TRV
Translation
King James Version
And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
KJV (with Strong's)
And command H6680 ye them, saying H559, Take H5375 you hence out of the midst H8432 of Jordan H3383, out of the place where the priests H3548' feet H7272 stood H4673 firm H3559, twelve H8147 H6240 stones H68, and ye shall carry them over H5674 with you, and leave H3240 them in the lodging place H4411, where ye shall lodge H3885 this night H3915.
Complete Jewish Bible
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.'"
Berean Standard Bible
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.’”
American Standard Version
and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.
World English Bible Messianic
and command them, saying, ‘Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where you will lodge tonight.’”
Geneva Bible (1599)
And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the middes of Iorden, out of the place where the Priestes stoode in a readinesse, twelue stones, which ye shall take away with you, and leaue them in the lodging where you shall lodge this night)
Young's Literal Translation
and command ye them, saying, Take up for you from this place , from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and ye have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which ye lodge to-night.'
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Commentary on Joshua 4 verses 1–9
1 ¶ And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
We may well imagine how busy Joshua and all the men of war were while they were passing over Jordan, when besides their own marching into an enemy's country, and in the face of the enemy, which could not but occasion them many thoughts of hear, they had their wives, and children, and families, their cattle, and tents, and all their effects, bag and baggage, to convey by this strange and untrodden path, which we must suppose either very muddy or very stony, troublesome to the weak and frightful to the timorous, the descent to the bottom of the river and the ascent out of it steep, so that every man must needs have his head full of care and his hands full of business, and Joshua more than any of them. And yet, in the midst of all his hurry, care must be taken to perpetuate the memorial of this wonderous work of God, and this care might not be adjourned to a time of greater leisure. Note, How much soever we have to do of business for ourselves and our families, we must not neglect nor omit what we have to do for the glory of God and the serving of his honour, for that is our best business. Now,
I. God gave orders for the preparing of this memorial. Had Joshua done it without divine direction, it might have looked like a design to perpetuate his own name and honour, nor would it have commanded so sacred and venerable a regard from posterity as now, when god himself appointed it. Note, God's works of wonder ought to be kept in everlasting remembrance, and means devise for the preserving of the memorial of them. Some of the Israelites that passed over Jordan perhaps were so stupid, and so little affected with this great favour of God to them, that they felt no concern to have it remembered; while others, it may be, were so much affected with it, and had such deep impressions made upon them by it, that they thought there needed no memorial of it to be erected, the heart and tongue of every Israelite in every age would be a living lasting monument of it. But God, knowing their frame, and how apt they had been soon to forget his works, ordered an expedient for the keeping of this in remembrance to all generations, that those who could not, or would not, read the record of it in the sacred history, might come to the knowledge of it by the monument set up in remembrance of it, of which the common tradition of the country would be an explication; it would likewise serve to corroborate the proof of the matter of fact, and would remain a standing evidence of it to those who in after-ages might question the truth of it. A monument is to be erected, and, 1. Joshua, as chief captain, must five direction about it (v. 1): When all the people had clean passed over Jordan, not even the feeble, that were the hindmost of them, left behind, so that God had done his work completely, and every Israelite got safe into Canaan, then God spoke unto Joshua to provide materials for this monument. It is the pious conjecture of the learned bishop Patrick that Joshua had gone into some place of retirement to return thanks immediately for this wonderful mercy, and then god met him, and spoke thus to him. Or, perhaps, it was by Eleazar the priest that God gave these and other instructions to Joshua; for, though he is not mentioned here, yet, when Joshua was ordained by the imposition of hands to this great trust, god appointed that Eleazar should ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim, and at his word Joshua and all the children of Israel must go out and come in, Num 27:21. 2. One man out of each tribe, and he a chosen man, must be employed to prepare materials for this monument, that each tribe might have the story told them by one of themselves, and each tribe might contribute something to the glory of God thereby (Jos 4:2, Jos 4:4): Out of ever tribe a man. Not the Levites only, but every Israelite must, in his place, help to make known to the sons of men God's mighty acts, Psa 145:12. The two tribes, though seated already in their possession, yet, sharing in the mercy, must lend a hand to the memorial of it. 3. The stones that must be set up for this memorial are ordered to be taken out of the midst of the cannel (where, probably, there lay abundance of great stones), and as near as might be from the very place where the priests stood with the ark, Jos 4:3, Jos 4:5. This intended monument deserved to be made of stones curiously cut with the finest and most exquisite art, but these stones out of the bottom of the river were more natural and more apt indications of the miracle. let posterity know by this that Jordan was driven back, for these very stones were then fetched out of it. In the institution of signs, God always chose that which was most proper and significant, rather than that which is pompous or curious; for God hath chosen the foolish things of the world. These twelve men, after they got over Jordan, must be sent back to the place where the ark stood, being permitted to come near it (which others might not) for this service: "Pass over before the ark (Jos 4:5), that is, into the presence of the ark, which now stands in the midst of Jordan, and thence fetch these stones." 4. the use of these stones is here appointed for a sign (Jos 4:6), a memorial, Jos 4:7. They would give occasion to the children to ask their parents in time to come, How came these stones hither? (probably the land about not being stony), and then the parents would inform them, as they themselves had been informed, that in this place Jordan was divided by the almighty power of God, to give Israel passage into Canaan, as Joshua enlarges on this head, v. 22, etc.
