In verse 16 it is stated that “the priests were about to sound the trumpets,” which was then followed by Joshua’s detailed instructions to the people (verses 17-19). It is therefore possible that the reader will have forgotten the precise setting by the time that the priests are mentioned again at the beginning of this verse. Since this possibility exists, a more specific transitional than So may be required at the beginning of the verse. For example, “When Joshua finished giving these instructions to the people, the priests blew the trumpets.”

As Revised Standard Version shows, the Hebrew text says that the people shouted, the priests blew the trumpets, and then the people shouted again, this time “a great shout,” at which the walls fell down. Good News Translation and New English Bible eliminate the repetition in the Hebrew text on the grounds that it is a stylistic matter, possibly reflecting the use of different sources. In the light of the whole event it seems impossible to believe that the Israelites shouted twice, although the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports this as one possible way of understanding the text. Assuming that a single shout is intended, one may translate loud shout as “battle cry.”

Jericho had a double wall; at one time in its historyRecent excavations date the destruction of the walls of Jericho to a long time before the Israelite invasion of Canaan; see commentaries, especially Soggin. the outer wall fell outward and the inner wall collapsed into the space between the two walls.

Good News Translation went straight up the hill makes explicit what is implicit in the Hebrew “went up” (see Revised Standard Version); Jericho was built on a hill. The expression “every man straight before him” (Revised Standard Version) indicates that there was no opposition to the attack (see also verse 5). The victory was the Lord’s doing; it was his power that caused Jericho to fall.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .