The Book of Joshua
Joshua 4
Chapter IV · Vol. I, pp. 542–544
1 Twelve men are appointed to take twelve stones for a memorial out of Jordan. 9 Twelve other stones are set up in the midst of Jordan. 10, 19 The people pass over. 14 God magnifieth Joshua. 20 The twelve stones are pitched in Gilgal.
1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed aover Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
a Nu. 33. 51: 35. 10. De.9. 11; 11. 31; 12. 10; 27.4,12. ch.1.2,11; 3.17; ver.22. Ac. 14. 22. Ho. 13.14. Is.25.8.
3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, ctwelve stones; and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them din the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night.
c Ge.28.22. ch.24.27. 1 Sa.7. 12. 1 Ki. 18. 31. Ex.24.4. ver.8,9,20.
d ver.8,19,20.
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had eprepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man;
e ch.3.12. Mar.3.14-19.
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God finto the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;
f ver.10.
6 That this may be ga sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come,1 saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were hcut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and ithese stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
h ch.3.13-16. Ps.114.3; 66. 6; 74. 15. Is.25.8. Ho.13.14.
i ver.3, 6. Ex. 12. 14; 13.9; 17. 14, 15. Nu. 16. 40. Zec. 6. 14. Mat.26.13. Ps.103.2. Ac. 10.39. He.2.3,4. Ep.2.20.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones2 out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
2 These likewise typified the twelve apostles as witnesses of Christ's death and resurrection.
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in kthe midst of Jordan,3 in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.4
k Ps.66.8. 1 Sa.7.12. Ge.28.22. ch.24.27; ver.6,7.
3 Some are disposed to adopt 'from the midst of Jordan,' as they suppose only twelve stones taken up and carried to Gilgal, whereas the words in the text set up other twelve in the river. But this new reading is unsupported by Hebrew MSS., and therefore to be rejected. Besides these twelve stones would not, as supposed, remain always invisible, but would, when the swollen river had returned to its usual bed, form a second witness to the wondrous works of the Lord.—C.
4 Joshua, or his inspired historian, added these words some years after the miracle.—C.
10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, luntil everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses mcommanded Joshua: and the people nhasted5 and passed over.
l Ex.23.13. Ep.5.15. Ga.6.9. Is.28.16.
n Ex.12.39. Mat.14.30. Ec.9.10. Pr.27.1. 2 Co.6.2.
5 Hasted, not as an evidence of fear, for this was a believing generation; but to expedite the passage, in obedience to the command of Joshua, and as a moral emblem of the eagerness with which a believer should pass over to his promised rest, and haste to the day of the Lord, Phi.1.23. 2 Pe.3.12.—C.
11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.
12 And othe children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them.6
o Nu.32.20,27,28. ch. 1.14.
6 Of these two tribes and a half, all the men capable of bearing arms did not accompany their brethren across the Jordan. It appears from the census recorded in Nu. xxvi. that the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, amounted to about 110,580. It is probable that the remaining 70,580 were left behind for the defence of the women and children, &c. They were considered, however, as fulfilling their stipulations, by sending these 40,000 to aid the other tribes. The whole body of the people of Israel were never expected to take the field, except upon extraordinary occasions. All were liable to be called out, but it was seldom that all were required.—J.
13 About forty thousand prepared for warp passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
p Or, ready armed. It seems Joshua did not choose that any more should go.
14 On that day the LORD qmagnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the tsoles of the priests' feet were lifted 7up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed8 over all his banks, as they did before.
19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the utenth day of the first month, and encamped in vGilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
u Ex.12.3. ch.3.2.
v ch.5.9; 10.6,43; 15.7; 18.17. 1 Sa.11.14,15.
20 And those xtwelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in 9Gilgal.
x ver.3,9. Re.21.14. Ep.2.20. Ac.10.39.
9 Gilgal—rolling, Jos.5.9, or according to Josephus, liberty. It is situate between Jordan and Jericho, a mile and a quarter east of the city, according to Josephus, and six miles and a quarter west of the river. Here Joshua encamped—here he divided the conquered land—here Samuel judged, 1 Sa. 7.16—here prophets were educated, 2 Ki. 2. 1; 4. 38—and here, alas! idolatry finally triumphed, Ho. 4. 15, 17. Am.5.4. A melancholy example of privileges abused, its name only remains, and not even a ruin tells where it stood.—C.
21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall yask their fathers in time to come,1 saying, What mean these stones?
y ver.6. Ex.12.26,27; 13. 14, 15. De. 6. 20-24. Ps.111.2.
1 Heb. to-morrow.
Notes
[Ver. 4. Twelve men whom he had prepared. By instructing them to come without any other burden, and informing them of their specific duty; and, as is not improbable, by exercising them to lift and carry such stones as would give to future times a remarkable specimen of their strength, as well as a memorial of the miracle the Lord had wrought for the passage of his people—a lively emblem of every one who would, in any office, minister to God and his church. He must be prepared, he must bear upon his shoulder his appointed burden; and when laid down, it is to form a memorial of the grace and power of God. C.]
Ver. 7. [The waters of Jordan were cut off. The scriptural evidence of this and similar miraculous events consist in, (1) An original document, written and published at the time. (2) A public monument erected, or a religious institution appointed, to commemorate the event. (3) A national system of religious instruction founded upon the original document, and perpetuating the history. A system which embodies, vitalizes, and perpetuates tradition, but a system as different from mere tradition as a house builded upon a rock differs from a house builded upon sand. As an example of tradition without scriptural authority take Mat. 15. 3, 6; Col. 2. 8. For the authority of traditions, that is, records delivered on scriptural warrant, see 2 Th. 3. 6; 1 Co. 11. 2, in which last-cited passage the ordinances, or traditions, evidently comprehend the Lord's supper. To traditions so embodied the infidel can produce no rational objection. Read ver. 20-23. See Leslie's Short Way with the Deists, and Dwight on the Lord's Supper. C.]
Reflections.—No care or labour of our own should ever hinder us from that which tends to the immediate honour of God, and the commemoration of his wonderful works. And if not one Israelite, however feeble, perish in trouble or in death, surely it becomes all to keep his mighty works in everlasting remembrance. Never let us hunt after pomp or finery in our memorials; for God has chosen the weak and foolish things of this world to confound all earthly glory. Let every accommodation, even in outward things, render us forward and exemplary in duty. If we be called forth to God's work, we may cheerfully leave all our worldly concerns behind us: and if we have God's presence with us, we need not be weary, nor doubt but we shall safely land at last: for though the years of our pilgrimage should be many and sorrowful, they have an appointed end: let us therefore never hurry out of danger till our work in it be finished. But whatever perilous work God allots to us, let us go through it with proper despatch, never with unbelieving haste: and let us always honour those whom God honours by his providence. The religious inquiries of young people should be encouraged and gratified to the uttermost. If we wish them wise when they are old, they ought to be inquisitive when they are young. But if we wish our present mercies to be doubly sweetened, let us compare them with our former ones.