II. According to these orders the thing was done. 1. Twelve stones were taken up out of the midst of Jordan, and carried in the sight of the people to the place where they had their head-quarters that night, v. 8. It is probable that the stones they took were as big as they could well carry, and as near as might be of a size and shape. But whether they went away with them immediately to the place, of whether they staid to attend the ark, and kept pace with the solemn procession of that, to grace its triumphant entry in to Canaan, is not certain. By these stones which they were ordered to take up God did, as it were, give them livery and seisin of this good land; it is all their own, let them enter and take possession; therefore what these twelve did the children of Israel are said to do (v. 8), because they were the representatives of their respective tribes. In allusion to this, we may observe that when the Lord Jesus, our Joshua, having overcome the sharpness of death and dried up that Jordan, had opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers, he appointed his twelve apostles according to the number of the tribes of Israel, by the memorial of the gospel to transmit the knowledge of this to remote places and future ages. 2. Other twelve stones (probably much larger than the other, for we read not that they were each of them one man's load) were set up in the midst of Jordan (v. 9), piled up so high in a heap or pillar as that the top of it might be seen above the water when the river was low, or seen in the water when it was clear, or at least the noise of commotion of the water passing over it would be observable, and the bargemen would avoid it, as they do a rock. Some way or other, it is likely, it was discernible, so as to notify the very place where the ark stood, and to serve for a duplicate to the other monument, which was to set up on dry land in Gilgal, for the confirming of its testimony and the preserving of its tradition. The sign being doubled, no doubt the thing was certain.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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Gregory of NyssaAD 395
ON THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST
The people of the Hebrews, as we learn, after many sufferings, and after accomplishing their weary course in the desert, did not enter the land of promise until it had first been brought, with Joshua for its guide and the pilot of its life, to the passage of the Jordan. But it is clear that Joshua also, who set up the twelve stones in the stream, was anticipating the coming of the twelve disciples, the ministers of baptism.
PrudentiusAD 410
HYMNS FOR EVERY DAY 177.180
Also, twelve stones from Jordan’s bed,
Left dry when waters backward flowed,
He raised and firmly set in place,
The type of Christ’s apostles twelve.
Peter ChrysologusAD 450
SERMON 1.0
The twelve patriarchs destined to become twelve tribes were arranged to be a type and pattern of the number of the apostles. So were the twelve fountains in the desert and twelve stones taken from the bed of the Jordan. We leave it to the student of the law to find deeper proof of all this.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Joshua 4:3 records God's precise instruction, conveyed through Joshua, for the Israelites to select twelve specific stones from the dry riverbed of the Jordan, precisely where the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant stood firm. These stones were to be carried across the river by representatives of the twelve tribes and set up as a permanent memorial at their first encampment in the Promised Land, serving as an enduring testimony to God's miraculous intervention in enabling their passage and a perpetual reminder of His covenant faithfulness to future generations.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is deeply embedded within the climactic narrative of Israel's entry into the Promised Land, immediately following the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River. Joshua 3 describes the Lord's command for the priests, bearing the Ark of the Covenant, to step into the swollen Jordan. At that moment, the waters piled up upstream, allowing the entire nation, estimated at millions, to cross on dry ground. The command in Joshua 4:3 is given while the priests are still standing in the middle of the riverbed, holding back the waters, emphasizing the direct divine orchestration of the event and the Ark's central role as the symbol of God's presence and power. This specific timing underscores that the memorial was not an afterthought but an integral part of God's plan, making the location of the stone retrieval profoundly significant. The subsequent verses detail the execution of this command and the establishment of two memorials: one in the riverbed itself (which would be submerged again) and the other at Gilgal, the Israelites' first encampment in Canaan.
