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Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
Joshua 4:17 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan!”
  • BSB So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
  • NKJV Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.”
  • NASB So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.”
  • NLT So Joshua gave the command.

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 relayed God's command, telling the priests to come up out of the Jordan. He faithfully passed on exactly what God had said.

Overview

Joshua functions as the channel of God's word to the priests. His prompt, precise obedience marks the whole crossing. This pattern of hearing God and then commanding His people accordingly characterizes godly leadership throughout Scripture.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Gen 8:16–18Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
  • Acts 16:23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
  • Acts 16:35–39And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
  • Dan 3:26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 4:17YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 4:17 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.