Joshua 3

KJV · Chapter 3/24

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Israel prepares to cross the Jordan River. As soon as the feet of the priests carrying the ark touch the water, the river stops flowing, and the whole people cross on dry ground.

Explanation

The Jordan was overflowing its banks (harvest time, springtime), making the crossing naturally impossible without a miracle. Here God repeats the pattern of the Red Sea, but in a more personal way: this time it is the priests' faith - taking the first step into the water before any sign appears - that precedes the miracle. This showed the new generation that the same God who worked through Moses was now working through Joshua. The practical lesson is that God's confirmation often comes after the step of obedience, not before.

Fun facts

  • The Jordan River lies between 200 and 400 meters below sea level along much of its course, and the crossing took place near Jericho, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
  • The distance of two thousand cubits kept between the people and the ark (about 900 meters) showed reverence: no one was to come too close to the symbol of God's presence.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Joshua 3:1Joshua rises early and leads the people out from Shittim to the edge of the Jordan, where they camp before crossing.
  2. Joshua 3:2After three days of preparation, the leaders of the people go through the camp giving the final instructions.
  3. Joshua 3:3The order is simple: when they see the ark being carried by the priests, the people are to follow behind it — the ark goes ahead, guiding the crossing.
  4. Joshua 3:4The people were to keep a distance from the ark while crossing the Jordan, about a thousand yards, not because of physical danger but out of respect: no one had traveled that way before. The ark went ahead as a sign that it was God who opened the way, not Joshua.
  5. Joshua 3:5Joshua tells the people to sanctify themselves because the next day something extraordinary is going to happen, an intervention that can only be attributed to God.
  6. Joshua 3:6Joshua instructs the priests to take up the ark and go ahead of the people, starting the march toward the river.
  7. Joshua 3:7God tells Joshua that this is the day He will publicly confirm his leadership before all the people, just as He did with Moses.
  8. Joshua 3:8The instruction for the priests is very specific: as soon as they reach the edge of the water, they are simply to stand still there in the river.
  9. Joshua 3:9Joshua gathers the people to announce what God is about to do next.
  10. Joshua 3:10Joshua explains that the crossing will be the proof that God is with them and will drive out the peoples already living in that land.
  11. Joshua 3:11The ark, the symbol of God’s presence, is what will cross the river first, ahead of all the people.
  12. Joshua 3:12Joshua chooses twelve men, one from each tribe, who will have a special role right after the crossing — this becomes clear in the next chapter.
  13. Joshua 3:13The promise is that as soon as the priests’ feet touch the water, the river will stop flowing and the waters will pile up upstream.
  14. Joshua 3:14The people leave the camp toward the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark ahead of everyone.
  15. Joshua 3:15The detail that the river was at flood stage, during the harvest season, makes the miracle even more striking: this was not a low, easy river to cross.
  16. Joshua 3:16The moment the priests’ feet touch the water, the river truly stops, piling up far away, and the people cross over on dry ground opposite Jericho.
  17. Joshua 3:17The priests stand firm in the middle of the dry riverbed, holding the ark, while all the people pass by safely to the very last one.

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