Joshua 4 Study Notes: Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan
Twelve men, one per tribe, carry stones from the riverbed where the priests stood with the ark, and Joshua sets up twelve more in the river. The LORD honors Joshua before Israel, the river returns once the priests step out, and the stones at Gilgal are to remind future children of the crossing.
General
Where did Israel camp after coming up from the river, and where did Joshua place the twelve memorial stones (4:19-20)?
Answer: At Gilgal, by Jericho's eastern edge
In the first month, on its tenth day, the people climbed up from the river and pitched camp at Gilgal, on Jericho's eastern border, and Joshua placed the twelve river stones there (4:19-20). These were the stones the twelve men had carried out of the riverbed to the camp, following the LORD's instruction (4:8). Four days later, on the fourteenth, Israel kept the Passover while still camped at Gilgal (5:10). Gilgal became Israel's first camp in the land, and the next chapter tells how the place got its name (5:9).
- Joshua 4:19-20 (BSB)“On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.”The people come up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, camp at Gilgal, and Joshua sets up the stones there.
- Joshua 4:8 (BSB)“Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.”The twelve men carried the stones from the river to the camp, as the LORD had told Joshua.
- Joshua 5:10 (BSB)“On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.”Four days later Israel kept the Passover while camped at Gilgal.
- Joshua 5:9 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.”The text later explains how Gilgal received its name.
Theological
According to 4:19-20, where did Israel first encamp after crossing the river and erect the memorial stones?
Answer: At Gilgal, by Jericho's eastern edge
Israel came up from the river in the first month, on its tenth day, and encamped at Gilgal, on Jericho's eastern border, where Joshua erected the twelve stones (4:19-20). They are the same stones the tribal representatives had carried from the riverbed to the camp at the LORD's word (4:8). Gilgal becomes Israel's base: the first Passover in the land is kept there four days later, on the fourteenth (5:10), and after the circumcision of chapter 5 the text gives the reason for its name (5:9).
- Joshua 4:19-20 (BSB)“On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.”The people come up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, camp at Gilgal, and Joshua sets up the stones there.
- Joshua 4:8 (BSB)“Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.”The twelve men carried the stones from the river to the camp, as the LORD had told Joshua.
- Joshua 5:10 (BSB)“On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.”Four days later Israel kept the Passover while camped at Gilgal.
- Joshua 5:9 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.”The text later explains how Gilgal received its name.
General
Why did the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of Manasseh cross ahead of the other tribes, ready for battle (4:12)?
Answer: Moses had told them to fight beside their brothers
These two and a half tribes had already received land in the Transjordan (the region east of the Jordan River) from Moses. He gave it on the condition that their fighting men would cross the river and help the other tribes until the land was subdued (Numbers 32:20-22; Deuteronomy 3:18). Joshua had reminded them of this duty (1:12-14). Now they kept their word: they crossed ahead of the others, armed in keeping with Moses' orders, and roughly 40,000 armed men passed over in the LORD's presence toward the plains near Jericho (4:12-13).
- Joshua 4:12-13 (BSB)“The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them. About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.”The eastern tribes cross armed ahead of Israel, about 40,000 strong, as Moses had instructed.
- Numbers 32:20-22 (BSB)“Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him, then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.”Moses granted them land east of the Jordan on condition that their armed men cross and fight until the land was subdued.
- Deuteronomy 3:18 (BSB)“At that time I commanded you: “The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor are to cross over, armed for battle, ahead of your brothers, the Israelites.”Moses commanded their fighting men to cross over armed ahead of the other Israelites.
- Joshua 1:12-14 (BSB)“But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, “Remember what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’ Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,”Joshua reminded these tribes of the duty Moses had laid on them.
Theological
What reason does 4:12 give for the Transjordan tribes crossing ahead of Israel armed for battle?
Answer: Moses had told them to fight beside their brothers
Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh had received their allotment east of the Jordan from Moses on an explicit condition: their armed men must cross and fight in the LORD's presence until the land was subdued (Numbers 32:20-22; Deuteronomy 3:18). Joshua had held them to it at the outset (1:12-14). The crossing shows them honoring that obligation, going over in battle array in keeping with Moses' orders, about 40,000 strong (4:12-13), so that the whole nation took part in taking the land.
