Final answer:
The Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days, blew horns, and shouted as an act of obedience and faith in God's command, which led to the city walls collapsing and them capturing the city.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason the Israelites marched for seven days carrying the ark of the covenant, blowing horns, and shouting goes back to the biblical narrative of the conquest of Jericho as described in Joshua 6:1-27. According to this passage, Joshua was instructed by God to have the Israelites march around the city once every day for six days, with the priests carrying trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, and the priests were to blow the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they were to give a great shout, and the city walls would collapse, allowing the Israelites to take the city.
This act was symbolic of the Israelites' faith and obedience to God's command, and it was believed that the divine intervention led to their victory against the Canaanites. The ark of the covenant, considered the most sacred object for the Israelites, represented the presence of God among them, signaling divine sanction for their actions.