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וִֽירִיחוֹ֙ סֹגֶ֣רֶת וּמְסֻגֶּ֔רֶת מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֵ֥ין יוֹצֵ֖א וְאֵ֥ין בָּֽא׃ ס     2 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ רְאֵה֙ נָתַ֣תִּי בְיָֽדְךָ֔ אֶת־יְרִיח֖וֹ וְאֶת־מַלְכָּ֑הּ גִּבּוֹרֵ֖י הֶחָֽיִל׃ 3 וְסַבֹּתֶ֣ם אֶת־הָעִ֗יר כֹּ֚ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה הַקֵּ֥יף אֶת־הָעִ֖יר פַּ֣עַם אֶחָ֑ת כֹּ֥ה תַעֲשֶׂ֖ה שֵׁ֥שֶׁת יָמִֽים׃ 4 וְשִׁבְעָ֣ה כֹהֲנִ֡ים יִשְׂאוּ֩ שִׁבְעָ֨ה שׁוֹפְר֤וֹת הַיּֽוֹבְלִים֙ לִפְנֵ֣י הָאָר֔וֹן וּבַיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י תָּסֹ֥בּוּ אֶת־הָעִ֖יר שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֑ים וְהַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים יִתְקְע֖וּ בַּשּׁוֹפָרֽוֹת׃ 5 וְהָיָ֞ה בִּמְשֹׁ֣ךְ ׀ בְּקֶ֣רֶן הַיּוֹבֵ֗ל [בְּשָׁמְעֲכֶם] אֶת־ק֣וֹל הַשּׁוֹפָ֔ר יָרִ֥יעוּ כָל־הָעָ֖ם תְּרוּעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וְנָ֨פְלָ֜ה חוֹמַ֤ת הָעִיר֙ תַּחְתֶּ֔יהָ וְעָל֥וּ הָעָ֖ם אִ֥ישׁ נֶגְדּֽוֹ׃

Vocabulary

Verse 1

            יריחו  name (of place): “Jericho”

            סגר  verb: “shut up”

Syntax & Miscellaneous

• The initial waw + non-verb construction breaks the narrative from the previous section.  This relationship can be marked by using a transition such as “now.”
• The sequencing of the participles with the same root (סגר) is translated in most English versions as intensive—“shut up tightly (or securely)”—similar to the infinitive absolute + finite verb construction.  That being said, this translation is faulty on several counts.  First, no other example of this sequencing with participles functioning periphrastically is found in the MT.  Second, the words are separated by a waw, which never occurs in the infinitive absolute + finite verb construction.  Third, even though the root and form are the same, the stems change (out of 440 occurrences of the infinitive absolute + finite verb construction, nearly all of them, eighty-seven percent, share the same stem).  Not only this, the meanings of the stems are different.  The Qal stem of סגר connotes the shutting or closing of a gate, whereas the Pual (passive) can mean the locking of a gate (cf. Jeremiah 13:19).  Thus, the suggested translation would be: “Now Jericho was shut up and locked” (The RSV gives a similar translation).
• This suggested translation (see note above) is further authenticated by the following epexegetical clause: “No one left and no one entered” corresponding to “shut up (keeping the inhabitants inside) and locked (keeping foreigners out).”

Vocabulary

Verse 2

            גִּבּוֹרֵ֖י הֶחָֽיִל  idiom: “mighty men, valiant warriors”

Verse 3

            סבב  verb: “surround”

            נקף  verb (Hiphil infinitive absolute): “go around” (BDB, 668)

            פעם  “occurrence”

            יָמִים  plural of יום

Verse 4

            שׁופר  “horn”

            יובל  noun: “ram” (BDB, 385)

            תקע  verb: “blow”

Verse 5

            משׁך  verb: “[hear] a loud sound” (BDB, 604)

            קרן  “horn”

            יובל  noun: “ram” (BDB, 385)

            רוע  verb (Hiphil imperfect 3mpl): “shout a war cry” (BDB, 929)

            תרועה  noun: “war cry” (BDB, 929)

            חומה  “wall”

            נגד  “straight”

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 2

• The final mappiq, similar to a dagesh (GKC 14), distinguishes the noun, מַלְכָּהּ “her king,” from מַלְכָּה “queen.”  The 3fs pronominal suffix in the former refers to the city of Jericho (In Hebrew, cities are feminine).

Verse 3

• The phrase, פַּ֣עַם אֶחָ֑ת, means “one time” (cf. Joshua 6:11, 14, 10:42; 1 Samuel 26:8; Isaiah 66:8).

Verse 4

• Notice the difference between the cardinal number seven, שֶׁבַע, and the ordinal number seventh, שְׁבִיעִי.

Verse 5

• Qere: כְּשָׁמְעֲכֶם֙.
• The prepositional phrase, תַּחְתֶּ֔יהָ, functions as a reflexive, “inside itself” or “below itself.”

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