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Joshua 3

the book of joshua
Joshua (with possible additions) · c. 1405–1385 BC
Chapter the Third
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. 
And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 
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. 
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. 
And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. 
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. 
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 
Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 
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. 
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; 
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,) 
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. 
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. 
HOW TO USE
PROVISIONIST · DISPENSATIONAL · PRE-TRIBULATIONAL
Chuck Smith · Sunday Nights, 1979 to 1985 (C2000)
Joshua 1-8
Tape C2048 · 1:21:46
Chuck Smith · Sunday Nights, 1985 to 1999 (C3000)
Joshua 3-5
Tape C3064 · 1:02:46
Chuck Smith · Sunday Mornings, 1985 to 1999 (T3000)
The Uncertainty of Tomorrow, Joshua 3:1-5
26:05
Raul Ries · Through the Bible
Joshua 3-5
50:32

Questions answered from Joshua 3

Short answers from Always Ready that cite this chapter

Chuck Smith on Joshua 3

Verse by verse, taught on Sunday nights: the C2000 series, 1979 to 1985. Permission granted by The Word For Today.

Verses 1–17

As we get into chapter three,

Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and they came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and they lodged there before they passed over. And they commanded the people, and he said, Now when you see the ark of the covenant moving out, you stay behind it two thousand cubits: [Which is about a half mile that they were to stay behind the ark, maybe two-thirds of a mile back from the ark of the covenant.] and the Levites were to bear the ark of the covenant before the people. And then he said, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua spoke to the priests, and he said, Take 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. 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 will I be with thee. 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 the Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said to the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and he will without fail drive out from before you the inhabitants of the land. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, every tribe a man. 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. And so it came to pass that the people removed their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people: And as thy bare the ark and they were come to Jordan, the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan at this time overflowed all its banks during the time of the harvest.) And the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city Adam, which 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. 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 Israelites passed over (3:1-17).

So even as God parted the Red Sea, now God stopped the Jordan River in flood season so that they were able to pass over. Now the interesting thing to me about this is when they came to the Red Sea, Moses stretched forth his rod and the Red Sea was parted. They went through on dry land, but with the Jordan the Lord is now testing their faith and developing their faith. He let the priests get their feet wet. Walking right into the edge of the river, getting their feet in the water, stepping out now really in faith. That wasn't easy I'm sure. I imagine that even Joshua himself had some anxious moments, as he saw those guys starting to wade into the water. "Now, Lord that's what You said."

But this is coming into a new relationship with God, that relationship with faith, which is so very important for every one of us to really develop in that full relationship with God, it has to be that relationship of faith. God is bringing them now into a new relationship of faith. Before they sought, before they stepped in, they saw the sea parted, but now God is letting them take one step further and saying, "Go ahead and step out before you see any evidence, before you see any signs, go ahead and step out in faith. Get your feet wet." So here is a new relationship, an exciting relationship to be sure as they stepped into the water, and as they did God caused the waters to cease flowing. God threw up a dam, and the waters of Jordan ceased, and the people all passed over.

Now they were commanded to take these stones out of the bottom of the Jordan River, where the priests were standing holding the Ark of the Covenant. When they came up on the other side, they were to put these stones in a heap. And Joshua commands them there in chapter four,

That this may be a sign among you that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What do you mean by these stones? You 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 a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And so the children of Israel did as Joshua commanded (4:6-8),

It is interesting to me that God is desiring that His power, and His truth is transmitted to our children. That they not forget what God has done for us. It is sad and it is tragic that very few revivals ever go into a second generation.

Now I don't know if you know it or not, but we are experiencing here a marvelous revival. What God is doing in our midst is a spiritual phenomena that the whole world is looking at and talking about, because of God's marvelous work in our midst. There is a real move of God's Holy Spirit. God's raising up a whole new element of people, you might say. There are now over a hundred and fifty formal fellowships that have sort of sprung out of Calvary Chapel, plus hundreds of other informal fellowships that are developing.

One sociologist that was studying this whole thing that is happening said, "If the Lord doesn't come in the 1980s", he said, "at the rate things are going I anticipate that there will be ten thousand Calvary Chapels across the United States." God is working in a very beautiful way. We have had the excitement and the thrill of seeing God work. When you consider that we're only fourteen years old, and you look at what God has done. We just stand in amazement and in awe. But unfortunately there have been other moves of the Spirit like this in the history of the church that are marvelous. The people are there, they enjoy it, but rarely do they ever carry into a second generation. Because you see as we grow, it will be necessary to more or less begin to formalize things. To establish sort of codes and rules, and the minute you start putting the fences around it, then you're restricting that work that God wants to do.

