The verse highlights that Jericho was completely sealed off, not just locked down, but isolated and cut off from all outside contact. This intense blockade emphasizes the city's fear and utter helplessness against Israel's presence, setting the stage for God's dramatic intervention.
Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Israelites have just crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land, circumcising themselves and celebrating Passover. Jericho, a major fortified city, is now directly in their path, and its inhabitants are terrified, sealing their gates and refusing all entry or exit. This tense standoff sets the stage for God's astonishing plan to conquer the city through unconventional means, not by Israel's military might.
Jericho wasn't just walled; it was sealed shut. What made its people bunker down so completely?
The text tells us Jericho was "shut up inside and outside." This wasn't just about closed gates; it paints a picture of total isolation.
A Precarious Position
The inhabitants, likely already aware of Israel's miraculous crossing of the Jordan, were in a state of extreme fear. Their spies had escaped, and they knew a massive army was now camped on their doorstep. This led them to seal their city walls, barring any movement in or out.
Strategic Isolation
This lockdown served two purposes:
They had effectively chosen to face the siege rather than engage with the Israelites.
When God's people faced an impenetrable city, His strategy was anything but conventional. How did divine intervention reshape warfare?
The stark description of Jericho's lockdown sets the stage for an even more astonishing divine strategy. God didn't tell Joshua to launch a direct assault or build siege ramps.
Ask a follow-up
Warfare Redefined
Instead, God's command was to walk. The Israelites were to circle the city silently for six days, with priests carrying the Ark and blowing trumpets. On the seventh day, they would circle seven times, then shout.
The Power in Obedience
This wasn't a military tactic; it was a test of faith. The people had to trust that God, not their swords or strength, would bring down the walls. The locked gates and fortified walls of Jericho were irrelevant to God's power. He was demonstrating that victory comes not from human might or strategy, but from unwavering obedience to His word, even when it seems illogical.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The proper name of the God of Israel, the self-existent One who enters into covenant relationship with His people. It signifies His faithfulness, holiness, and sovereignty.
chayil · Hebrew Noun
A title for a person of noble character, strength, or high social/military rank. In a military context, it refers to soldiers who are physically powerful and skilled in battle.
c. 1406 BC
Israelites Cross the Jordan River
After 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites, led by Joshua, finally crossed the Jordan River, entering the Promised Land. This event marked the beginning of their conquest.
c. 1406 BC
The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Israelites celebrated Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the plains of Jericho, signifying a renewed covenant with God and preparation for the conquest.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
The Fall of Jericho
Following God's unusual instructions to march around the city for seven days and then shout, the walls of Jericho miraculously collapsed, allowing the Israelites to conquer the city.
c. 1406 BC
Destruction and Curse of Jericho
Jericho was utterly destroyed and cursed, with its inhabitants put to death and its riches consecrated to the Lord, except for Rahab and her family.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Ai and Exposure of Achan's Sin
The subsequent attempt to conquer Ai failed due to Achan's hidden sin of taking forbidden spoils from Jericho, leading to Israel's defeat and a re-purification of the camp.
Just as Jericho was shut up and impassable, the Red Sea presented an insurmountable barrier to the Israelites, yet God intervened decisively.
Joshua 2:1-7The sealed nature of Jericho, described here, is contrasted with the spies' successful infiltration and Rahab's aid, showing that even the most fortified places are not beyond God's reach.
1 Samuel 17:45-47Goliath and the Philistine army seemed an insurmountable obstacle, much like Jericho, but David's victory demonstrated that God's power overcomes human fortifications and might.
Luke 19:1-10Just as Jericho was a closed city resistant to Israel, Zacchaeus was a wealthy outcast resistant to spiritual change, but Jesus entered his life and transformed it, showing God's ability to penetrate even the most fortified hearts.
gillJoshua 6:1: "Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in."
Now Jericho was straitly shut up, because of the children of Israel,.... Or "it shut up", or "was shutting, and was shut up" (u); that is, the king and the inhabitants shut it up within; the Targum says with iron doors, and bars of brass, and it was blocked up without by the children of Israel: none went out and none came in; none of their forces went out to make a sally on the Isr…
clarkeJoshua 6:1: "Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in."
Now Jericho was straitly shut up - The king of Jericho, finding that the spies had escaped, though the city was always kept shut by night, took the most proper precaution to prevent every thing of the kind in future, by keeping the city shut both day and night, having, no doubt, laid in a sufficiency of provisions to stand a siege, being determined to defend himself to the uttermos…
The verse highlights that Jericho was completely sealed off, not just locked down, but isolated and cut off from all outside contact. This intense blockade emphasizes the city's fear and utter helplessness against Israel's presence, setting the stage for God's dramatic intervention.
The Israelites have just crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land, circumcising themselves and celebrating Passover. Jericho, a major fortified city, is now directly in their path, and its inhabitants are terrified, sealing their gates and refusing all entry or exit. This tense standoff sets the stage for God's astonishing plan to conquer the city through unconventional means, not by Israel's military might.
The Israelites have just crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land, circumcising themselves and celebrating Passover. Jericho, a major fortified city, is now directly in their path, and its inhabitants are terrified, sealing their gates and refusing all entry or exit. This tense standoff sets the stage for God's astonishing plan to conquer the city through unconventional means, not by Israel's military might.
"Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor." — The verse highlights that Jericho was completely sealed off, not just locked down, but isolated and cut off from all outside contact. This intense blockade emphasizes the city's fear and utter helple…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
