Joshua 4:16

16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to come up out of the riverbed.”

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 That day the LORD made Joshua a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites, and for the rest of his life they revered him as much as they had revered Moses.

15 The LORD had said to Joshua,

16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to come up out of the riverbed.”

17 So Joshua gave the command.

18 As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the LORD ’s Covenant came up out of the riverbed and their feet were on high ground, the water of the Jordan returned and overflowed its banks as before.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew Ark of the Testimony.