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The Histories · Old Testament

Joshua 3

The ark enters the Jordan before the people

General context

Israel moves from Shittim to the Jordan and camps before crossing. After three days the officers tell the people to follow the ark while keeping about two thousand cubits away, since they have not travelled this way before. Joshua calls for consecration and tells the priests to carry the ark ahead. The Lord promises to establish Joshua's authority as he had been with Moses. Joshua presents the coming crossing as a sign that the living God is among Israel and will drive out the named peoples. When the priests' feet enter the overflowing river, the upstream water stops in a heap and the downstream flow is cut off. The priests stand on dry ground in the riverbed until all Israel has crossed opposite Jericho.

Cited passages: Joshua 3:1, Joshua 3:2, Joshua 3:3, Joshua 3:4, Joshua 3:5, Joshua 3:6, Joshua 3:7, Joshua 3:8, Joshua 3:9, Joshua 3:10, Joshua 3:11, Joshua 3:12, Joshua 3:13, Joshua 3:14, Joshua 3:15, Joshua 3:16, Joshua 3:17

Joshua 3 (KJV)

1And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

2And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;

3And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

6And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

8And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

9And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.

10And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

12Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

13And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

14And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;

15And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)

16That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

17And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The river is described as overflowing its banks at harvest. The account gives a sequence: the priests enter the water, the flow stops, and the people cross while the ark remains in the river. Adam in verse 16 is a city beside Zaretan, not the Genesis figure. The KJV locates the heap very far from the city Adam, while the ASV and BBE describe it a great way off at Adam. The people cross opposite Jericho; the water flowing toward the Salt Sea is the downstream flow that is cut off. No measured width of the crossing or physical mechanism for the stopped water is supplied.

Cited passages: Joshua 3:4, Joshua 3:8, Joshua 3:13, Joshua 3:14, Joshua 3:15, Joshua 3:16, Joshua 3:17

Literary context

The ark repeatedly goes before the people, joining the visible movement of the procession to Joshua's claim that the Lord goes ahead. The assurance given to Joshua is then spoken to the whole assembly through the crossing sign. The narrative slows at the priests' feet touching the water and ends with those same priests standing firm until the people have passed. Joshua's leadership is established through following the commanded order rather than a private feat of strength.

Cited passages: Joshua 3:3, Joshua 3:4, Joshua 3:5, Joshua 3:6, Joshua 3:7, Joshua 3:8, Joshua 3:9, Joshua 3:10, Joshua 3:11, Joshua 3:12, Joshua 3:13, Joshua 3:14, Joshua 3:15, Joshua 3:16, Joshua 3:17

Key moments

  1. An unfamiliar route (Joshua 3:4). The people must leave a measured distance from the ark as they follow a way they have not travelled.
  2. Joshua's authority is promised (Joshua 3:7). The Lord says this day will begin to establish Joshua before Israel as Moses had been established.
  3. Feet at the overflowing river (Joshua 3:15). The priests enter the river's edge while it is at its harvest overflow.
  4. The crossing is completed (Joshua 3:17). The ark-bearing priests remain on dry ground until all Israel has passed.

For reflection

The people are told they have not passed this way before. What helps a group move through unfamiliar ground while keeping sight of those who still need to cross?

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