“Now Jericho was completely shut up because of the Children of Israel. None
went out, and none came in.”
Militarily speaking, Jericho was impregnable. That is because it had been hermetically sealed –
“none went out, and none went in.” Notwithstanding Jericho’s impenetrable defense and
preparedness, God promised: “And the LORD said unto Joshua: See, I have given into your hand
Jericho, and the king thereof, even the mighty men of valor.” With God’s promise came His
advice to Joshua. “And you shall compass the city, all the men of war, going about the city once.
Thus, shall you do six days.”
Undoubtedly, the tumbling down of Jericho’s walls, as chronicled in Joshua 6, rates as one of
the Bible’s most heralded – and storied – events. “And it shall be, that when they make a long
blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout
with a great shout. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every
man straight before him.”
Why, Abravanel asks, did God perform this wonder of wonders on behalf of the Hebrews, one
that effectively deprived Joshua and his army a resounding military victory, without so much as
rattling a single saber? After all, Joshua and Israeli warriors took part in every other military
campaign to liberate the Holy Land. Concluding, Abravanel queries why Jericho collapsed
amidst miracle and not via conventional warfare?
Abravanel learns that God chose the supernatural course to vanquish Jericho, since it was the
first battleground on the west side of the Jordan River. Recall, the Hebrews experienced a
miracle when they came into Israel by way of the splitting of the river’s waters. News of the
river crossing spread like wildfire throughout the land; Canaanite kings and subjects spoke
incessantly of it. In that same vein, the Maker wanted Jericho’s preternatural collapse to flood
the local news’ outlets, and cause a stir.
God intended screaming headlines to broadcast an unequivocal message: The Creator fights on
the side of the Chosen People. Canaan would not be won by the sword nor spear. Heaven was
calling the shots – literally. Technically speaking, God’s holy ark containing His Torah would take
the lead oar in defeating the Jews’ foes. This lethal combination (ark and Torah) would sow fear
in the hearts of the Canaanites.