Joshua 4:1-6

1 It happened, when all the nation were clean passed over the Yarden, that the LORD spoke to Yehoshua, saying,

2 Take twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

3 and command you them, saying, Take hence out of the midst of the Yarden, out of the place where the Kohanim' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where you shall lodge this night.

4 Then Yehoshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Yisra'el, out of every tribe a man:

5 and Yehoshua said to them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Yarden, and take up every man of you a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Yisra'el;

6 that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, What do you mean by these stones?

Joshua 4:1-6 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.