THE DESTRUCTION of Jericho was not just a military victory. It was another statement of God’s superiority over the gods of the Amorites, whose land was about to be given to the Israelites.

This week, we discuss the conquest of Jericho and Ai. We explain why God’s command to march around the city may have been a reversal of an ancient ritual known in Mesopotamia a thousand years before the Exodus. Sharon compares this to a pagan myth from ancient Persia, and then we explain the significance of the location of the altar on Mount Ebal, overlooking the city of Shechem.

We also note the reference to “native born” Israelites in Josh. 8:33. Who were they, assuming that all of the Israelites who entered Canaan (except Joshua and Caleb) had been born during the wilderness wanderings?