Joshua 3:16

Joshua 3:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
• New International Version (NIV)the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

Context of Joshua 3:16

14So it came to pass. When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the kohanim were carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of the people. 15Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as those who were carrying the ark came into the Jordan and the feet of the kohanim carrying the ark dipped in the edge of the water, the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the town next to Zarethan. What was flowing down to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17Yet the kohanim carrying the ark of the covenant of Adonai stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan.

Joshua 3:16 word by word

וַיַּעַמְד֡וּ הַמַּיִם֩ הַיֹּרְדִ֨ים מִלְמַ֜עְלָה קָ֣מוּ נֵד־אֶחָ֗ד הַרְחֵ֨ק מְאֹ֜ד מֵֽאָדָ֤ם הָעִיר֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ מִצַּ֣ד צָֽרְתָ֔ן וְהַיֹּרְדִ֗ים עַ֣ל יָ֧ם הָעֲרָבָ֛ה יָם־הַמֶּ֖לַח תַּ֣מּוּ נִכְרָ֑תוּ וְהָעָ֥ם עָבְר֖וּ נֶ֥גֶד יְרִיחֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• That the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
• which came downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• from aboveמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
• stoodעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• rose upקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• upon anאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• heapנֵדnêd · heapH5067
• veryמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• farרָחַקrâchaq · to removeH7368
• from the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• Adamאָדָם'âdâm · AdamH121
• besideצַדtsad · sideH6654
• Zaretanצָֽרְתָןtsârethân · ZarethanH6891
• toward the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• of the plainעֲרָבָה‛ărâbâh · (Sea of) the ArabahH6160
• the saltמֶ֫לַחmelach · Salt (Sea)H4417
• failedתָּמַםtâmam · to finishH8552
• were cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• and the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• passed overעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• right against Jerichoיְרִיחוֹyerîychô yerêchô yerîychôh · JerichoH3405

Cross-references for Joshua 3:16

• Joshua 3:13It will come to pass when the soles of the feet of the kohanim who are carrying the ark of Adonai, Sovereign of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the Jordan’s waters will be cut off. The waters coming downstream will stand up in one heap.”
• Psalms 29:10Adonai sits enthroned over the flood. Yes, Adonai sits as King forever.
• Psalms 77:19The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind. Lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook.
• Psalms 114:3The sea saw and fled, the Jordan turned back.
• Matthew 8:26He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became totally calm.
• Matthew 14:24But the boat was already a long way from land, tossed around by the waves, for the wind was against it.
• 1 Kings 4:12Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as beyond Jokmeam;
• 1 Kings 7:46The king had them cast in the plain of the Jordan, with clay of the ground between Sukkot and Zarethan.
• Joshua 15:2Their southern border was from the lower end of the Salt Sea, from the bay projecting southward.
• Genesis 14:3All of these kings joined forces in the Valley of the Siddim (this is the Salt Sea).
• Numbers 34:3Your southern side will run from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom to the southern end of the Dead Sea on the east.
• Deuteronomy 3:17and the Arabah, with the Jordan as the border from Kinneret as far as the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah eastward.

Commentaries on Joshua 3:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Rose up upon a heap - That is, they continued to accumulate, filling up the whole of the channel toward the source, and the adjacent ground over which they were now spread, to a much greater depth, the power of God giving a contrary direction to the current. We need not suppose them to be gathered up like a mountain, instar montis, as the Vulgate expresses it, but that they continued to flow back in the course of the channel; and ere they could have…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The passage should run “rose up, an heap far away, by Adam, the city which is beside Zarthan.” The city of Adam is not named elsewhere, and Zarthan (mentioned here and in marginal references.) has also disappeared. It is, however, probably connected with the modern Kurn Sartabeh (Horn of Sartabeh), the name given to a lofty and isolated hill some 17 miles on the river above Jericho.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. 16Two amazing events happened. First, the water … backed up as far upstream as Adam. This was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away. Second, the whole bed of the river dried up as the remaining water flowed to the Salt Sea.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1714-16. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, &c.--To understand the scene described we must imagine the band of priests with the ark on their shoulders, standing on the depressed edge of the river, while the mass of the people were at a mile's distance. Suddenly the whole bed of the river was dried up; a spectacle the more extraordinary in that it took place in the time of harvest, corresponding to our April or May--when "the…Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 3:16

• Adam
• Dead Sea
• Miracles
• Salt
• Water
• Zaretan

In the dictionaries

• Adam
• Jericho
• Salt Sea
• Salt Sea, or Dead Sea
• Salt Sea, Dead Sea
• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Adam, the city of
• Admah
• Arabah
• Ark

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