New Living Translation
Joshua 4:3
3Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
Joshua 4:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
- New International Version (NIV)and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)and command them, saying, 'Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ”
Context of Joshua 4:3
1When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2“Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’” 4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Read all of Joshua 4Joshua 4:3 word by word
וְצַוּ֣וּ אוֹתָם֮ לֵאמֹר֒ שְׂאֽוּ־לָכֶ֨ם מִזֶּ֜ה מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּ֗ן מִמַּצַּב֙ רַגְלֵ֣י הַכֹּהֲנִ֔ים הָכִ֖ין שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה אֲבָנִ֑ים וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּ֤ם אוֹתָם֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם וְהִנַּחְתֶּ֣ם אוֹתָ֔ם בַּמָּל֕וֹן אֲשֶׁר־תָּלִ֥ינוּ ב֖וֹ הַלָּֽיְלָה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- ye them, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Takeנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: raiseH5375
- you hence out of the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
- out of the place where the priests’כֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
- stoodמַצָּבmatstsâb · stationH4673
- firmכּוּןkûn · to establish: establishH3559
- twelveעָשָׂר‛âώâr · tenH6240
- twelveשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
- and ye shall carry them overעָבַר‛âbar · to pass: bringH5674
- with you, and leaveיָנַחyânach · to restH3240
- them in the lodging placeמָלוֹןmâlôn · lodgingH4411
- where ye shall lodgeלוּןlûn lîyn · to lodgeH3885
- this nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
Cross-references for Joshua 4:3
- Joshua 3:13The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”
- Joshua 24:27Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.”
- Genesis 28:22And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
- Deuteronomy 27:1Then Moses and the leaders of Israel gave this charge to the people: “Obey all these commands that I am giving you today.
- 1 Samuel 7:12Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”
- Psalms 103:2Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
- Psalms 11:4But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.
- Luke 19:40He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
- Joshua 4:18As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant came up out of the riverbed and their feet were on high ground, the water of the Jordan returned and overflowed its banks as before.
Commentaries on Joshua 4:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Where ye shall lodge this night - This was in the place that was afterwards called Gilgal. See Joshua 4:19.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-81-3. the Lord spake unto Joshua, Take you twelve men--each representing a tribe. They had been previously chosen for this service (Jos 3:12), and the repetition of the command is made here solely to introduce the account of its execution. Though Joshua had been divinely instructed to erect a commemorative pile, the representatives were not apprised of the work they were to do till the time of the passage.Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 4:3
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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