He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”
Parallel translations
- WEB that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh’s hand is mighty; that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.’”
- KJV That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.
- NKJV that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
- NASB so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
- NLT He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”
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 crossing was meant so all peoples would know Yahweh's hand is mighty and Israel would fear Him forever. God's saving acts aim at both worldwide witness and reverent worship.
Overview
The miracle had two purposes: to display God's power to the nations and to deepen Israel's reverence for Him. God's mighty deeds are never merely for one people's benefit but for His glory among all the earth. This missionary horizon anticipates the gospel going to every nation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 20
- Ps 106:8Yet He saved them for the sake of His name, to make His power known.
- Ps 89:13Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your hand. Your right hand is exalted.
- 1 Kgs 8:42–43for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,
- Exod 14:31When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
- 2 Kgs 19:19And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
- Exod 15:16and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.
- 1 Chr 29:12Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.
- Deut 6:2so that you and your children and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give you, and so that your days may be prolonged.
- 2 Kgs 5:15Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
- Exod 20:20“Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.”
- Dan 3:26–29Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,
- Ps 76:6–8At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and rider lie stunned.
- Jer 10:6–7There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.
- 1 Sam 17:46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
- Dan 4:34–35But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
- Dan 6:26–27I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
- Jer 32:40I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from Me.
- Ps 89:7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
- Exod 9:16But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
- Deut 28:10Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.
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 4:24 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.