Historical & Cultural Context: The Jordan River, particularly during its harvest flood stage (March-April), typically swells to over a mile wide in some places, presenting a formidable natural barrier. This made the crossing an absolute impossibility without divine intervention, thereby magnifying the miracle. This event intentionally parallels the earlier Red Sea crossing, serving as a powerful reaffirmation of God's covenant faithfulness and His ability to overcome all obstacles for His people, demonstrating His continued presence and power with the new generation. In the ancient Near East, the erection of stone pillars, altars, or heaps of stones was a common practice for commemorating significant events, marking covenants, or designating sites of divine encounters. These memorials served as tangible reminders and often as sites for recounting historical narratives, reinforcing collective memory and identity. The act of taking twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes, from the very heart of the miraculous event, was a culturally resonant and profoundly symbolic way to ensure the memory of God's mighty deed was preserved and passed down through generations.
Key Themes: The command in Joshua 4:3 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the book of Joshua and the broader Pentateuch. Primarily, it emphasizes Divine Remembrance and Memorial, highlighting God's desire for His people to never forget His mighty deeds and covenant faithfulness, ensuring that the miraculous Jordan crossing would be perpetually recalled. Secondly, it showcases God's Sovereign Power, as the drying of the Jordan, a significant natural barrier, was an undeniable demonstration of His omnipotence and His ability to fulfill His promises, making a way where there seemed to be none. This act solidified His authority over creation. Thirdly, the memorial served as a Witness to Future Generations, explicitly designed to provoke questions from children, providing a crucial opportunity for parents to teach their descendants about God's faithfulness and power, thereby passing on their spiritual heritage, echoing the principles found in Deuteronomy 6:20-25. Finally, the prompt and precise Obedience and Trust of the Israelites in gathering and setting up the stones reflects their faith in God's command through Joshua, solidifying their commitment to His plan for their entry into the land.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The passage employs several potent literary devices to convey its message with profound impact. Symbolism is paramount, with the "twelve stones" representing the twelve tribes of Israel, signifying national unity and collective witness to God's power and faithfulness. The stones themselves become a metonymy for the entire miraculous event of the Jordan crossing, standing in for the divine intervention that enabled their passage. The phrase "where the priests' feet stood firm" uses synecdoche, where the feet represent the entire presence of the Ark of the Covenant and the priests, embodying divine authority, stability, and the miraculous cessation of the river's flow. The entire command functions as a divine mandate, emphasizing God's direct involvement, sovereign will, and purposeful design in establishing a lasting memorial for His people. The narrative structure itself is one of cause and effect, where God's miraculous intervention (cause) necessitates the creation of a memorial (effect) to ensure perpetual remembrance and intergenerational instruction.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Joshua 4:3 profoundly illustrates God's commitment to ensuring His mighty acts are remembered and passed down through generations. The command to erect a memorial underscores the theological principle that divine revelation and intervention are not merely historical facts but are meant to shape the identity, faith, and future of God's people. By establishing a tangible reminder, God provides a means for His people to continually recall His faithfulness, power, and covenant promises, thereby strengthening their trust and encouraging obedience. This act of remembrance is vital for sustaining a vibrant faith and for educating future generations about their spiritual heritage, ensuring that the legacy of God's work endures. It highlights that true faith is rooted in the remembrance of God's past actions, which serve as a foundation for present trust and future hope.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The command in Joshua 4:3 calls us to consider the profound importance of remembering God's past faithfulness in our own lives and in the life of the church. Just as the Israelites needed a tangible reminder of God's power at the Jordan, we too benefit from intentionally recalling His "memorials"—answered prayers, providential guidance, moments of divine strength in weakness, and breakthroughs in seemingly impossible situations. These personal recollections serve as anchors for our faith in times of doubt, providing hope for future challenges and reinforcing our conviction that the God who acted mightily in the past will continue to do so. Furthermore, the explicit purpose of the stones—to provoke questions from future generations—serves as a powerful reminder of our responsibility to share our faith stories, the truths of God's Word, and the testimony of His work with children, disciples, and those who come after us. We are called to be intentional in passing on our spiritual heritage, ensuring that the legacy of God's goodness and power continues to inspire and instruct, much like the stones set up at Gilgal. What "stones" or "memorials" has God established in your life that you need to remember and recount? How are you actively creating opportunities to share these testimonies, ensuring that God's faithfulness is not forgotten in your family, community, or church?
