The big picture
Israel reaches Jordan, the river separating its camp from the land ahead. Joshua now leads this people after the death of Moses, its former leader. The returned spies have reported fear among the inhabitants. Now the whole people must cross, including those unable to fight or swim. Priests, men appointed to lead sacred service, carry the ark, the chest marking God's covenant with his people. Their movement into the river will lead the nation into an unfamiliar place.
In this chapter
- The People Prepare to Follow the Ark Joshua 3:1-6
Joshua brings the people from their camp to Jordan, where they wait before crossing.
- God Promises to Stop the Water Joshua 3:7-13
God tells Joshua that this day will confirm his leadership before Israel, showing that God is with him as with Moses.
- The Nation Crosses on Dry Ground Joshua 3:14-17
The people leave their tents and follow the ark toward a river overflowing its banks at harvest time.
Central truth
The river stops as the priests carry God's ark into it, giving Israel a crossing and confirming Joshua's leadership.
Scripture beside the summary
Joshua · King James Version · 17Joshua 3:1-6
The People Prepare to Follow the Ark
Joshua brings the people from their camp to Jordan, where they wait before crossing. Officers tell them to follow when they see the priests carrying the ark of God's covenant, his binding agreement with them. They must leave a large space between themselves and the ark so that they can see which way to go. This is unfamiliar ground. Joshua tells the people to prepare themselves for God's holy work the next day. He then commands the priests to take the ark ahead of everyone else.
In everyday life
The outdoor instructor raises a marked staff before leading a group across unfamiliar moorland. She leaves enough distance for the walkers to see the route and asks them to check their equipment before moving. Nobody has travelled this path before. The ark represents God's presence and covenant, not merely a useful marker for a guide.
Notice
Joshua 3:4 The reason given for leaving space is that the people have never travelled this way. Their distance from the ark helps them see the route.
Joshua 3:1-6
King James Version1And 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.
Joshua 3:7-13
God Promises to Stop the Water
God tells Joshua that this day will confirm his leadership before Israel, showing that God is with him as with Moses. Joshua must order the priests to stand in Jordan. He gathers the people to hear God's promise: the river's water will stop when the priests' feet enter it. This will show that the living God is among them and will drive out the peoples occupying the land. Joshua also calls for one man from each of Israel's twelve tribes. The coming crossing concerns the whole nation.
In everyday life
A newly appointed dam engineer gathers the maintenance crew before opening a controlled route through a dry channel. She explains the agreed sequence and tells them what to watch for as evidence that the system is working. Their trust in her work is being tested. The engineer controls equipment; Joshua can only announce what God has promised to do.
Notice
Joshua 3:10 Joshua connects the crossing with God's presence and the conquest ahead. The stopped river will answer a larger question than how to reach the opposite bank.
Joshua 3:7-13
King James Version7And 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.
Joshua 3:14-17
The Nation Crosses on Dry Ground
The people leave their tents and follow the ark toward a river overflowing its banks at harvest time. As soon as the priests' feet touch the water, the flow from upstream stops far away. Water farther downstream drains toward the salt sea, leaving a dry crossing opposite Jericho. The priests remain firmly in the middle with the ark while the people pass. Everyone reaches the other side on dry ground. The account places the opening of the route at the moment the priests enter the water.
In everyday life
A rescue ferry operator holds the landing steady while families file across a temporary gangway from a flooded settlement. She stays at her post until the last child reaches firm ground. The whole group depends on the route remaining open. Israel crosses a riverbed God has dried, without a ferry or built passage.
Notice
Joshua 3:15 Jordan is overflowing when the priests enter it. The account rules out an ordinary shallow crossing and stresses the obstacle the people actually face.
Joshua 3:14-17
King James Version14And 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.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Joshua 3:1 begins with “And 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…”
Where the chapter turns
Joshua 3:12 forms a natural hinge: “Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.”
The final note
Joshua 3:17 leaves the reader with “And 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…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Jordan, LORD, people, covenant, priests, Joshua help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- cubits
- An ancient length of about eighteen inches, or forty-five centimetres, based on a forearm.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