- Joshua 4:12-13 (BSB)“The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them. About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.”The eastern tribes cross armed ahead of Israel, about 40,000 strong, as Moses had instructed.
- Numbers 32:20-22 (BSB)“Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him, then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.”Moses granted them land east of the Jordan on condition that their armed men cross and fight until the land was subdued.
- Deuteronomy 3:18 (BSB)“At that time I commanded you: “The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor are to cross over, armed for battle, ahead of your brothers, the Israelites.”Moses commanded their fighting men to cross over armed ahead of the other Israelites.
- Joshua 1:12-14 (BSB)“But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, “Remember what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’ Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,”Joshua reminded these tribes of the duty Moses had laid on them.
General
What does 4:14 say the LORD did for Joshua on the day of the crossing?
Answer: He made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel
On the day of the crossing the LORD lifted Joshua up before all Israel, and for the rest of his life the people held him in awe, as they had held Moses (4:14). This was exactly what God had promised before the crossing: He would begin to raise Joshua up in the people's sight so they would know He was with Joshua as He had been with Moses (3:7; 1:5). The people had already pledged to obey Joshua as they had obeyed Moses (1:17). Joshua's standing came from God's own act, not from his own effort to win the people over.
- Joshua 4:14 (BSB)“On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.”The LORD exalts Joshua, and the people revere him all his life as they had revered Moses.
- Joshua 3:7 (BSB)“Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.”Before the crossing God promised to begin exalting Joshua so Israel would know He was with him as with Moses.
- Joshua 1:5 (BSB)“No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”God had promised to be with Joshua just as He had been with Moses.
- Joshua 1:17 (BSB)“Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.”The people had pledged to obey Joshua as they had obeyed Moses.
Theological
According to 4:14, what did the LORD do for Joshua on the day Israel crossed the river?
Answer: He made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel
The crossing publicly authenticated Joshua as Moses' successor. The LORD exalted him before the whole nation, and they honored him all his days as they had Moses (4:14). This fulfilled the specific promise of 3:7, given so that Israel would know the LORD was with Joshua as He had been with Moses, and it confirmed the assurance of 1:5. The people's earlier pledge of obedience (1:17) is now grounded in a visible act of God. Joshua's authority is conferred, not seized.
- Joshua 4:14 (BSB)“On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.”The LORD exalts Joshua, and the people revere him all his life as they had revered Moses.
- Joshua 3:7 (BSB)“Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.”Before the crossing God promised to begin exalting Joshua so Israel would know He was with him as with Moses.
- Joshua 1:5 (BSB)“No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”God had promised to be with Joshua just as He had been with Moses.
- Joshua 1:17 (BSB)“Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.”The people had pledged to obey Joshua as they had obeyed Moses.
General
According to 4:24, what two purposes did the LORD have in drying up the Jordan?
Answer: That all peoples would know His power and Israel fear Him
Joshua said God acted so that every people on earth would know the might of the LORD's hand, and so that Israel would always fear Him, meaning honor Him with reverent awe and obedience (4:24). The first purpose was already coming true: the kings of the land heard what God had done at the river and lost all courage (5:1). The second matched what happened at the Red Sea, where Israel saw the LORD's power, feared Him, and believed Him (Exodus 14:31). Solomon later prayed for the same goal, that every nation on earth would come to know the LORD alone is God (1 Kings 8:60).
- Joshua 4:24 (BSB)“He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.””Joshua gives God's twofold purpose: that all peoples know His mighty hand and that Israel fear Him always.
- Joshua 5:1 (BSB)“Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.”The kings of the land heard what the LORD had done at the Jordan and lost heart.
- Exodus 14:31 (BSB)“When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.”After the Red Sea, Israel saw God's power, feared the LORD, and believed Him.
