It happened, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went to him, and said to him, Are you for us, or for our adversaries?
Critics have bemoaned the fact that no specific instructions were here given to Joshua, although he had clearly asked for instructions.  Blair thought that "by making  Joshua 6:1 a parenthesis, the narrative containing instructions for Joshua continues onward from  Joshua 6:2."[32]  Cook also declared emphatically that,  "Joshua 6:1 is parenthetical ... the narrative continues in  Joshua 6:2."[33]  That heavenly instructions indeed came to Joshua and supernaturally guided him in the conquest is evident in all that followed.