Joshua 4:16-24

16 "Order the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come out of the Jordan River."

17 So Joshua ordered the priests, "Come out of the Jordan."

18 The priests who carried the ark of the LORD's promise came out of the middle of the Jordan. When their feet stepped onto dry land, the water of the Jordan returned to its seasonal flood level.

19 On the tenth day of the first month, the people came out of the Jordan River. They made their camp at Gilgal, just east of Jericho.

20 At Gilgal Joshua set up the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan.

21 He said to the people of Israel, "In the future when children ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?'

22 the children should be told that Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.

23 The LORD your God dried up the Jordan ahead of you until you had crossed, as he did to the Red Sea until we had crossed.

24 The LORD did this so that everyone in the world would know his mighty power and that you would fear the LORD your God every day of your life."

Joshua 4:16-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 4

This chapter relates an order, that is men, should take twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, and carry them to the first place they lodged at as a memorial of their passage over it, Jos 4:1-8; and how Joshua set up twelve other stones in the river itself, Jos 4:9; and how many of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, went before the Israelites when they passed over, Jos 4:10-14; which being done, the priests were ordered to come out of Jordan, when the waters returned to their place, Jos 4:15-18; The time when this miracle was wrought is observed, Jos 4:19; and an account is given of Joshua's pitching the twelve stones taken out of Jordan in Gilgal, and the use they were to be of in future time, Jos 4:20-24.