- 1 Kings 8:60 (BSB)“so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!”Solomon prayed that all the peoples of the earth would come to know that the LORD alone is God.
Theological
What twofold purpose does 4:24 assign to the drying of the Jordan?
Answer: That all peoples would know His power and Israel fear Him
The miracle has an outward and an inward aim: that every nation on earth may recognize the might of the LORD's hand, and that Israel may fear the LORD always (4:24). God's saving acts display His glory among the nations; the Canaanite kings' collapse of courage shows the first aim already taking effect (5:1). Within the covenant people the same act is meant to produce reverent fear and trust, as at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:31). Solomon's dedication prayer carries the same universal horizon, that all peoples may know the LORD alone is God (1 Kings 8:60).
- Joshua 4:24 (BSB)“He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.””Joshua gives God's twofold purpose: that all peoples know His mighty hand and that Israel fear Him always.
- Joshua 5:1 (BSB)“Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.”The kings of the land heard what the LORD had done at the Jordan and lost heart.
- Exodus 14:31 (BSB)“When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.”After the Red Sea, Israel saw God's power, feared the LORD, and believed Him.
- 1 Kings 8:60 (BSB)“so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!”Solomon prayed that all the peoples of the earth would come to know that the LORD alone is God.
General
To what earlier act of God does Joshua compare the drying up of the Jordan (4:23)?
Answer: The drying up of the Red Sea after leaving Egypt
Joshua told the people that when their children asked about the stones, they should explain that Israel walked through the river on dry land. God had made the river dry until they were across, just as He had made a dry path through the Red Sea for the generation that left Egypt (4:22-23). At the Red Sea God drove the sea back so Israel walked through on dry land (Exodus 14:21-22). Later psalms join the two events: the sea fled and the river turned back (Psalm 114:3), and God made a dry path through the sea for His people (Psalm 66:6). The God who began Israel's rescue at the sea was finishing it at the river.
- Joshua 4:22-23 (BSB)“you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.”Joshua tells parents to explain the crossing by comparing it with what God did at the Red Sea.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”At the Red Sea God turned the sea into dry land and Israel walked through.
- Psalm 114:3 (BSB)“The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;”The psalm sets the sea fleeing and the Jordan turning back side by side.
- Psalm 66:6 (BSB)“He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.”Israel praised God for turning the sea into dry land so they could cross on foot.
Theological
With what earlier event does 4:23 explicitly pair the Jordan crossing?
Answer: The drying up of the Red Sea after leaving Egypt
Joshua's instruction for the next generation explicitly parallels the Jordan with the Red Sea: the LORD dried up both until His people had crossed (4:22-23). The exodus began with Israel walking through the parted sea (Exodus 14:21-22), and entry into the land opens with the same kind of act. Israel's worship later holds the two together, the sea fleeing and the Jordan turning back (Psalm 114:3; Psalm 66:6). The deliverance God began in Egypt He brings to its goal at the river.
- Joshua 4:22-23 (BSB)“you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.”Joshua tells parents to explain the crossing by comparing it with what God did at the Red Sea.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”At the Red Sea God turned the sea into dry land and Israel walked through.
- Psalm 114:3 (BSB)“The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;”The psalm sets the sea fleeing and the Jordan turning back side by side.
- Psalm 66:6 (BSB)“He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.”Israel praised God for turning the sea into dry land so they could cross on foot.
General
True or False: Besides the stones carried to the camp, Joshua also placed twelve more stones out in the river, at the spot where the priests had stood (4:9).
Answer: True
This is true. Along with the twelve stones carried to the camp, Joshua placed twelve more stones out in the river, right where the priests bearing the ark had stood, and the writer notes that they were still there in his own day (4:9). That spot was where God had acted: the river was in flood, yet its water stopped the instant the priests' feet touched it (3:15-16), and they stood on dry ground there until everyone had crossed (3:17). The stones marked the very place of the miracle.
- Joshua 4:9 (BSB)“Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.”Joshua sets up a second set of twelve stones at the place in the river where the priests stood.
