Joshua 3 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Joshua 3

Israel Crosses the Jordan

3:1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits¹ in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7 The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth² is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Footnotes

[1] 3:4 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
[2] 3:11 Hebrew the ark of the covenant, the Lord of all the earth

Commentary

v1: Having received the information from the spies, Joshua started to prepare the people.

v2: Delegated leadership, as the officers took instructions through the camp.

v3: The people had to follow the ark of the covenant, which gave God's direction.

v4: They had to keep a distance from the ark, as a mark of reverence. But they had never been this way before; there was the necessity of trust, in God, and in their leaders, and especially in Joshua.

v5: The people's part was to be sanctified, ready to receive God's blessing.

v6: The role of the priests, in leading the way. The people had to follow.

v7: God would magnify Joshua in the sight of the people; this was fulfilled in 4.14. As with Moses, the people learned to respect their leader.

Joshua had never shared the people's grumbling and rebellion, he had always been loyal to Moses, and now he expects that the people will be loyal to him.

v9-13: "Certainly", or "without fail"; victory was certain, for God had promised it. The people would enter the land, and they would occupy it. As part of the great miracle of the occupation of the land, there was the (lesser) miracle of the waters of the Jordan ceasing to let the people cross.

v14-15: The Jordan was in flood; in contrast, in 2.7, the spies crossed by a ford. Presumably a more convenient spot had to be found for many thousands of people. We see God's power, that a flooding river presents no barrier.

The arrival at harvest time was also part of God's provision, as the miraculous supply of manna ceased. It is interesting that the river flooded at harvest time, which was the time of Passover (5.10); we think this is unusual, but the writer’s comment is evidence of detailed truth.

v16-17: As soon as the priests' feet touched the water, the waters ceased, and "piled up" a distance away, giving them space to cross over. This remained the case whilst the whole people crossed over; presumably this was a period of several hours. We note too that the priests stood on dry, not muddy, ground. This was part of the miracle that God did.