Texts in Conversation
Joshua describes the collapse of Jericho’s walls after the trumpet blasts, a scene celebrated in Hebrews 11, which summarizes the event as the result of persistent faith. By compressing the conquest into a single statement, Hebrews reshapes the older narrative into a model for endurance.
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Joshua 6:20
Hebrew Bible
18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for God. If you take any of it, then you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster. 19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. They must go into the Lord’s treasury.” 20 The rams’ horns sounded, and when the army heard the signal, they gave a loud battle cry. The wall collapsed, and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. 21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.”
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Hebrews 11:30
New Testament
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace. 32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.
Date: 80-90 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The conquest of Jericho under Joshua has been a fascinating and at the same time ‘disturbing’ incident in the Bible. On the one hand this conquest has been one of the greatest challenges against the belief in the God of the Old Testament because of the narration that under the divine direction Joshua and the Israelites captured and destroyed great towns and cities and put to death the non combatants like babies, children, and the elderly. On the other hand, It has been interpreted since centuries as an inspiring example to demonstrate the power of prayer and the rendering of the seemingly impossible into possible thanks to an unflagging faith in Yahweh. This aspect of faith is reiterated in the letter to the Hebrews 11:30-31 which says: “By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.” As far as the conquest of Jericho is concerned, there are only two references (1 Kings 16:34; Hebrews 11:30-31) outside of the book of Joshua. However, the archeological findings have some startling remarks and enlightening observations regarding the conquest of Jericho especially concerning the destruction of the walls as mentioned in the Bible (Joshua 6:1-27). How do we reconcile the archaeological findings with the biblical presentation on the conquest ofJericho? ..."
Kuppayil, Johnson
Conquest of Jericho: Archaeological Findings and Biblical Understanding
(pp. 1-14) Catholic University of Paris, 2018
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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