Joshua 3:1

The Israelites Cross the Jordan

1 Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Acacia Grove. And they came up to the Jordan, he and all the {Israelites}, and they spent the night there before they crossed [over].

Joshua 3:1 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 3:1

And Joshua rose early in the morning
The morning after the spies had returned and made their report; which, as Kimchi rightly observes, was the ninth of Nisan; for on the morrow, which was the tenth, the people passed over Jordan, see ( Joshua 3:5 ) ( 4:19 ) . Moses, according to the Jewish writers, died on the seventh of Adar or February; the thirty days of his mourning ended the seventh of Nisan or March; two days before they were ended the spies were sent, who returned on the eighth day of the month; and the morning following Joshua rose early, which shows his readiness and alacrity to proceed in the expedition he was directed and encouraged to:

and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan;
from Shittim in the plains of Moab, to the river Jordan:

he and all the children of Israel;
he as their general, and they an army of six hundred thousand fighting men under him, besides women and children, and others that came along with them:

and lodged there before they passed over;
lay there encamped a night before they passed over the river Jordan.

Joshua 3:1 In-Context

1 Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Acacia Grove. And they came up to the Jordan, he and all the {Israelites}, and they spent the night there before they crossed [over].
2 At the end of the three days the officers passed through the midst of the camp,
3 and they commanded the people: "When you see the Levitical priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God you must set out from your place and go after it.
4 [But] there will be a distance between you and it of about two thousand cubits in measurement. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way that you must go, for you have not passed on [this] way {before}."
5 And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, because tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders in your midst."

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Hebrew "Shittim"
  • [b]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.