6:6 the ark of the covenant. See note 3:3. The procession, with the ark at its center, applied the covenant promises of God symbolically to Jericho. For Jericho the covenant promises will mean judgment. The parallel between the role of the ark in crossing the Jordan (chs. 3–4) and the conquest of Canaan is illuminated by Ex. 15:1–18, where the crossing of the Red Sea and the conquest are described in similar terms. All of these events are powerful acts of God in accordance with His covenant, directed to the goal of bringing His people to their promised rest.