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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- 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 3:13And 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.
- 1 Kgs 4:12Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam:
- 1 Kgs 7:46In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
- Gen 14:3All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
- Ps 114:3The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
- Deut 1:1These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
- Num 34:3Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:
- Matt 14:24–33But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
- Ps 74:15Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
- Josh 15:2And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward:
- Ps 77:19Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
- Deut 3:17The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdothpisgah eastward.
- Ps 66:6He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
- Ps 29:10The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
- Matt 8:26–27And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds 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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