- Joshua 3:15-16 (BSB)“Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”The water stopped the moment the priests' feet touched it, even though the river was in flood.
- Joshua 3:17 (BSB)“The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.”The priests stood on dry ground in the river while all Israel passed over.
Theological
True or False: According to 4:9, Joshua erected a second set of twelve stones out in the river where the priests had stood.
Answer: True
This is true. Distinct from the stones taken to the night's lodging, Joshua erected twelve stones out in the riverbed at the station of the ark-bearing priests, and the narrator adds that they remained there to his own time (4:9). The location is significant: it was where the floodwaters halted as the priests' feet touched the water (3:15-16) and where they stood firm until the nation had passed (3:17). Two memorials, one in the river and one at the camp, both point to the same act of God.
- Joshua 4:9 (BSB)“Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.”Joshua sets up a second set of twelve stones at the place in the river where the priests stood.
- Joshua 3:15-16 (BSB)“Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”The water stopped the moment the priests' feet touched it, even though the river was in flood.
- Joshua 3:17 (BSB)“The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.”The priests stood on dry ground in the river while all Israel passed over.
General
Where did the LORD tell the twelve chosen men to take their stones from (4:1-3)?
Answer: From the riverbed where the priests held the ark
After the whole nation was across, the LORD told Joshua to have twelve men, a man for every tribe (the twelve family groups descended from Jacob's sons), each lift a stone from the very spot in the river where the priests had stood holding the ark, the sacred chest that stood for God's presence among His people. They were to carry the stones and put them down where Israel would stay that night (4:1-3, 8). Joshua had picked these men before the crossing began (3:12), and the priests had stayed on the dry riverbed while everyone passed over (3:17). Joshua told each man to carry his stone on his shoulder, matching the number of Israel's tribes (4:4-5), so the twelve stones stood for the whole people who had passed through.
- Joshua 4:2-3 (BSB)““Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’””Once the nation has crossed, the LORD tells Joshua to have twelve men lift stones from where the priests stood.
- Joshua 3:12 (BSB)“Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.”The twelve men, a man per tribe, had been chosen before the crossing began.
- Joshua 3:17 (BSB)“The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.”The priests with the ark stayed on dry ground in the river until the whole nation was across.
- Joshua 4:4-5 (BSB)“So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,”Each of the twelve men, one from every tribe, was to shoulder a stone matching the number of Israel's tribes.
Theological
In 4:1-3, from what location were the twelve memorial stones to be taken?
Answer: From the riverbed where the priests held the ark
The stones come from the exact place of the miracle: the riverbed where the priests bearing the ark stood while the river was held back (4:1-3, 8; 3:17). The twelve bearers had been appointed in advance, a man for every tribe (3:12), so the memorial represents all Israel, not a part of it. Joshua had each man shoulder one stone, one stone for each of Israel's tribes (4:4-5). The memorial is thus tied both to the place of God's act and to the whole covenant people who passed through.
- Joshua 4:2-3 (BSB)““Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’””Once the nation has crossed, the LORD tells Joshua to have twelve men lift stones from where the priests stood.
- Joshua 3:12 (BSB)“Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.”The twelve men, a man per tribe, had been chosen before the crossing began.
- Joshua 3:17 (BSB)“The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.”The priests with the ark stayed on dry ground in the river until the whole nation was across.
- Joshua 4:4-5 (BSB)“So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,”Each of the twelve men, one from every tribe, was to shoulder a stone matching the number of Israel's tribes.
General
What happened when the priests bearing the ark stepped out of the riverbed onto dry land (4:18)?
Answer: The river flowed back and overran its banks
The priests stayed in the river until all the LORD's instructions had been carried out (4:10). They came up only when Joshua gave the order the LORD had given him (4:15-17). The moment their feet touched dry land, the Jordan flowed back and flooded its banks just as before (4:18). The timing showed this was God's doing and not chance: He had said beforehand that the water would stop when the priests' feet touched it (3:13), it stopped at that very moment even though the river was in flood (3:15-16), and now it returned the moment they stepped out. The Red Sea had likewise flowed back once Israel was through (Exodus 14:27).
