And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.
Parallel translations
- WEB Joshua set up those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, in Gilgal.
- KJV And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.
- BSB And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
- NASB As for those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set them up at Gilgal.
- NLT It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from 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 set up at Gilgal the twelve stones taken from the Jordan. They formed a lasting memorial of God's miraculous crossing.
Overview
The twelve stones, one for each tribe, made the crossing a permanent, visible testimony. Memorials like this anchored Israel's memory in God's saving deeds so future generations would not forget. God's people are meant to mark and remember His acts of deliverance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Josh 4:8The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel. They carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there.
- Josh 4:3and command them, saying, ‘Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you’ll camp tonight.’”
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 4:20 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.