The Memorial Stones
1 After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, b the LORD spoke to Joshua: 2 “Choose twelve men from the people, one man for each tribe, c 3 and command them: Take twelve stones d from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”
4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the LORD your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes, 6 so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you? ’ e 7 you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the LORD’S covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.” f
8 The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the LORD had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are still there today. g
10 The priests carrying the ark continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in keeping with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across, 11 and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people. 12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh went in battle formation in front of the Israelites, h as Moses had instructed them. 13 About forty thousand equipped for war crossed to the plains of Jericho in the LORD’S presence.
14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses. i 15 The LORD told Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony j to come up from the Jordan.”
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18 When the priests carrying the ark of the LORD’S covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet stepped out on solid ground, the water of the Jordan resumed its course, flowing over all the banks as before.
19 The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, k and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho. l 20 Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, 21 and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones? ’ 22 you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ m 23 For the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, n just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24 This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know o that the LORD’S hand is mighty, p and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.” q
4:1–7. When the whole of Israel has crossed over, the Lord gives further instructions concerning the twelve men chosen earlier (4:2–3; cf. 3:12). They are each to take a stone from the middle of the river, where the priests carrying the ark stand, and carry it to the camp where they will be spending the night. In 4:2–3, as in 3:7–8 earlier, the author has chosen to provide initially only a brief excerpt of the Lord’s instructions to Joshua, leaving the rest of the details to be disclosed in Joshua’s instructions to the twelve (4:4–7). Joshua’s instructions explain that the twelve stones are to form a memorial for the Israelites so that, should their descendants ask about the meaning of the stones, the story will be retold about how the Lord miraculously brought his people across the Jordan.
4:8–9. The exact implementation of Joshua’s instructions is reported in 4:8. Although 4:9 could be understood as the setting up of a second memorial of twelve stones in the middle of the river, it is more likely a “fast-forward” report of the twelve stones taken from the river to set up as a memorial at the Israelite camp. This anticipates the more-detailed account to be given in 4:20–24.
4:10–14. A new section begins in 4:10, which culminates in the priests coming up to the other side of the Jordan with the ark. But to lead up to this point, the author first rewinds the narrative slightly to when the people were still crossing the Jordan, in order to provide details that were not disclosed earlier (cf. 3:17). These include the people’s hurried crossing (4:10), the crossing of the armed Transjordanian tribes (4:12; cf. 1:12–18), and the number of battle ready who crossed over as around forty thousand (4:13). That the ark and the priests carrying it cross over only after the rest have done so is also mentioned in 4:11, in anticipation of the more detailed account of how this happens (4:15–18). But the fact that the Lord has brought honor to Joshua that day just as he had promised (cf. 3:7) is emphasized in 4:14, such that the people revere Joshua all the days of his life just as they have previously revered Moses.
4:15–18. After the people have crossed over, the Lord tells Joshua to command the priests carrying the ark to come up from the Jordan (4:15–17). As Joshua does, and the priests come up, the water of the Jordan immediately returns to its previous flood position (4:18), again highlighting the miraculous nature of Israel’s crossing.
4:19–20. The commemoration of this historic event is dealt with in 4:19–24. The date of the crossing is clearly recorded in 4:19. As the Israelites are camping out at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho, Joshua sets up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan as a memorial there (4:20).
4:21–24. The instructions to the people that accompany the setting up of the stones in 4:21–24 are basically consistent with Joshua’s earlier instructions in 4:6–7. In both instances, Joshua highlights the function of the stones to provide opportunities for future generations to be told about the miraculous crossing of the Jordan. But in 4:21–24, Joshua brings up two additional points. First, he explicitly compares the miraculous crossing of the Jordan to the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea (4:23). Second, he discloses two further results of this miraculous crossing of the Jordan (4:24): in relation to the Lord’s people, it was meant to spur continuous reverence for the Lord, and hence, obedience; but in relation to the surrounding nations, it was intended to be a concrete demonstration of the Lord’s power.