Joshua 4:23

23 for our Lord God dried the waters thereof in our sight, till that we over-passed it, as he did before in the Red Sea, which he dried while we passed [over], (for the Lord our God dried up its waters before us, until we had crossed over it, like he did before at the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up so we could cross over it,)

Joshua 4:23 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 4:23

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from
before you, until ye were passed over
As this is supposed to be said in future time, and to persons who were not upon the spot when this was done, and so entirely ignorant of the affair; it is not to be understood of them personally, but of the same people they were of, the people of Israel in former times, of their ancestors, and of them in them; the benefits of which they enjoyed by possessing the land of Canaan their fathers were at this time introduced into:

as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before
us, until we were gone over;
for though the generation of men, for the most part, was dead, that passed through the Red sea; yet as Joshua himself, and Caleb and Eleazar, and it may be some others that were not among the murmurers, were still living, for whom that miracle was wrought, this way of speaking is very properly made use of; and especially when it is observed, that there were many of the present generation then young, which passed over, and even those unborn were in and represented by their ancestors, and who enjoyed the advantages of that wonderful mercy; so these two strange events are joined together, as instances of divine power and goodness, in ( Psalms 114:3 Psalms 114:5 ) .

Joshua 4:23 In-Context

21 And he said to the sons of Israel, When your sons shall ask tomorrow their fathers, and shall say to them, What will these stones be mean(ing)? (And he said to the Israelites, When your sons and daughters shall ask their fathers tomorrow, and shall say to them, What mean ye by these stones?)
22 ye shall teach them, and say, We passed this Jordan by the dry bottom, (ye shall teach them, and say, We crossed over the Jordan River on dry land,)
23 for our Lord God dried the waters thereof in our sight, till that we over-passed it, as he did before in the Red Sea, which he dried while we passed [over], (for the Lord our God dried up its waters before us, until we had crossed over it, like he did before at the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up so we could cross over it,)
24 that all the peoples of (the) earth learn, or know, (of) the full strong might of the Lord, and that ye dread your Lord God in all time. (so that all the peoples of the earth can learn, or come to know, of the strong might, or the powerful hand, of the Lord, and so that ye shall fear the Lord your God forevermore/and so that ye shall revere the Lord your God forevermore.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.