Joshua 4:11

11 And it happened, when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed [over] in front of the people.

Joshua 4:11 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 4:11

And it came to pass, when the people were clean passed over,
&c.] Every one of them, as in ( Joshua 3:17 ) ( 4:1 ) ;

that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence
of the people;
that is, the priests bearing the ark came out of the midst of Jordan in the sight of all the people, who were on the banks of it, on the other side, where they had been stationed during the passage of the people; though this motion of them was not until they received an order for it, of which there is an after mention. The Septuagint version reads, "and the stones before them"; see ( Joshua 4:8 ) .

Joshua 4:11 In-Context

9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant [stood], and they are there to this day.

10 The priests carrying the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was finished, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua. And the people hastily crossed [over].

11 And it happened, when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed [over] in front of the people.

12 The children of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed [over] armed before the {Israelites}, as Moses told them.

13 About forty thousand armed for fighting crossed [over] before the presence of Yahweh to the plains of Jericho for battle.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "before the presence"