Joshua 4:7

Joshua 4:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
• English Standard Version (ESV)then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

Context of Joshua 4:7

5and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” 8So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

Joshua 4:7 word by word

וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֣ם לָהֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִכְרְת֜וּ מֵימֵ֤י הַיַּרְדֵּן֙ מִפְּנֵי֙ אֲר֣וֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָ֔ה בְּעָבְרוֹ֙ בַּיַּרְדֵּ֔ן נִכְרְת֖וּ מֵ֣י הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְ֠הָיוּ הָאֲבָנִ֨ים הָאֵ֧לֶּה לְזִכָּר֛וֹן לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then ye shall answerאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• them, That the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
• of Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
• were cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the arkאֲרוֹן'ârôn 'ârôn · arkH727
• of the covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• when it passed overעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• and these stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• shall be for a memorialזִכָּרוֹןzikrôn · memorialH2146
• unto the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• forעַד‛ad · tillH5704
• everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769

Cross-references for Joshua 4:7

• Joshua 3:13And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
• Joshua 4:6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’
• Exodus 12:14“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.
• Exodus 28:12and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord.
• Exodus 30:16Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.”
• Numbers 16:40as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.
• Psalms 111:4He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
• Isaiah 66:3But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;
• 1 Corinthians 11:24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Commentaries on Joshua 4:7

• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-76-7. That this may be a sign among you--The erection of cairns, or huge piles of stones, as monuments of remarkable incidents has been common among all people, especially in the early and rude periods of their history. They are the established means of perpetuating the memory of important transactions, especially among the nomadic people of the East. Although there be no inscription engraved on them, the history and object of such simple monuments are…Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 4:7

• Ark
• Instruction
• Pillar
• Stones
• Token

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Jordan
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Jordan River, Jordan
• Ark of the Covenant
• Children of Israel
• Ark
• Catechist; Catechumen
• David

Commentaries on Joshua 4

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings