Joshua 3:17

Joshua 3:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
• New International Version (NIV)The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

Context of Joshua 3:17

15and when those who were carrying the ark came up to the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark stepped down into the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16then the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

Joshua 3:17 word by word

וַיַּעַמְד֣וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֡ים נֹ֠שְׂאֵי הָאָר֨וֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָ֜ה בֶּחָֽרָבָ֛ה בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן הָכֵ֑ן וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל עֹֽבְרִים֙ בֶּחָ֣רָבָ֔ה עַ֤ד אֲשֶׁר־תַּ֙מּוּ֙ כָּל־הַגּ֔וֹי לַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃Read the interlinear

• And the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• who carriedנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: bearH5375
• the arkאֲרוֹן'ârôn 'ârôn · arkH727
• of the covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• stoodעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• firmכּוּןkûn · to establish: establishH3559
• on dryחָֽרָבָהchârâbâh · dry groundH2724
• in the middleתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of the Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
• while allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• crossedעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• untilעַד‛ad · tillH5704
• untilאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• the nationגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• had finishedתָּמַםtâmam · to finishH8552

Cross-references for Joshua 3:17

• Joshua 3:3and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
• Joshua 4:3and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firmly, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the encampment where you will spend the night.’”
• 2 Kings 2:8And Elijah took his coat, folded it, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
• Exodus 14:22So the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.
• Psalms 66:6He turned the sea into dry land; They passed through the river on foot; Let’s rejoice there, in Him!
• Isaiah 25:8He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.
• Hebrews 11:29By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

Commentaries on Joshua 3:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17The priests - stood firm on dry ground - They stood in the mid channel, and shifted not their position till the camp, consisting of nearly 600,000 effective men, besides women, children, etc., had passed over. Is it not surprising that the Canaanites did not dispute this passage with the Israelites? It is likely they would, had they had any expectation that such a passage would have been attempted. They must have known that the Israelitish camp was on the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17The miraculous passage to the holy land through Jordan is not less pregnant with typical meaning than that through the Red Sea (compare 1 Corinthians 10:1-2). The solemn inauguration of Joshua to his office, and his miraculous attestation, by the same waters with which Jesus was baptized on entering on the public exercise of His ministry (compare Matthew 3:16-17); the choice of twelve men, one from each tribe to be the bearers of the twelve stones, and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-17Verses 14-17 Jordan overflowed all its banks. This magnified the power of God, and his kindness to Israel. Although those who oppose the salvation of God's people have all advantages, yet God can and will conquer. This passage over Jordan, as an entrance to Canaan, after their long, weary wanderings in the wilderness, shadowed out the believer's passage through death to heaven, after he has finished his wanderings in this sinful world. Jesus, typified by…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17The repetition of the phrase on dry ground emphasizes that God performed a miracle.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. the priests ... and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground--the river about Jericho has a firm pebbly bottom, on which the host might pass, without inconvenience when the water was cleared off.Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 3:17

• Miracles
• Water

In the dictionaries

• Jordan
• Ark of the Covenant
• Brim
• Clean
• Fail
• Israel
• Zaretan
• Exodus, the Book of
• Gentiles
• Joshua (2)

Commentaries on Joshua 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings