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Joshua 3

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Preparation and Logistics at the Jordan 1–6

1
And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. ​
2
And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; ​
3
And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. ​
4
Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. ​
5
And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. ​
6
And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

God Magnifies Joshua’s Authority 7–13

7
And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. ​
8
And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
9
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
10
And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. ​
11
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. ​
12
Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
13
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. ​

Crossing the Jordan 14–17

14
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
15
And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) ​
16
That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. ​
17
And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Joshua 3

Verse 1

rose early in the morning — Shakam, to load up at dawn, the verb used of Abraham's start for Moriah (Gen 22:3). Israel moves from Shittim, where the spies had been sent out (Josh 2:1), to the Jordan and 'lodged' (lun, to stay the night) there 'before they passed over'.

Verse 2

the officers — Shoter, an official over the tribes, the office named in Deut 1:15. They are the officers Joshua commanded in Josh 1:10, who told the people then, 'within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan' (1:11). Now they go 'through the host' with the directions of vv.3–4.

Verse 3

go after it — The ark is borne by 'the priests the Levites' (Deut 18:1; cf. 31:9, 'the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark') and goes ahead of the people, as in the wilderness, when 'the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them… to search out a resting place for them' (Num 10:33). It is called the ark of 'the LORD your God': they follow him.

Verse 4

two thousand cubits — A fixed space, 'come not near unto it', like the bounds set round Sinai (Ex 19:12), that they may know the way by which they must go. 'Ye have not passed this way heretofore' is literally 'yesterday and the day before' (temol shilshom), the Hebrew idiom for time past.

Verse 5

Sanctify yourselves — Qadash, to set apart as holy. At Sinai the people were to 'sanctify… to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes' (Ex 19:10). The 'wonders' (pala) are the word of Ex 3:20, 'all my wonders which I will do'. The same call opens the day of Achan's discovery (Josh 7:13).

Verse 7

begin to magnify thee — Gadal, to make great. The LORD will make Joshua great 'in the sight of all Israel', so that they know he is with him 'as I was with Moses' (cf. 1:5). It is fulfilled when the river is crossed: 'On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel' (Josh 4:14).

Verse 10

the living God — El chay, 'God living': Israel had heard him 'speaking out of the midst of the fire' and lived (Deut 5:26). The seven peoples listed are the seven nations of Deut 7:1. 'Drive out' is yarash, the verb of 'possess' in Josh 1:11: the driving out and the giving of the land are one act.

Verse 11

the Lord of all the earth — Adon, master. The title is for the whole earth, not Israel's land alone: 'The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth' (Ps 97:5; cf. Mic 4:13). It is repeated in v.13, so the ark is named by it twice before the waters move.

Verse 13

stand upon an heap — Ned, a heap or mound, the word of the song at the Red Sea, 'the floods stood upright as an heap' (Ex 15:8; also Ps 78:13). The sign comes before the event: when the soles of the priests' feet 'rest' in the water, the waters from above are 'cut off' (karat).

Verse 15

all the time of harvest — The Jordan 'overfloweth all his banks' in the first month (1 Chr 12:15), and Israel crosses on 'the tenth day of the first month' (Josh 4:19), at the flood. 'Dipped' is tabal, the verb of Naaman's seven dippings in this river (2 Kings 5:14). The waters stop as the priests' feet touch them.

Verse 16

the salt sea — The waters stood in a heap 'very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan', while those running down to 'the salt sea' (Gen 14:3) 'failed' (tamam) and were 'cut off'. The same verb returns in v.17, where the people are 'passed clean over'. They crossed 'right against Jericho'.

Verse 17

dry ground — Charavah, the word of Ex 14:21, where the LORD 'made the sea dry land', and of 2 Kings 2:8, where Elijah and Elisha cross this same river. The priests 'stood firm' (kun) in the midst while all passed. Josh 4:23 draws the line: 'as the LORD your God did to the Red sea'.