Joshua 4

1 When the whole [entire, complete] nation [people, Gentile group] had finished [completed, come to an end] crossing [passing over, transitioning] the Jordan [river, boundary], the LORD [Yehovah, God] said [spoke, commanded] to Joshua [leader, successor of Moses], word study 2 “Choose [select, take] twelve men [leaders, representatives] from among the people [nation, community], one [a single, unique] from each tribe [clan, family group], word study 3 and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves [from the midst of, out of the place where the priests were standing] twelve stones from the middle [midst, center] of the Jordan [the river] where the priests [those who serve God, spiritual leaders] were standing, carry them with you [as a reminder, as a witness], and set them down [lay them down, place them] in the place [lodging place, campsite] where you spend the night [will lodge, rest].’” word study 4 So Joshua [the leader] summoned [called out to, invited] the twelve men [leaders, representatives] he had appointed [chosen, prepared] from the Israelites [the children of Israel, God’s people], one [a single, unique] from each tribe [clan, family group], word study 5 and said to them, “Cross over [pass through, transition] before the ark [a chest] of the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] your God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler] into the middle [midst, central part] of the Jordan [a river, a place of spiritual transformation]. Each of you is to take [lift up, carry] a stone [a rock] upon his shoulder [back, burden], according to the number [quantity, amount] of the tribes [clans, families] of Israel [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob], word study 6 to serve as [a miraculous sign, a beacon] a sign [ot, a wonder] among you [in your midst, as a memorial]. In the future [tomorrow, in time to come], when your [sons, descendants] children ask [inquire, seek to know], ‘What [what or how] do these [specific, pointed out] stones [rocks or weights] mean [signify, represent] to you [as a reminder]?’ word study 7 you are to tell them, ‘The waters [liquid, source of refreshment] of the Jordan [a key location, the river] were cut off [separated, divided] before the ark [a box, chest] of the covenant [promise, agreement] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]. When it crossed [passed over, transitioned] the Jordan, the waters [liquid, source of refreshment] were cut off [separated, divided].’ Therefore these stones [rocks, weights] will be a memorial [reminder, commemoration] to the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] forever [always, eternally].” word study 8 Thus [in this manner, accordingly] the Israelites did as Joshua [the Lord’s servant, a leader] had commanded them [given orders to, instructed]. They took up twelve stones from the middle [the midst, central part] of the Jordan [a significant river, a border], one for each tribe [a group of people, a family unit] of Israel [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob], just as the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] had told Joshua [spoken to, guided]; and they carried them to the camp [a place of rest, a settlement], where they set them down [laid them to rest, placed them]. word study 9 Joshua [the leader] also set up twelve stones [a memorial, a monument] in the middle [the midst, the center] of the Jordan [the river], in the place [the location, the spot] where the priests [the spiritual leaders, the Levites] who carried [lifted, bore] the ark [the chest, the container] of the covenant [the agreement, the promise] stood [were stationed, remained]. And the stones [the memorial, the monument] are there [in that place, remaining] to this day [until now, continually]. word study 10 Now the priests [who served as spiritual leaders, mediators between God and the people] who carried the ark [a box or chest] remained standing [firmly established, unwavering] in the middle [center, midst] of the Jordan [a significant river, a border and a barrier] until the people had completed [finished, fulfilled] everything [all things, the entire task] the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] had commanded [given orders, instructed] Joshua [a leader, a successor to Moses] to tell them, just as Moses [a prophet, a leader] had directed [guided, instructed] Joshua. The people hurried [moved quickly, hastened] across [passed over, transitioned], word study 11 and after everyone [all the people, the entire nation] had finished [completed, brought to an end] crossing [to pass over, transition], the priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] with the ark [a box or chest] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] crossed [passed over, transitioned] in the sight [presence, face] of the people [the nation, the community]. word study 12 The Reubenites [children of Reuben], the Gadites [descendants of Gad], and the half-tribe [half of the clan] of Manasseh [son of Joseph] crossed over [passed before, went ahead] before the Israelites [sons of Israel], armed [strong and able-bodied soldiers, well-equipped] for battle [war, combat] as Moses [the leader, prophet] had instructed [spoken to, commanded] them. word study 13 About [forty] 40,000 troops [armed and ready for war, prepared for battle] armed for battle [to rescue, to equip for war] crossed over [passed over, transitioned from one thing to another] before the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] into the plains [the Arabah, a desert plain near the Jordan River] of Jericho [a city in Palestine, the first conquered by the Israelites in Canaan]. word study 14 On that day [a time of great significance] the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] exalted [magnified, made great] Joshua [a leader and successor to Moses] in the sight [eye, perception] of all [every single one] Israel, and they revered [feared, stood in awe] him all the days [the entirety of his life] of his life, just as they had revered [feared, honored] Moses [the great leader and lawgiver]. word study 15 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said [to speak or command] to Joshua [a leader, whose name means God is salvation], word study 16 “Command [to give orders, appoint] the priests [who serve God, spiritual leaders] who carry [lift, bear] the ark [a chest, container] of the Testimony [a witness, God’s laws] to come up [to ascend, rise] from [out of, away from] the Jordan [the river, a boundary].” word study 17 So Joshua [the leader, God’s appointed commander] commanded [to give orders, to appoint] the priests [spiritual leaders, mediators between God and people], “Come up [to ascend, to rise] from [out of, away from] the Jordan [the river].” word study 18 When the priests [who served as mediators between God and the people] carrying the ark [a chest containing the covenant agreement] of the covenant [a promise or agreement between God and His people] of the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] came up [ascended, rose] out of the Jordan and their feet [the lowest part of the body] touched the dry land [a place of stability and solidity], the waters [a spring or watercourse] of the Jordan returned [to turn back, reverse] to their course [the normal or usual path] and overflowed [to flow over, abound] all the banks [the edges or borders of the river] as before [previously, in the past]. word study 19 On the tenth day of the first [primary, initial] month the people [a nation, Amaw] went up [to ascend, rose] from the Jordan [the Jordan River, a key location] and camped [to set up camp, pitch a tent] at Gilgal [a wheel, rolling, a region conquered by Joshua] on the eastern [the direction of the sunrise] border [end, edge] of Jericho [its moon, a city in Palestine]. word study 20 And there at Gilgal [a wheel, rolling, a place of conquest] Joshua [a leader, helper] set up [raised, established] the twelve stones [rocks, memorials] they had taken [removed, carried away] from the Jordan [a river, a boundary]. word study 21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites [the chosen people, descendants of Jacob], “In the future [tomorrow, in time to come], when your children [sons, descendants] ask their fathers [ancestors, spiritual leaders], ‘What [what is the reason for, what mean] is the meaning [significance, purpose] of these stones [memorials, reminders of God’s power]?’ word study 22 you are to tell them [inform, teach], ‘Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants] crossed [passed over, transitioned] the Jordan [the key location, a river] on dry ground [dry land, a miracle].’ word study 23 For the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme deity] dried up [to wither, as a plant without water] the waters [the liquid, a source of refreshment] of the Jordan [the river running from Lebanon to the Dead Sea] before you [in your presence, face to face] until you had crossed over [passed from one side to the other], just as He did [made, performed a miracle] to the Red Sea [the sea of reeds], which He dried up [caused to wither, as a plant without water] before us [in our presence, face to face] until we had crossed over [transitioned from one thing to another]. word study 24 He did this so that all [every nation and people] the peoples of the earth [land, world] may know [recognize, understand] that the hand [power, strength] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] is mighty [strong, powerful], and so that you may always [continually, throughout all your days] fear [revere, stand in awe of] the LORD [Yehovah] your God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler].” word study