the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over near Jericho.
Parallel translations
- KJV 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.
- BSB the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
- NKJV that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
- NASB then the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho.
- NLT the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.
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 waters upstream pile up far away at Adam while the downstream flow is cut off, and the people cross near Jericho. God miraculously dries the riverbed for Israel's passage.
Overview
The naming of Adam and Zarethan grounds the miracle in real geography, while the heaping up of the waters recalls the Red Sea crossing. God halts the Jordan's flood at His appointed moment, opening a path into the land. This great act fulfills Joshua's prophecy and proves that the living God is mightily among His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Josh 3:13It shall be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap.”
- 1 Kgs 4:12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam;
- 1 Kgs 7:46The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.
- Gen 14:3All these joined together in the valley of Siddim (also called the Salt Sea).
- Ps 114:3The sea saw it, and fled. The Jordan was driven back.
- Deut 1:1These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
- Num 34:3then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the side of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea eastward.
- Matt 14:24–33But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
- Ps 74:15You opened up spring and stream. You dried up mighty rivers.
- Josh 15:2Their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looks southward;
- Ps 77:19Your way was through the sea; your paths through the great waters. Your footsteps were not known.
- Deut 3:17the Arabah also, and the Jordan and its border, from Chinnereth even to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah eastward.
- Ps 66:6He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him.
- Ps 29:10Yahweh sat enthroned at the Flood. Yes, Yahweh sits as King forever.
- Matt 8:26–27He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
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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 3:16 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
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