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why were twelve stones taken, and why from that specific spot?
Answer: The twelve stones were taken to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, symbolizing the unified nation's experience of God's miraculous power and their collective entry into the Promised Land. Taking them from the exact spot "where the priests' feet stood firm" in the midst of the Jordan River emphasized the undeniable, tangible reality of God's intervention. It linked the memorial directly to the miraculous event, ensuring that the stones would forever testify to the dry passage through the river, a feat only possible by divine power. This specificity made the memorial a powerful and irrefutable witness to God's faithfulness to His covenant people as they entered the Promised Land, serving as a physical anchor for their historical and theological memory.
What was the purpose of these stones, and what happened to them?
Answer: The primary purpose of the stones was to serve as a perpetual memorial and a teaching tool. Joshua 4:6-7 explicitly states they were to be a sign among the Israelites, so that when their children asked about the meaning of the stones, they could recount the story of God drying up the Jordan. This ensured the memory of God's mighty deed would be passed down through generations, fostering faith and understanding. The stones were set up at Gilgal, which became Israel's first encampment in Canaan and a significant base of operations (Joshua 4:19-20). While the exact physical fate of the stones over centuries is not detailed in Scripture, their spiritual and historical purpose as a reminder of God's faithfulness and power endured, becoming a foundational part of Israel's national identity.
What is the significance of the "lodging place" mentioned in the verse?
Answer: The "lodging place where ye shall lodge this night" is later identified as Gilgal in Joshua 4:19. Gilgal became a highly significant and sacred location for the Israelites. It was their first permanent camp in the Promised Land, the place where the new generation was circumcised as a reaffirmation of the Abrahamic covenant (Joshua 5:2-9), where they celebrated the Passover for the first time in Canaan (Joshua 5:10), and from which they launched their initial campaigns to conquer Canaan. Establishing the memorial stones at Gilgal ensured that this foundational act of God's faithfulness would be central to their ongoing experience in the land, serving as a constant reminder of how they entered and, more importantly, who brought them there.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The miraculous crossing of the Jordan River and the subsequent command to erect a memorial in Joshua 4:3 find profound Christ-centered fulfillment. Just as the Jordan represented a formidable, impassable barrier to the Promised Land, humanity faces an insurmountable barrier of sin and death, preventing entry into God's eternal rest and true spiritual inheritance. Christ, the ultimate Lamb of God, is our true Ark of the Covenant, who went into the depths of death and hell, holding back the waters of divine judgment, so that we might cross over into new and abundant life. His crucifixion and resurrection are the ultimate "firm standing" in the midst of our spiritual Jordan, making a way where there was none (Hebrews 2:14-15). The "twelve stones" of remembrance point forward to the ultimate memorial of God's faithfulness: the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the living stone (1 Peter 2:4-5), the tangible and eternal proof of God's covenant love and power, upon whom the church, His spiritual temple, is built (Ephesians 2:20-22). Our baptism, often performed in water, serves as a New Covenant "memorial" of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, symbolizing our passage from death to life in Him, a spiritual crossing into our new identity (Romans 6:3-4). The Jordan crossing, therefore, foreshadows the greater deliverance and new beginning found in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, leading us into our true spiritual inheritance in the Kingdom of God (John 14:6). He is the one who has overcome the world, enabling us to enter God's promised rest (John 16:33; Hebrews 4:9-11).