- Joshua 4:18 (BSB)“When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.”As soon as the priests step onto dry land, the Jordan returns to its full flood.
- Joshua 3:15-16 (BSB)“Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”The river had been in flood, and it stopped only when the priests' feet touched the water.
- Joshua 3:13 (BSB)“When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.””God had said in advance that the water would stop when the priests' feet touched it.
- Exodus 14:27 (BSB)“So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state. As the Egyptians were retreating, the LORD swept them into the sea.”At the Red Sea the waters likewise returned once Israel was safely across.
Theological
What does 4:18 report at the moment the priests' feet reached dry land?
Answer: The river flowed back and overran its banks
The river's return is timed as precisely as its stopping. The priests remained in the channel until every command was complete (4:10) and left it only at the LORD's word through Joshua (4:15-17). As their soles touched dry ground the river resumed its course and overflowed its banks as before (4:18). The waters had halted exactly when the priests' feet touched them, as God foretold, despite the harvest flood (3:13, 15-16). Both ends of the miracle are bound to the ark and God's word, as at the Red Sea, where the waters likewise returned once Israel had crossed (Exodus 14:27).
- Joshua 4:18 (BSB)“When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.”As soon as the priests step onto dry land, the Jordan returns to its full flood.
- Joshua 3:15-16 (BSB)“Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”The river had been in flood, and it stopped only when the priests' feet touched the water.
- Joshua 3:13 (BSB)“When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.””God had said in advance that the water would stop when the priests' feet touched it.
- Exodus 14:27 (BSB)“So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state. As the Egyptians were retreating, the LORD swept them into the sea.”At the Red Sea the waters likewise returned once Israel was safely across.
General
According to 4:6-7, what were the Israelites to tell their children when they asked about the stones?
Answer: That the river's flow was stopped in front of the ark
Joshua said the stones would be a sign among the people. In years to come, when children asked what the stones meant, their parents were to explain that the Jordan's flowing water had stopped in front of the ark as it crossed, and so the stones would stand as a lasting memorial (4:6-7). God built remembering into family life. The Passover came with an answer for a child's question (Exodus 12:26-27), and so did God's laws (Deuteronomy 6:20-21). Psalm 78 shows the goal: telling each new generation about the LORD's power and the marvels He has worked (Psalm 78:4).
- Joshua 4:6-7 (BSB)“to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.””Joshua explains that the stones are a sign, so that children who ask about them will hear what God did at the Jordan.
- Exodus 12:26-27 (BSB)“When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.”The Passover was also given with an answer ready for children who asked what it meant.
- Deuteronomy 6:20-21 (BSB)“In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?” then you are to tell him, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”Parents were to answer a son's question about God's laws by retelling the rescue from Egypt.
- Psalm 78:4 (BSB)“We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.”Israel resolved to tell the next generation about the LORD's might and wonders.
Theological
What answer does 4:6-7 prescribe for children who ask about the memorial stones?
Answer: That the river's flow was stopped in front of the ark
The stones function as a teaching sign: they prompt a child's question, and the parent's answer recounts God's act, namely that the Jordan's flow was halted in front of the ark (4:6-7). This follows a pattern in the Mosaic institutions, where Passover and the statutes alike are paired with a question from the next generation and a scripted answer centered on the LORD's deliverance (Exodus 12:26-27; Deuteronomy 6:20-21). Psalm 78:4 states the intent: the works of God are not to be hidden but passed down to children.
- Joshua 4:6-7 (BSB)“to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.””Joshua explains that the stones are a sign, so that children who ask about them will hear what God did at the Jordan.
- Exodus 12:26-27 (BSB)“When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.”The Passover was also given with an answer ready for children who asked what it meant.
- Deuteronomy 6:20-21 (BSB)“In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?” then you are to tell him, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”Parents were to answer a son's question about God's laws by retelling the rescue from Egypt.
- Psalm 78:4 (BSB)“We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.”Israel resolved to tell the next generation about the LORD's might and wonders.