Joshua 4:16

16 "Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony^[a] to come up from the 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 On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses.

15 The Lord told Joshua,

16 "Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan."

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up from the Jordan."

18 When the priests carrying the ark of the Lord's covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet stepped out on solid ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course, flowing over all the banks as before.

Footnotes

• [a]. The ark of the covenant