Joshua 4:3 kjv
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.
Joshua 4:3 nkjv
and command them, saying, 'Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.' "
Joshua 4:3 niv
and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."
Joshua 4:3 esv
and command them, saying, 'Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'"
Joshua 4:3 nlt
Tell them, 'Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.'"
Joshua 4 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 12:14 | "This day shall be to you a memorial… keep it as a feast to the Lord..." | Passover as a perpetual memorial for remembrance. |
| Ex 13:14 | "When in future your son asks you, 'What does this mean?'..." | Instructing future generations about God's acts. |
| Ex 24:4 | "Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early... built an altar... with twelve pillars..." | Twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes. |
| Num 1:44 | "These are the numbered men, whom Moses and Aaron numbered with the leaders of Israel..." | Enumeration of the twelve tribes of Israel. |
| Deut 6:7 | "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them..." | Imperative to educate children about God's statutes. |
| Deut 11:19 | "You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you sit in your house..." | Continuously teaching God's ways to next generation. |
| Deut 27:2-4 | "...erect large stones and plaster them... write on them all the words of this law." | Command to erect inscribed memorial stones. |
| Ps 78:4 | "We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord..." | Passing on God's mighty acts to offspring. |
| Ps 105:44-45 | "He gave them the lands of the nations... that they might keep His statutes..." | God's faithfulness in fulfilling promises of land. |
| Jos 1:11 | "Prepare provisions for yourselves, for in three days you are to pass over this Jordan..." | The initial command to prepare for the Jordan crossing. |
| Jos 3:13 | "...as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests... touch the water... the waters... shall be cut off..." | Description of the miraculous stopping of the Jordan. |
| Jos 4:6 | "When your children ask in time to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?'" | Direct question initiating the memorial explanation. |
| Jos 4:7 | "...These stones shall be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." | Explicit statement of the stones' purpose as a memorial. |
| Jos 4:9 | "Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan at the place..." | Another set of stones placed within the riverbed. |
| Jos 4:14 | "On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel..." | God confirming Joshua's leadership. |
| Jos 5:9 | "...the Lord said to Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.' So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day." | Gilgal as a place of new identity and remembrance. |
| Isa 43:16 | "Thus says the Lord, who makes a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters..." | God's power over water, recalling Red Sea and Jordan. |
| Heb 3:12-19 | "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart..." | Warning against unbelief, paralleling Israel's journey. |
| Heb 4:9-11 | "So then, there remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God... Let us therefore strive to enter that rest..." | Israel's entry into Canaan as a type of spiritual rest. |
| 1 Cor 10:1-4 | "...our fathers were all under the cloud... and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink." | Spiritual realities underlying Old Testament events. |
| 1 Cor 11:24-25 | "...This do in remembrance of me." | New Covenant memorial (Communion) for remembrance. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | "...being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." | Believers as "living stones" in a spiritual temple. |
| Rev 21:14 | "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." | Twelve foundations echoing Israel's twelve tribes. |
Joshua 4 verses
Joshua 4 3 Meaning
Joshua 4:3 details God's command through Joshua to select twelve men, one from each tribe of Israel. These men were instructed to take a stone from the dry riverbed of the Jordan, specifically from the precise spot where the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant stood firm, holding back the miraculous flow of the water. These twelve stones were to be carried out of the Jordan, transported across to the west bank, and set down in Gilgal, their first encampment in the Promised Land. The primary purpose was to establish a physical, tangible memorial for all future generations to witness and learn about the miraculous power of God in bringing His people across the Jordan into their inheritance.
Joshua 4 3 Context
Joshua chapter 4 immediately follows the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, a pivotal event in Israel's history akin to the Red Sea crossing. Chapter 3 detailed the command for the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to step into the Jordan, causing its waters to stand up in a heap, creating a dry path for the entire nation. This dramatic event cemented Yahweh's power over creation and affirmed Joshua's leadership to all Israel.
Joshua 4 then shifts focus to the establishment of a lasting memorial for this miracle. God directly commands Joshua to select twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes (v. 2), and through them issues the specific instructions outlined in verse 3. The intent is to ensure that future generations understand and remember God's faithfulness and power. The command also includes the placement of a second set of twelve stones within the Jordan itself (v. 9), adding another layer to the memorial. The "lodging place" referenced in verse 3 is Gilgal, which would become the Israelites' initial base camp in Canaan (Jos 5:9-10), a place of significant covenant renewal. This entire episode highlights God's strategic way of marking history for pedagogical purposes, embedding divine truth in the physical landscape.
Joshua 4 3 Word analysis
- And command them, saying,: The Hebrew word is "צַוּוּ" (tzawu), a strong imperative, emphasizing the divine authority behind this instruction. It highlights that this action is not an optional suggestion but a direct, authoritative order from God, given through Joshua. This reinforces God's sovereignty and Joshua's divinely appointed leadership.
- 'Take up for yourselves: The Hebrew "שְׂאוּ" (s'u) means "lift, carry, bear." The phrase "for yourselves" implies active participation and a personal stake in this commemorative act. It underscores that the Israelites were not merely passive observers but agents in establishing this memorial, taking personal ownership of the remembrance.
- twelve stones: Hebrew "שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אֲבָנִים" (shtem esre avanim). The number twelve is highly symbolic, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, highlighting national unity and comprehensive representation. Each tribe, through its chosen representative, participated in creating this collective memory, emphasizing their unified passage and shared inheritance.
- from here, out of the midst of the Jordan: This specifies the precise, miraculous origin of the stones. "Midst" (תּוֹךְ, tokh) denotes the central, deepest part of the riverbed, the very location where the waters were miraculously cut off. This specificity links the memorial directly to the astounding divine intervention. It implicitly opposes any notion that the crossing was natural; the stones' origin speaks of dried depths.
- from the place where the feet of the priests stood firm: This further specifies the exact, holy spot. The priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant represented God's direct presence and action. "Stood firm" (from a root like יָבַל, yaval, or implies firmness) suggests stability and the anchoring point of the divine power that held back the water. The emphasis is on the sacredness of this place due to the Ark's presence, signifying divine leading and protection.
- and carry them over with you: This signifies the physical act of transporting the tangible evidence of God's miracle from the point of miraculous passage to the point of permanent encampment in the land. It reinforces the reality and scale of the crossing.
- and lay them down: Indicates permanence and establishment. The stones are not merely passed through but deposited deliberately, forming a lasting structure. The Hebrew term implies careful placement, setting them up as a visible monument.
- in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight: The Hebrew word for "lodging place" is מָלוֹן (malon), referring to a temporary dwelling or encampment. This points specifically to Gilgal, which served as their first base in Canaan. It grounds the future memorial in their immediate experience of entering and possessing the land, making the memorial relevant to their present circumstances.
Joshua 4 3 Bonus section
The practice of erecting memorial stones was common in the Ancient Near East, often for treaties, conquests, or divine interventions. However, Israel's use of such monuments consistently served to glorify Yahweh and teach His truths, standing in stark contrast to pagan altars or stelae built to human kings or deities of the land. The Gilgal memorial stones represent not a man-made achievement but God's triumph on behalf of His people, fostering humility and dependence. This dual memorial (stones in the riverbed and stones at Gilgal) uniquely solidifies the event's significance and its dual implication: God's power over the natural world (seen in the river) and His establishment of His people in their inheritance (seen in Gilgal). The location "Gilgal" itself later became associated with spiritual renewal (circumcision, Jos 5:2-9) and further acts of divine affirmation, marking it as a critical early holy site for Israel.
Joshua 4 3 Commentary
Joshua 4:3 is a pivotal command demonstrating God's consistent design for His people to remember His mighty acts. It moves from the immediate miracle of the Jordan crossing to the establishment of a physical, enduring memorial. The selection of "twelve stones" emphasizes the collective nature of God's work for all the tribes of Israel, uniting their past experience with their future inheritance. The precise origin of the stones "out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the feet of the priests stood firm" is crucial. This detail ensures that the memorial is unequivocally tied to the divine, miraculous intervention led by the Ark of the Covenant, leaving no room for attributing the dry crossing to natural phenomena. The act of "carrying them over" and "laying them down" in Gilgal roots the miraculous event squarely in the physical reality of their entry into Canaan. This deliberate establishment of a monument was not merely for historical record; it was primarily pedagogical, intended to provoke questions from future generations (Jos 4:6) and provide a concrete object around which the story of God's power and faithfulness could be retold. It serves as a constant reminder that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is sovereign over nature and true to His covenant promises, bringing His people into the Promised Land by extraordinary means. This act of remembering serves as a cornerstone for Israel's identity, ensuring that future generations acknowledge God as the true source of their victory and possession of the land.