Joshua 6:9 (ASV)

Passage

And the armed men went before the priests that blew the trumpets, and the rearward went after the ark, [the priests] blowing the trumpets as they went.

Nearby Context

Joshua 6:7 And they said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of Jehovah.

Joshua 6:8 And it was so, that, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams` horns before Jehovah passed on, and blew the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah followed them.

Joshua 6:9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew the trumpets, and the rearward went after the ark, [the priests] blowing the trumpets as they went.

Joshua 6:10 And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

Joshua 6:11 So he caused the ark of Jehovah to compass the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "armed", "went", "before", "priests", "blew", "trumpets", and "rearward". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "armed" and "went", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And it was so that when Joshua..." into verse 10's "And Joshua commanded the people saying Ye...", so "armed" and "went" belong inside that flow. In Joshua context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "armed" and "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.