When I die some fool will want to raise a memorial to Chuck Smith. We'll have a Chuck Smith gymnasium or something, you know. Oh God forbid. This should remain a memorial to Jesus Christ for what He has done never a memorial to any man. God keep us from that memorial state. Nobody needs to remember me; we need to remember the work that God has done. The monument wasn't built for Joshua, the monument was built so that the children would say, "Hey what's that pile of stones daddy?

"Those stones were once on the bottom of the Jordan River, and when we walked through, we picked up these stones out of the river. That's because God stopped the river so that we could come through. That's the kind of a God we serve." It was to remind them of the work of God.

Oh, that we will always keep that in the forefront of our minds, that the work that we see is not a work of man nor is it to the credit of any man. The work is to the glory of God. Let's keep our memorials unto the Lord for the work that He has wrought.

Now God seeks, actually, that we would pass on to our children His truths, His glory, His power. His method for doing this is by creating questions in the minds of the children. You ever wonder why a child is so inquisitive? That's been placed there by the Spirit. The purpose of that inquisitive mind of the child is that he may learn, teach him. Let your memorials be memorials that will allow you the opportunity to share the work of God, and the power of God. It is marvelous that we remember what God has done, but it is also important that we relate to our children who did not have the privilege of seeing that work that we saw, the work that God has wrought by His Holy Spirit.

So these stones were to create questions in the minds of the children, to give them the opportunity to share with their children the glorious power of God.

So Joshua [verse nine] set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant stood: they're there to this day (4:9).

Now it'd be fun—They set up two memorials. They took stones and set them in a pile in the Jordan River, and then they also set a pile up on a bank. It'd be fun to get some scuba gear, since they were there to that day, to see if the stones are still there in the Jordan River that Joshua set up.

Now the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, till every one was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak to the people, all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. And so it came to pass, when the people were clean passed over, the ark of the Lord passed over the priests, in the presence of the people. All the children of Reuben, Gad, Manasseh, about forty thousand of those two tribes prepared for war. On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. And the Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that they bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. And when they were come up from the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up to the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and overflowed their banks, as they did before. And the people came out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, they encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. [So it is actually just four days prior to the Feast of Passover.] And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, Joshua pitched in Gilgal. And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children will ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What do these stones mean? Then let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land (4:10-22).

So the memorial by which they could share with their children the work of God.

Commentary on Joshua 3

Whosoever Will · The Whosoever Study Bible’s verse commentary

Joshua 3:1

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:2

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:3

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:4

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:5

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:6

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:7

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:8

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:9

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:10

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:11

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:12

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:13

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:14

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:15

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:16

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Joshua 3:17

The Jordan crossing is designed to echo the Red Sea. The mechanism is different, the priests carry the ark into the water and the water piles up upstream, but the result is the same: dry ground, water walled, Israel walks through. The new generation entering the land receives the same kind of miracle their parents received leaving Egypt. Twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up at Gilgal as a memorial. When your children ask in time to come what these stones mean, you shall tell them. The memorial system is the covenant people's way of carrying the testimony forward: each generation taught the story of the previous generation's miracle. Thread 2 is the corporate crossing: twelve tribes, twelve stones, one covenant people entering their inheritance. Thread 5 is the dispensational transition: the wilderness period is over. The land period begins. The circumcision that was not performed in the wilderness is performed at Gilgal, the reproach of Egypt rolled away, the covenant mark applied to a generation that has crossed the Jordan.
The ark of the covenant goes first. The Jordan crossing is a Jordan-parting that deliberately echoes the Red Sea; the new generation enters the land through the same mechanism as their parents left Egypt, and the twelve stones of memorial are the covenant's visible reminder.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל חָרָבָה (vayyaamedu ha-kohanim nose'e ha-aron be-tokh ha-Yarden al charavah): the priests bearing the ark stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan: vayyaamedu (stood firm, from amad, to stand; the Hiphil sense would be causative; they hold their position; the priests must step into the water before it parts; faith-first, miracle-second, as at the Red Sea); al charavah (on dry ground, the same word used for the dry ground the Israelites walked on through the Red Sea in Exodus 14)
threads t2 · t5 · see Exodus 14:22 · Joshua 4:6-7 · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2
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