THE BOOK OF
JOSHUA.

Joshua 3

1Joshua cometh to Jordan. 2The officers instruct the people concerning their passage. 5Joshua giveth directions relating thereto. 7God encourageth and instructeth Joshua. 9Joshua encourageth and directeth the people. 14The waters of Jordan are divided.


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 1after three days, that the officers went through the host;

1 Understand the end of the three days, whereof is spoken Joshua 1:1. And see concerning this manner of speaking, Deut. 15:1.

3And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests 2the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

2 That is, who were all of the tribe of Levi, but not all, who were of that tribe, were priests.

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 3heretofore.

3 Hebr. since yesterday, and the third day. See Gen. 31:2.

5And Joshua 4said unto the people, 5Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do 6wonders among you.

4 Namely, before. Or, had said.

5 Of sanctifying see Exod. 19:10: Lev. 20:7; Num. 11:18; Joshua 7:13; 1 Sam. 16:5.

6 See verse 13, etc.

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.

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

7 That is, bring thee in repute and esteem by this miracle which I will do, whereby the people of Israel shall know that I have made thee the head over them, and that by thy ministry I will bring them into the land of Canaan.

a Joshua 1:5.

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.

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

b here, to this place

10And Joshua said, 8Hereby ye shall know 9that 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.

8 Namely, by this miracle, which is related verse 13.

9 Other, that God is living in the midst of us.

11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the 10Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

10 Other, the ark of the covenant yea the Lord of the whole earth. Compare Micah 4:13; Zech. 4:14; 6:5.

12Now therefore 11take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, 12out of every tribe a man.

11 Namely, to perform what is mentioned in Joshua 4:2, etc.

12 Hebr. one man, one man out of one tribe.

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 13cut off from the waters that come down from above; andc they shall stand upon an heap.

13 Intimating that the water which descended from above would stand still, the other would run down.

c Psalm 114:3.

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

d Acts 7:45.

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, 14(for Jordan overflowethe15all his banks all the time of harvest,)

14 That is, it was wont to be full at this time, that is his nature, and so it was likewise at this time.

e 1 Chron. 12:15.

15 Other, above. See Joshua 4:18.

16That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city 16Adam, that is beside 17Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the 18salt sea, failed, and 19were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

16 This city is placed on some maps on the east side of Jordan over against Gilgal.

17 A place situated southwards from Adam the east side of Jordan. See of two other cities, 1 Kings 4:12, Zartanah; 1 Kings 7:46, Zarthan.

18 Hebr. the sea of salt. See Gen. 14:3.

19 Intimating that the lowermost waters descended straightway with a speedy current, and emptied themselves or were swallowed in the salt sea, in order that the people of God were to walk dry foot on the bottom of the river.

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.