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Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.
Joshua 6:12 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark.
  • KJV And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
  • NKJV And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
  • NASB Now Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
  • NLT Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests again carried the Ark of the Lord.

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 rose early and the priests again took up the ark. The leaders set the example of prompt, persistent obedience.

Overview

Joshua's early rising signals diligence and eagerness to obey God's command. The repeated taking up of the ark kept God's presence at the heart of each day's march. Faithful obedience is often a matter of steady repetition, returning each day to do what God has said.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Heb 11:7–8By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
  • Josh 3:1Early the next morning Joshua got up and left Shittim with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
  • Josh 6:6–8So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”
  • John 6:10–11“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
  • Deut 31:25he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD:
  • Gen 22:3So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.
  • John 9:6–7When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
  • John 2:5–8His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 6:12YouTube · 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 6:12 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.