Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’
Parallel translations
- WEB He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’
- KJV And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
- BSB Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’
- NKJV Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’
- NASB And he said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’
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 explained that when children later ask what the stones mean, parents are to teach them. The memorial was meant to provoke questions and pass on the faith.
Overview
God designed the stones to spark instruction across generations. Israelite faith was to be handed down through families, with each generation telling the next what God had done. This pattern of teaching children God's works underlies the church's ongoing call to pass on the gospel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Josh 4:6that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in the future, saying, ‘What do you mean by these stones?’
- Ps 145:4–7One generation will commend your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts.
- Ps 105:2–5Sing to him, sing praises to him! Tell of all his marvelous works.
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 4:21 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.