Joshua 4:23

23 This was because the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you crossed over. This was exactly what the LORD your God did to the Reed Sea. He dried it up before us until we crossed over.

Joshua 4:23 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 4:23

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from
before you, until ye were passed over
As this is supposed to be said in future time, and to persons who were not upon the spot when this was done, and so entirely ignorant of the affair; it is not to be understood of them personally, but of the same people they were of, the people of Israel in former times, of their ancestors, and of them in them; the benefits of which they enjoyed by possessing the land of Canaan their fathers were at this time introduced into:

as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before
us, until we were gone over;
for though the generation of men, for the most part, was dead, that passed through the Red sea; yet as Joshua himself, and Caleb and Eleazar, and it may be some others that were not among the murmurers, were still living, for whom that miracle was wrought, this way of speaking is very properly made use of; and especially when it is observed, that there were many of the present generation then young, which passed over, and even those unborn were in and represented by their ancestors, and who enjoyed the advantages of that wonderful mercy; so these two strange events are joined together, as instances of divine power and goodness, in ( Psalms 114:3 Psalms 114:5 ) .

Joshua 4:23 In-Context

21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future your children will ask their parents, ‘What about these stones?'
22 Then you will let your children know: ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.'
23 This was because the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you crossed over. This was exactly what the LORD your God did to the Reed Sea. He dried it up before us until we crossed over.
24 This happened so that all the earth's peoples might know that the LORD's power is great and that you may always revere the LORD your God."

Footnotes 1

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