thanks for every way you make.