Joshua 6:3

Joshua 6:3

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

a. NLT: You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days.

b. NIV: March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.

c. YLT: and ye have compassed the city -- all the men of battle -- going round the city once; thus thou dost six days;

d. Amplified Bible Classic: You shall march around the enclosure, all the men of war going around the city once. This you shall do for six days.

e. Septuagint: And do thou set the men of war round about it

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: You shall go around the city, all the men of war, encircling the city one time; thus shall you do for a period of six days.

1. “And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once…”

a. ye shall compass [Strong: 5437 * cabab saw-bab' a primitive root; to revolve, surround, or border; used in various applications, literally and figuratively (as follows):--bring, cast, fetch, lead, make, walk, X whirl, X round about, be about on every side, apply, avoid, beset (about), besiege, bring again, carry (about), change, cause to come about, X circuit, (fetch a) compass (about, round), drive, environ, X on every side, beset (close, come, compass, go, stand) round about, inclose, remove, return, set, sit down, turn (self) (about, aside, away, back).]

b. the city [Strong: 5892 * `iyr eer or (in the plural) par {awr}; or ayar (Judges 10:4) {aw-yar'}; from 5782 a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post):--Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.]

c. all ye [Strong: 3605 * kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

d. men [Strong: 582 * 'enowsh en-oshe' from 605; properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the more dignified 120); hence, a man in general (singly or collectively):--another, X (blood-)thirsty, certain, chap(-man); divers, fellow, X in the flower of their age, husband, (certain, mortal) man, people, person, servant, some ( X of them), + stranger, those, + their trade. It is often unexpressed in the English versions, especially when used in apposition with another word.]

e. of war [Strong: 4421 * milchamah mil-khaw-maw' from 3898 (in the sense of fighting); a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. warfare):--battle, fight(-ing), war((-rior)).]

f. go round [Strong: 5362 * naqaph naw-kaf' a primitive root; to strike with more or less violence (beat, fell, corrode); by implication (of attack) to knock together, i.e. surround or circulate:--compass (about, -ing), cut down, destroy, go round (about), inclose, round.]

g. the city [Strong: 5892 * `iyr eer or (in the plural) par {awr}; or ayar (Judges 10:4) {aw-yar'}; from 5782 a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post):--Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.]

h. once [Strong: 6471 * pa`am pah'-am or (feminine) pa;amah {pah-am-aw'}; from 6470; a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications, as follow):--anvil, corner, foot(-step), going, (hundred-)fold, X now, (this) + once, order, rank, step, + thrice, ((often-)), second, this, two) time(-s), twice, wheel.]

i. [Strong: 259 *  'echad ekh-awd' a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), + eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together,]

2. “…Thus shalt thou do six days.”

a. Thus [Strong: 3541 * koh ko from the prefix k and 1931; properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now:--also, here, + hitherto, like, on the other side, so (and much), such, on that manner, (on) this (manner, side, way, way and that way), + mean while, yonder.]

b. shalt thou do [Strong: 6213 * `asah aw-saw' a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be (warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.]

c. six [Strong: 8337 * shesh shaysh masculine shishshah {shish-shaw'}; a primitive number; six (as an overplus (see 7797) beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ord. sixth:--six((-teen, -teenth)), sixth.]

d. days [Strong: 3117 * yowm yome from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, + chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.]

1). John Gill Commentary: And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war,...Joshua their chief commander under the Lord, and all that were able to make war, even all above twenty years of age; these were to compass the city, not in the form of a siege, but by a procession around it: and go round about the city once; or one time, for the first once in a day, and no more: thus shall thou do six days; one after another; that is, go round it, once every day, for such a time. This order was given, according to the Jews (w), the twenty second of Nisan, after the feast of unleavened bread was over.

2). Further more exact instructions are given in the next few verses (Joshua 6:6-11).