New International Version
Joshua 4:9
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 4:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.
Context of Joshua 4:9
7tell 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. Joshua 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. 10Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched.
Read all of Joshua 4Joshua 4:9 word by word
וּשְׁתֵּ֧ים עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה אֲבָנִ֗ים הֵקִ֣ים יְהוֹשֻׁעַ֮ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן֒ תַּ֗חַת מַצַּב֙ רַגְלֵ֣י הַכֹּהֲנִ֔ים נֹשְׂאֵ֖י אֲר֣וֹן הַבְּרִ֑ית וַיִּ֣הְיוּ שָׁ֔ם עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
- set upקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
- twelveעָשָׂר‛âώâr · tenH6240
- twelveשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
- in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
- in the place where the feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
- of the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- which bareנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: bearH5375
- the arkאֲרוֹן'ârôn 'ârôn · arkH727
- of the covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
- stoodמַצָּבmatstsâb · stationH4673
- and they are there unto this dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
Cross-references for Joshua 4:9
- Exodus 24:12The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
- Exodus 28:21There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
- 1 Kings 18:31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”
- Psalms 111:2Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- Joshua 4:20And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.
- Genesis 26:33He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.
- Deuteronomy 34:6He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.
- Judges 1:26He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.
- 1 Samuel 30:25David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.
- 2 Samuel 4:3because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.
- 2 Chronicles 5:9These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.
- Matthew 27:8That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
- Matthew 28:15So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Commentaries on Joshua 4:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan - It seems from this chapter that there were two sets of stones erected as a memorial of this great event; twelve at Gilgal, Joshua 4:20; and twelve in the bed of Jordan, Joshua 4:9. The twelve stones in the bed of Jordan might have been so placed on a base of strong stone-work so high as always to be visible, and serve to mark the very spot where the priests stood with the ark. The twelve stones set…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Another set of stones is intended than that before mentioned. The one set was erected by the command of God at the spot where they passed the night Joshua 4:3; the other by Joshua on the spot where the priests‘ feet rested while they bore up the ark during the passage of the people. This spot was near, or perhaps on, the eastern brink (compare Joshua 3:8). These stones would therefore mark the spot at which the people crossed, as the others marked the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9A second memorial of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River became covered with water when the river resumed its flow. The top of the monument would be visible during the dry summer seasons. are there to this day: This shows that the memorials stood for generations, until the final editing of the book (see Joshua Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. Joshua set up twelve stones ... in the place where the feet of the priests ... stood--In addition to the memorial just described, there was another memento of the miraculous event, a duplicate of the former, set up in the river itself, on the very spot where the ark had rested. This heap of stones might have been a large and compactly built one and visible in the ordinary state of the river. As nothing is said where these stones were obtained, some…Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 4:9
In the dictionaries
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
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