Nisan 22 – Do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout…

April 20, 2025

01 – Nisan, Israelites, Jericho, Joshua, Joshua son of Nun

Nisan 22, 5785; from sunset April 19, 2025, to sunset April 20, 2025

(The twenty-second day of the first month)

This is the name Yehoshua (Joshua); Joshua means “The LORD Saves.” The top image was written ~2,000 years ago and was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The bottom image was written ~1,000 years ago and is from the Aleppo Codex (the Crown of Aleppo). The top image was written on a scroll, possibly in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. The bottom is in a bound manuscript, written in Tiberias, near the Sea of Galilee, which later made its way to Aleppo (Syria). The Aleppo Codex is now housed in the Shrine of the Book alongside the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Today in the Bible is the traditional date for when the LORD spoke to Joshua and instructed him to have the people march around the city of Jericho. For the next six days, we’ll have a short remembrance of how the people encircled the city each day.

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No-one went out and no-one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.

Make seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, make all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”

Take up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and make seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding.

But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there. – Joshua 6:1-11 (NIB)

To read all of our posts about Joshua, please click on the image above.