יהושע, פרק ו׳, פסוק ט׳

The march around Jericho was a highly organized procession, with each group assigned a precise location around the Ark. Most of the tribes marched at the very front of the formation. Following them was the armed vanguard, an elite force of warriors from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh [רד״ק]. They were selected for this position because the tribe of Gad was known for its exceptional bravery and powerful combat abilities [רש״י]. In the order of the march, this vanguard acted as a barrier separating the general population ahead of them from the priests and the Ark behind them [מלבי״ם].

Immediately following the vanguard were the priests. Not all the priests were stationed around the Ark; only the seven specifically chosen to sound the horns walked in close proximity to it. The remaining priests marched alongside the rest of the tribe of Levi within the main crowd [מלבי״ם].

Trailing behind the Ark was the rear guard. This duty was given to the tribe of Dan, which traditionally marched last in the order of the Israelite camps. Their specific role was to gather and protect anyone who became weak, stumbled, or fell behind the groups marching ahead of them [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Because the majority of the tribes marched ahead of the vanguard, the tribe of Dan effectively closed out the entire procession behind the Ark [מלבי״ם].

As the formation moved, the sounding of the horns was constant. The blasts were not sounded while standing in place; rather, they continued without interruption as the people walked [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators is that this continuous blowing was performed by the seven priests walking near the Ark [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. However, an alternative perspective suggests that the rear guard also sounded horns as they secured the back of the line [ביאור שטיינזלץ].