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And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
Joshua 6:12 · New King James Version
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.
  • BSB Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took 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, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
  • Josh 3:1Joshua got up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They camped there before they crossed over.
  • Josh 6:6–8Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.”
  • John 6:10–11Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
  • Deut 31:25Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, saying,
  • Gen 22:3Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.
  • John 9:6–7When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,
  • John 2:5–8His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”

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.