Joshua 4:16

16 Give orders to the priests who take up the ark of witness, to come up out of Jordan.

Joshua 4:16 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 4:16

Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony
In all places before, in this history, the ark is called the ark of the covenant, here the ark of the testimony, which signifies the same thing, the law; which was both the covenant between God and the people, and a testimony of his will unto them; the Septuagint version has both words:

that they come up out of Jordan;
where they stayed until all the people passed over, for the encouragement of them, and until they received this order.

Joshua 4:16 In-Context

14 That day the Lord made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel; and all the days of his life they went in fear of him, as they had gone in fear of Moses.

15 Then the Lord said to Joshua,

16 Give orders to the priests who take up the ark of witness, to come up out of Jordan.

17 So Joshua gave orders to the priests, saying, Come up now out of Jordan.

18 And when the priests who took up the ark of the Lord's agreement came up out of Jordan and their feet came out on to dry land, the waters of Jordan went back to their place, overflowing its edges as before.