Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan.
- KJV Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
- NKJV Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan.
- NASB Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan.
- NLT Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Joshua announces that the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will cross over before them into the Jordan. God, sovereign over all, leads the way.
Overview
The title 'Lord of all the earth' asserts Yahweh's universal sovereignty, not merely over Israel but over all nations and creation. As such, He has full right to give Canaan to His people and to lead them across the Jordan. The ark going first proclaims that the conquest is God's work, accomplished under His authority over the whole world.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Zech 6:5And the angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth.
- Zech 4:14So he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of all the earth.”
- Ps 24:1A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein.
- Mic 4:13Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
- Josh 3:13When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.”
- Isa 54:5For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
- Josh 3:3–6and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, you are to set out from your positions and follow it.
- Zech 14:9On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.
- Job 41:11Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
- Isa 3:12Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them. O My people, your guides mislead you; they turn you from your paths.
- Jer 10:7Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.
- Zeph 2:11The LORD will be terrifying to them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then the nations of every shore will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 3:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.