Origin and meaning of phraseology "Jericho pipe"

The Russian language is rich in speech, able to bring to the stupor not only foreigners, but also its carriers. For example, what is the significance of the phraseology "Jericho pipe"? The answer to this question is simple, for this it is only necessary to read the legend connected with its origin.

Who is Joshua?

The answer to the question of what the meaning of the phraseology "Jericho pipe" is, will not immediately be given. The story begins with the famous biblical legend of Moses. Everyone knows that the prophet for about 40 years led his people, who cast off the shackles of Egyptian slavery, through the desert. People who suffered from hunger and thirst were only able to complain constantly and express their distrust of their leader.

This continued until replaced by those who are accustomed to live in slavery, their children, strong enough to find the promised land promised to the Jewish people by God. The famous prophet, who was succeeded by his disciple and follower Joshua, who promised his teacher to deliver his flock to Canaan, also died. He was famous not only for his religiousness and devotion to his people, but also for the gift of the commander.

The legendary city

The information outlined above does not yet answer the question of what the meaning of the phraseological "Jericho pipe" is. To begin with, it is worth investigating what the legendary Jericho is. This is the name of the city that met on the way of Navin and those who followed him. This settlement was reliably protected by powerful walls, which turned it into an impregnable fortress.

The "Jericho Trumpet" is a phraseology, which was further aroused by the emergence of it. Navin, who doubted his ability to conquer Jericho, turned to the Lord for advice. God assured the prophet that he had to win a brilliant victory, and also promised his support to the long-suffering people.

The Taking of Jericho

The meaning of phraseology "Jericho pipe" is still a mystery. Inevitably, the question arises as to what kind of pipes the city has to take. The fact is that God offered Navin a unique strategy of siege of the fortress. He wished that the people of Jesus would bypass the city for seven days. With them there should be seven clerics holding pipes in their hands. Of course, the priests blew trumpets, but nothing happened.

The main event happened on the seventh day of the bypass of the city. Navin, who had previously told his people to remain silent, gave his famous order to shout. From the screams of the besieged fortress city walls fell. The army immediately entered and took Jericho.

Above is just one of the versions of the famous legend. There is another, which says that for the fall of the city there were enough sounds of pipes that did not stop for seven days while the detour continued.

Myths and Reality

Phraseologisms, the meaning and origin of which are a mystery, often narrate about real events. Not everyone knows that the city of Jericho does exist, and is not part of a beautiful legend. Of course, the greatest interest for researchers who are trying to understand its history is the cause of the destruction of the ancient fortress walls. Modern methods of investigation made it possible to establish that strong walls fell almost simultaneously.

A popular theory claims that their destruction was in fact related to the sounds of pipes and the cries of thousands of people. They could become a source of sound vibrations, resonating with the frequency of the walls, which eventually were destroyed.

The meaning of phraseology

Of course, it is interesting not only where the given phraseology came from in Russian, but also what it means. "Jericho pipe" is a speech revolution, which is used today. The meaning, which is invested in it, does not cause doubts among linguists. So they say about a man endowed with a loud, trumpet voice.

Using this phraseology, people can invest in it both positive and negative meaning. For example, you can say that a person "screams like a Jericho pipe," meaning that his loud voice is hindering someone. You can also use the expression "Jericho pipe", sincerely admiring someone's strong and sonorous voice.

Example from literature

Phraseologisms, the meaning and origin of which are a mystery to many people, are more common in literary works than in everyday speech. For example, the speech construct, which is discussed in this article, uses the writer Stepanov in his work "Zvonarev's Family". One of the characters of the book tells that he recognized the other only on a strong voice, which reminds the Jericho pipe.

It is interesting that in this same work the author also offers a great synonym, which sounds like a "copper throat".