Joshua3

Joshua led the Israelites from Shittim to the Jordan River, where they prepared to cross. The Lord commanded that the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant should lead the way, with the people following at a distance. As the priests' feet touched the water, the Jordan River miraculously parted, allowing all Israel to pass over on dry ground.

Preparation and Logistics at the Jordan

1
Joshua rose up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They lodged there before they passed over. ​
2
After three days, the officers went through the midst of the camp; ​
3
and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then you shall move from your place, and follow it. ​
4
Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Don’t come near to it, that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way before.” ​
5
Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” ​
6
Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people.” They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

God Magnifies Joshua’s Authority

7
The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. ​
8
You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
9
Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”
10
Joshua said, “Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you. ​
11
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan. ​
12
Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.
13
It shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.” ​

The Miraculous Crossing of the River

14
When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people,
15
and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest), ​
16
the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over right against Jericho. ​
17
The priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan. ​

Study Notes for Joshua 3

Verse 1

Shittim, located in the plains of Moab, was the final encampment of Israel before entering the Promised Land. The immediate lodging by the Jordan signifies the end of the long wilderness journey.

Verse 2

The three days of waiting served both a practical purpose (gathering intelligence or positioning) and a theological one, often preceding a major divine work (cf. Ex. 19:11).

Verse 3

Following the Ark signifies that God, represented by the Ark and the Covenant, is leading the way. The Ark served as the visible guide, replacing the pillar of cloud and fire used during the wilderness wandering.

Verse 4

The mandated distance of two thousand cubits (approximately 1,000 yards) emphasized the holiness of the Ark and ensured that the entire host of Israel could see it clearly as their point of direction.

Verse 5

To 'sanctify yourselves' meant ritual purification (washing clothes, abstaining from relations) in preparation for a direct, powerful encounter with the presence of God (cf. Ex. 19:10). The coming 'wonders' would establish Joshua’s authority.

Verse 7

This verse is crucial for the transition of power. God publicly affirms Joshua as Moses’s legitimate successor, ensuring that Israel would obey him just as they obeyed Moses.

Verse 10

The title 'the living God' contrasts Yahweh, the active, intervening deity of Israel, with the dead, ineffective idols of the surrounding nations. The seven nations listed signify the totality of the conquest promised by God.

Verse 11

Calling God the 'Lord of all the earth' emphasizes His universal sovereignty. This prepares the reader for a miracle that is not merely local, but a demonstration of power over creation itself.

Verse 13

The miracle is tied directly to the obedient action of the priests and the presence of the Ark. The stopping of the waters demonstrates God’s ability to control natural forces to fulfill His covenant promises.

Verse 15

The timing of the crossing, during the spring harvest, means the Jordan was at its flood stage, making a crossing humanly impossible. This detail elevates the miracle and underscores God's power.

Verse 16

The waters stopped far upstream, possibly near the city of Adam (about 18 miles north), indicating a massive, geographically widespread intervention and confirming the divine orchestration of the event.

Verse 17

The image of the priests standing 'firm on dry ground' recalls the precedent of the Red Sea crossing (Ex. 14). This event serves as a new 'Exodus' moment, confirming Israel’s identity as God’s redeemed people entering their inheritance.

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