Joshua 3

Israel stands at the flooded Jordan, with the promised land on the other side. God tells them to follow the ark of the covenant, and the river is cut off as the priests’ feet touch the water. The whole nation crosses on dry ground, and God shows that He is with Joshua and living among His people.

Joshua 3:1

Joshua leads the people from Shittim, their last camp on the east side, down to the Jordan. They go early and without delay. Then they wait at the river’s edge. Before them is a boundary they cannot cross by their own strength.

BSA: Early (“at the break of day, in the morning watch”): Joshua acts at first light, showing ready obedience. Jordan (“the river of separation, a boundary”): The river stands between Israel and the promise.

Joshua 3:2-4

After three days the officers give instructions. When the priests lift the ark, the people are to follow, staying well back. The gap lets everyone see the ark and the way ahead. The road is new to them, so they must trust God’s guidance.

BSA: cubits (“roughly the length of a forearm”): Two thousand cubits is a considerable space, about half a mile, so the ark can be seen by all. follow (“go after, pursue”): Israel’s part is to go where God’s presence goes.

See also: Exodus 25:22.

Joshua 3:5

Joshua tells the people to consecrate themselves, to set themselves apart for God. Wonders are coming, and they should meet God with clean hearts and willing obedience, not with casual curiosity. God’s great works are met with reverence.

BSA: Consecrate (“set apart, sanctify”): They are to be made ready and dedicated to God before He acts. wonders (“miraculous works, amazing things”): God is about to do what only He can do.

Hebrew: הִתְקַדְּשׁוּ (hitqaddeshu, H6942) — “make yourselves holy, set yourselves apart.” The word comes from the idea of being set apart for God. Israel prepares for His work by turning toward Him.

See also: Exodus 19:10-11.

Joshua 3:6

The priests take up the ark and walk ahead of the people. God’s presence, not the army, leads the way. Israel’s confidence rests on the One who goes before them.

BSA: ahead (“before, in front”): The ark goes first, so God opens the road before anyone else steps onto it.

Joshua 3:7-8

God promises to lift Joshua up in Israel’s eyes, so they will see that He is with Joshua as He was with Moses. Then He gives the priests their order: walk to the water’s edge and stand in the Jordan. They must step in before they see the river open.

BSA: exalt (“to magnify, to make great”): God Himself establishes Joshua’s leadership; Joshua does not have to promote himself. with (“together with, in accompaniment”): The heart of the promise is God’s companionship, the same as Moses had.

See also: Joshua 1:5.

Joshua 3:9-10

Joshua gathers the people to hear God’s word. The crossing will prove that the living God is among them, and that He will drive out the peoples of Canaan. Their God is no lifeless idol. He acts, and the power that opens the river will also overcome their enemies.

BSA: listen (“hear and obey”): Real listening to God’s words means acting on them. living (“having life, eternal”): Unlike the gods of Canaan, the true God is alive and acts.

Hebrew: חַי (chai, H2416) — “living, alive.” The Hebrew calls God ’the living God,’ in contrast with idols that cannot see, speak, or save.

See also: Psalm 115:3-7.

Joshua 3:11

The ark is called the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth. The God who rules the whole world is entering this one river ahead of His people. The Jordan is not too big for Him, and neither is any obstacle we face.

BSA: Lord (“Adonay, Master”): He is the Master of everything, including rivers in flood. Behold (“look, see”): Joshua calls the people to fix their eyes on God’s coming action.

Joshua 3:12

Joshua tells the people to pick twelve men, one from each tribe. They will later gather stones from the riverbed as a memorial, as the next chapter explains. Every tribe has a share in what God does here.

BSA: twelve (“two times six”): The number stands for the whole people, every tribe together.

See also: Joshua 4:2-3.

Joshua 3:13

God’s promise is precise. When the priests’ feet touch the water, the river will be cut off and stand in a heap. The miracle follows the step of faith. The title Lord of all the earth is repeated, reminding the people who holds the waters.

BSA: cut off (“stopped, severed”): The river is not merely slowed but sharply broken off from upstream. heap (“a mound, a pile”): The water rises up in a wall-like mass, as at the Red Sea.

See also: Exodus 15:8; Psalm 114:3.

Joshua 3:14-15

The people set out, with the priests carrying the ark ahead. It is harvest time, when the Jordan is at its highest and fullest, its banks overflowing. God chooses the hardest moment, so no one can say it happened by chance or low water.

BSA: harvest season (“time of grain-cutting, when crops are gathered”): The spring harvest coincides with the flooding of the river from melting snow and rain. feet (“the lowest part of the body”): The priests’ obedience goes all the way down to their feet in the water.

Joshua 3:16

As the priests’ feet touch the water, the river stops flowing. It piles up far upstream, near Adam, while the water below drains away toward the Dead Sea. The people cross opposite Jericho, the first city they will face. God has cleared the road.

BSA: stood still (“like a heap, in one place”): The water halts and gathers into a mass, held back by God’s command. cut off (“failed, stopped flowing”): The lower stream runs out completely, leaving the bed bare.

Hebrew: נֵד (ned, H5067) — “heap, mound.” The same word is used of the water at the Red Sea, linking the two crossings as acts of the same God.

See also: Exodus 14:21-22.

Joshua 3:17

The priests stand firm on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed while the whole nation passes by. They hold their place until everyone is across. God’s presence remains steady in the middle of what looked impossible, and His people walk through safely.

BSA: stood firm (“to stand in a strong sense, unwavering”): The priests hold their ground, a picture of steady faith while others pass. dry ground (“a dry and barren land, devoid of water”): The very place that was flood becomes solid footing.

See also: Hebrews 11:29.