Joshua 4
4
Memorial Stones. 1After the entire nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan, 2the Lord said to Joshua: Choose twelve men#Jos 3:12. from the people, one from each tribe, 3and command them, “Take up twelve stones from this spot in the Jordan riverbed where the priests have been standing.#Jos 3:13; 4:8–9; Dt 27:2. Carry them over with you, and place them where you are to stay tonight.”
4Summoning the twelve men he had selected from among the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5Joshua said to them: “Go to the Jordan riverbed in front of the ark of the Lord, your God; lift to your shoulders one stone apiece, so that they will equal in number the tribes of the Israelites. 6In the future, these are to be a sign among you. When your children ask you,#When your children ask you: reminiscent of the question and response at the Passover meal, Ex 12:26–27. ‘What do these stones mean to you?’#Ex 12:26–27; Dt 6:7, 20–25. 7you shall answer them, ‘The waters of the Jordan ceased to flow before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it crossed the Jordan.’#Jos 3:13, 16. Thus these stones are to serve as a perpetual memorial to the Israelites.” 8The twelve Israelites did as Joshua had commanded: they took up twelve stones from the Jordan riverbed as the Lord had said to Joshua, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites. They carried them along to the camp site, and there they placed them. 9Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the Jordan riverbed on the spot where the priests stood who were carrying the ark of the covenant. They are there to this day.
10#After the digression about the memorial stones, the author resumes the narrative by briefly repeating the story of the crossing, which had already been told in 3:14–17. The priests carrying the ark stood in the Jordan riverbed until everything had been done that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had commanded Joshua. The people crossed over quickly, 11and when all the people had completed the crossing, the ark of the Lord also crossed; and the priests were now in front of them. 12The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, armed, marched in the vanguard of the Israelites, as Moses had ordered. 13About forty thousand troops, equipped for battle, crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.
14That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel,#Jos 3:7. and so during his whole life they feared him as they had feared Moses.
15Then the Lord said to Joshua: 16Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to come up from the Jordan. 17Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan,” 18and when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the Jordan riverbed, as the soles of their feet regained the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course and as before overflowed all its banks.
19The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped in Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.#Ex 12:2–3. 20At Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been taken from the Jordan, 21saying to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22you shall inform them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan here on dry ground.’ 23For the Lord, your God, dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of you until you crossed over, just as the Lord, your God, had done at the Red Sea, drying it up in front of us until we crossed over,#Ex 14:21. 24in order that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and that you may fear the Lord, your God, forever.”#Ex 9:3; 14:31; 16:3.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Joshua 4
4
The Memorial Stones
1After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan,#Jos 3:17 the Lord spoke to Joshua: 2“Choose twelve men from the people, one man for each tribe,#Jos 3:12 3and command them: Take twelve stones#Ex 28:21; 39:14; Jos 4:9,20; 1Kg 18:31 from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests#4:3 Lit feet of the priests, also in v. 9 are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”
4So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, 5and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes, 6so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you? ’ #Ex 12:26–27; 13:8–9,14; Dt 6:20–24; Jos 4:21–22 7you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”#Ex 12:14; 28:12; 39:7; Lv 2:2; Nm 16:40; 31:54; Is 57:8; Zch 6:14
8The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there. 9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle#4:9 Or Now Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are still there today.#Jos 6:25
10The priests carrying the ark continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in keeping with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across, 11and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the Lord crossed in the sight of the people. 12The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh went in battle formation in front of the Israelites,#Nm 32:17 as Moses had instructed them. 13About forty thousand equipped for war crossed to the plains of Jericho in the Lord’s presence.
14On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses.#Jos 3:7 15The Lord told Joshua, 16“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony#Ex 25:16 to come up from the Jordan.”
17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18When the priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet#4:18 Lit and the soles of the feet of the priests stepped out on solid ground, the water of the Jordan resumed its course, flowing over all the banks as before.
19The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,#Ex 12:3; Ezk 40:1 and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.#Dt 11:30 20Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, 21and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’#Jos 3:17 23For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over,#Ex 14:21 just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know#Ex 9:14–16; 14:31; 1Kg 8:42 that the Lord’s hand is strong,#Nm 11:23; Ps 89:13; Is 41:20; 59:1; 66:14 and so that you may always fear the Lord your God.”#Ex 14:31; Dt 6:2; 10:12; 14:23; 31:12–13
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