Joshua4

After all Israel had crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, the LORD commanded Joshua to select twelve men, one from each tribe, to take twelve stones from the riverbed where the priests stood. These stones were to serve as a perpetual memorial in Gilgal, reminding future generations of God's power in drying up the Jordan. As the priests bearing the Ark ascended from the river, the waters returned to their normal flow, magnifying Joshua in the sight of all Israel.

The Command to Build a Memorial

After the whole nation had finished crossing the Yarden, ADONAI said to Y'hoshua,

"Take for yourselves from the people twelve men, a man from every tribe;

and give them this order: 'Take twelve stones from the middle of the Yarden riverbed, where the cohanim are standing, carry them over with you and set them down in the place where you will camp tonight.'"

Y'hoshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the people of Isra'el, a man from every tribe,

and said to them, "Go on ahead of the ark of ADONAI your God into the riverbed of the Yarden. Then, each of you take a stone on his shoulder, corresponding to the number of tribes of the people of Isra'el.

This will be a sign for you. In the future, when your children ask, 'What do you mean by these stones?'

you will answer them, 'It's because the water in the Yarden was cut off before the ark for the covenant of ADONAI; when it crossed the Yarden, the water in the Yarden was cut off; and these stones are to be a reminder for the people of Isra'el forever.'"

The people of Isra'el did just as Y'hoshua had ordered. They took twelve stones out of the Yarden riverbed, as ADONAI had said to Y'hoshua, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the people of Isra'el, carried them over with them to the place where they were camping, and set them down there.

Y'hoshua also set up twelve stones in the Yarden River itself, in the place where the feet of the cohanim carrying the ark for the covenant had stood. They are there to this day.

Completion of the Crossing

The cohanim carrying the ark stood in the Yarden riverbed until Y'hoshua had finished saying to the people everything that ADONAI had ordered him to say, in keeping with everything that Moshe had ordered Y'hoshua; then the people hurried across.

When all the people had finished crossing, the ark of ADONAI passed on, and the cohanim, ahead of the people.

The descendants of Re'uven, the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe of M'nasheh went on, armed, ahead of the people of Isra'el, as Moshe had said to them;

some 40,000 armed soldiers ready for battle crossed in the presence of ADONAI to the plains of Yericho.

That day ADONAI made Y'hoshua great in full view of all Isra'el. They were in awe of him, just as they had been in awe of Moshe all his life.

The Waters Return

ADONAI said to Y'hoshua,

"Order the cohanim carrying the ark for the testimony to come up out of the Yarden."

So Y'hoshua ordered the cohanim, "Come up out of the Yarden!"

The cohanim carrying the ark for the covenant of ADONAI came up from the Yarden riverbed, and as soon as the soles of the feet of the cohanim touched dry ground, the water of the Yarden returned to its place and the river overflowed its banks as it had before.

The Memorial at Gilgal

The people came up out of the Yarden on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, by the eastern boundary of Yericho.

Those twelve stones which they took out of the Yarden, Y'hoshua piled up at Gilgal.

Then he said to the people of Isra'el, "In the future, when your children ask their fathers what these stones mean,

you are to explain it to them by saying, 'Isra'el came over this Yarden on dry land.

For ADONAI your God dried up the water in the Yarden from in front of you, until you had crossed, just as ADONAI your God did to the Sea of Suf, which he dried up from in front of us, until we had crossed.

From this all the peoples of the earth can know that the hand of ADONAI is strong, and you can fear ADONAI your God forever.'"

Study Notes for Joshua 4

Verse 3

These twelve stones, taken from the precise spot where the priests bearing the Ark stood, were meant to transform a natural object into a permanent, physical reminder of God's miraculous intervention.

Verse 6

This question-and-answer structure highlights the pedagogical purpose of the stones: the memorial was designed specifically to facilitate the transmission of covenant history to future generations.

Verse 7

The cutting off of the waters confirms the Ark's function as the physical manifestation of God's presence and covenant power. The memorial ensures this event is remembered 'for ever.'

Verse 9

This verse describes a second set of twelve stones, placed permanently in the riverbed. This may serve as a silent witness to the miracle, or perhaps reflects a conflation of two traditions regarding the memorial.

Verse 10

The priests remained in the river until the entire command was fulfilled, emphasizing the necessity of complete obedience to divine instruction before the manifestation of God's power could cease.

Verse 12

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh fulfilled their promise made to Moses (Numbers 32) to lead the military vanguard into Canaan before settling their own territory east of the Jordan.

Verse 14

This event serves to publicly validate Joshua’s leadership. Just as God had used the Red Sea miracle to confirm Moses, the Jordan miracle confirms Joshua as the divinely appointed successor.

Verse 18

As soon as the priests—the bearers of God's presence—stepped onto dry land, the natural order immediately returned, demonstrating that the river's halt was entirely dependent on divine agency.

Verse 19

The tenth day of the first month (Nisan/Abib) is highly symbolic, marking exactly forty years since the first Passover. Gilgal became their base camp and initial center for worship.

Verse 23

This explicit comparison between the Jordan and the Red Sea (Ex. 14) links the conquest generation directly to the foundational covenant experience, confirming that the same mighty God is acting on their behalf.

Verse 24

The ultimate goal of God's mighty acts is twofold: to reveal His power to the surrounding nations and to inspire lasting reverence and obedience ('fear') among His own people.

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Joshua4

The Command to Build a Memorial

Completion of the Crossing

The Waters Return

The Memorial at Gilgal

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