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;
Parallel translations
- WEB When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people,
- BSB So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them.
- NKJV So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
- NASB So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people,
- NLT So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.
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
The people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark going ahead. Israel moves forward in obedient faith.
Overview
The narrative shifts from instruction to action as the nation advances behind the ark. The people's willingness to march toward a flooded river shows trust in God's promise through Joshua. Their forward movement, led by the symbol of God's presence, embodies the obedience of faith that characterizes God's people following their Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Acts 7:44–45Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
- Ps 132:8Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
- Josh 3:3And 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.
- 1 Cor 1:24–25But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
- Josh 6:6And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.
- Heb 9:4Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
- Josh 3:6And 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.
- Jer 3:16And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
- Deut 31:26Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 3:14 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.