John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And he said unto the people, pass on, and compass the city , etc.] The women and children, the young men under twenty years of age, the unarmed part of the camp, as distinguished from the armed men: and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord ; to guard the ark, protect the priests, and defend the people, should any sally be made by the enemy upon them. These seem to design all the males that were above twenty years of age able to bear arms, and fit for war; though some restrain it to the forty thousand of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, ( Joshua 1:14 4:12).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-16 - Wherever the ark went, the people attended it. God's ministers, by the trumpet of the everlasting gospel, which proclaims liberty and victory must encourage the followers of Christ in their spiritual warfare. A promised deliverances must be expected in God's way, so they must be expected in his time. At last the people were to shout: they did so and the walls fell. This was a shout of faith; they believed the wall of Jericho would fall. It was a shout of prayer; they cry to Heaven for help, and help came.
Original Hebrew ויאמרו559 אל413 העם5971 עברו5674 וסבו5437 את853 העיר5892 והחלוץ2502 יעבר5674 לפני6440 ארון727 יהוה׃3068
