יהושע, פרק ו׳, פסוק ד׳

The divine strategy for conquering Jericho relies on a highly specific, ceremonial formation rather than conventional warfare. Central to this procession are the priests, the sounding horns, and the Ark of the Covenant, moving together to encircle the city. The exact order of the march was carefully arranged. An armed vanguard led the way, followed directly by seven priests carrying the horns. Behind them came the Ark of the Covenant, serving as an inseparable part of the journey as they faced the city walls [מלבי״ם, אלשיך, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל].

The specific type of horns carried by the priests is a matter of discussion. The primary approach among commentators is that these were ram's horns, based on an ancient regional term where the word itself meant a ram [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, another perspective suggests that the focus is not on the specific animal the horn came from, but rather on its ceremonial purpose. In this view, the priests carried the special, recognizable horns traditionally used to announce the Jubilee year [אברבנאל].

Although the instructions might appear to reserve the blowing of the horns for the seventh day, the priests actually sounded them continuously. As they walked, they blew the horns during every single march around the city, across all the days of the campaign [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. The specific type of sound they produced carried a profound message. Typically, an army going into battle sounds a broken, alarming blast to express distress and a cry for help. A straight, steady blast, by contrast, is reserved for festivals and days of joy. For this military campaign, the priests were specifically directed to blow a straight, steady blast. This joyful sound served as a powerful sign of absolute confidence in the victory God had promised [מלבי״ם].