Joshua 4

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¹When all the nation had completely crossed over the Jordan, Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, ✦ ²“Take twelve men out of the people, a man out of every tribe, ✦ 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.’” ✦ ⁴Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, a man out of every tribe. ✦ ⁵Joshua said to them, “Cross before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you pick up a stone and put it on your shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; ⁶that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in the future, saying, ‘What do you mean by these stones?’ ✦ ⁷then you shall tell them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of Yahweh’s covenant. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.’” ✦ 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. ✦ ⁹Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day. ✦ ¹⁰For the priests who bore the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Yahweh commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and passed over. ✦ ¹¹When all the people had completely crossed over, Yahweh’s ark crossed over, with the priests, in the presence of the people. ✦ ¹²The children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them. ✦ ¹³About forty thousand men, ready and armed for war passed over before Yahweh to battle, to the plains of Jericho. ✦ ¹⁴On that day, Yahweh magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. ✦ ¹⁵Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, ¹⁶“Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.” ✦ ¹⁷Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan!” ✦ ¹⁸When the priests who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant had come up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet had been lifted up to the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks, as before. ✦ ¹⁹The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. ✦ ²⁰Joshua set up those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, in Gilgal. ✦ ²¹He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ✦ ²²Then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. ✦ ²³For Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until you had crossed over, as Yahweh your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had crossed over; ✦ ²⁴that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh’s hand is mighty; that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.’” ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Where this chapter connects

Josh 3 ·13 Josh 4 ·11 Exod 12 ·5 Exod 14 ·5 Josh 1 ·3 Num 16 ·2 1 Kgs 18 ·2 Exod 13 ·2

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 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.

Resources, by level

Lay

★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical
On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"
★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

Pastoral

SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 4YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — Joshua 4David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — Joshua 4Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

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