1Und es geschah, als das ganze Volk über den Jordan gezogen war, sprach Jehova zu Josua: 2Nehmet euch aus dem Volke zwölf Männer, von jedem Stamme Einen Mann; 3diesen gebietet und sprechet: nehmet euch von hier aus der Mitte des Jordans, da, wo die Füße der Priester standen, zwölf Steine, und bringet sie mit euch hinüber, und setzet sie an den Ort, wo ihr die Nacht euch lagert. 4Da rief Josua den zwölf Männern, die er aus den Söhnen Israels bestimmt hatte, Einen Mann aus jedem Stamme. 5Und Josua sprach zu ihnen: Gehet vor der Bundeslade Jehova's, eures Gottes, hin in die Mitte des Jordans, und ein Jeder hebe sich einen Stein auf seine Schulter, nach der Zahl der Stämme der Söhne Israels, 6damit dieß ein Denkzeichen sey unter euch. Fragen euch eure Kinder künftig, und sprechen: Was sollen euch diese Steine? 7So sollet ihr ihnen sagen: Weil sich die Gewässer des Jordans schieden vor der Bundeslade Jehova's; (als sie nämlich durch den Jordan ging, da schieden sich die Gewässer des Jordans;) darum sollen diese Steine zum ewigen Denkmal dienen für die Söhne Israels. 8Und die Söhne Israels machten es so, wie Josua geboten hatte, und nahmen zwölf Steine aus der Mitte des Jordans, wie Jehova zu Josua gesagt hatte, nach der Zahl der Stämme der Söhne Israels, und brachten sie mit sich hinüber an den Ort, wo sie ihr Nachtlager hielten, und setzten sie dort nieder. 9Und zwölf Steine richtete Josua auf mitten in dem Jordan an dem Orte, wo die Füße der Priester standen, welche die Bundeslade trugen; und sie sind daselbst bis auf diesen Tag. 10Und die Priester, welche die Lade trugen, standen in der Mitte des Jordans, bis Alles ausgerichtet war, was Jehova dem Josua geboten hatte, zu reden an das Volk, ganz wie Mose dem Josua geboten hatte. Und eilends zog das Volk hinüber. 11Und es geschah, als das ganze Volk hinüber gegangen war, ging auch die Lade Jehova's hinüber, und die Priester vor dem Volke her. 12Und es zogen die Söhne Rubens, die Söhne Gads, und der halbe Stamm Manasse gerüstet vor den Söhnen Israels her, wie Mose zu ihnen gesagt hatte. 13Bei vierzig tausend, gerüstet zum Heere, zogen vor Jehova zum Streit, in die Ebene Jericho's. 14An diesem Tage machte Jehova den Josua groß vor den Augen von ganz Israel, so daß sie ihn fürchteten, wie sie Mose gefürchtet hatten, sein Leben lang. 15Und Jehova sprach zu Josua: 16Gebiete den Priestern, welche tragen die Lade der Verordnungen, daß sie aus dem Jordan steigen. 17Und Josua gebot den Priestern und sprach: Steiget aus dem Jordan! 18Und es geschah, als die Priester, welche die Bundeslade Jehova's trugen, aus der Mitte des Jordans heraufstiegen, und die Fußsohlen der Priester auf das Trockene kamen; da kehrten die Gewässer des Jordans an ihre Stelle zurück, und floßen wie zuvor in seinem ganzen Ufer. 19Und das Volk stieg aus dem Jordan am zehnten des ersten Monates, und lagerte sich zu Gilgal auf der östlichen Seite Jericho's. 20Und jene zwölf Steine, welche sie aus dem Jordan genommen hatten, richtete Josua auf zu Gilgal. 21Und er sprach zu den Söhnen Israels: Fragen künftig eure Kinder ihre Väter, und sprechen: Was sollen diese Steine? 22So sollet ihr euren Kindern kund thun, und sprechen: Israel ging im Trockenen durch diesen Jordan. 23Denn Jehova, euer Gott, trocknete vor euch her die Gewässer des Jordans, bis ihr hinübergegangen waret; wie es Jehova, euer Gott, mit dem Schilfmeer machte, das er trocknete vor uns, bis wir hinübergezogen waren; 24damit alle Völker auf der Erde erkennen Jehova's Hand, wie stark sie sey; damit ihr fürchtet Jehova, euern Gott, alle Zeit.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 TWELVE STONES TAKEN FOR A MEMORIAL OUT OF JORDAN. (
Josh 4:1-
Josh 4:8)
the Lord spake unto Joshua, Take you twelve men--each representing a tribe. They had been previously chosen for this service (
Josh 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.
4 Joshua called the twelve men--They had probably, from a feeling of reverence, kept back, and were standing on the eastern bank. They were now ordered to advance. Picking up each a stone, probably as large as he could carry, from around the spot "where the priests stood," they pass over before the ark and deposit the stones in the place of next encampment (
Josh 4:19-
Josh 4:20), namely, Gilgal.
6 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 traditionally preserved from age to age. Similar was the purpose contemplated by the conveyance of the twelve stones to Gilgal: it was that they might be a standing record to posterity of the miraculous passage of the Jordan.
8 the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded--that is, it was done by their twelve representatives.
9 TWELVE STONES SET UP IN THE MIDST OF JORDAN. (
Josh 4:9)
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 have imagined that they might have been gathered in the adjoining fields and deposited by the people as they passed the appointed spot.
they are there unto this day--at least twenty years after the event, if we reckon by the date of this history (
Josh 24:26), and much later, if the words in the latter clause were inserted by Samuel or Ezra.
10 THE PEOPLE PASS OVER. (
Josh 4:10-
Josh 4:13)
the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan--This position was well calculated to animate the people, who probably crossed below the ark, as well as to facilitate Joshua's execution of the minutest instructions respecting the passage (
Num 27:21-
Num 27:23). The unfaltering confidence of the priests contrasts strikingly with the conduct of the people, who "hasted and passed over." Their faith, like that of many of God's people, was, through the weakness of nature, blended with fears. But perhaps their "haste" may be viewed in a more favorable light, as indicating the alacrity of their obedience, or it might have been enjoined in order that the the whole multitude might pass in one day.
11 the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people--The ark is mentioned as the efficient cause; it had been the first to move--it was the last to leave--and its movements arrested the deep attention of the people, who probably stood on the opposite bank, wrapt in admiration and awe of this closing scene. It was a great miracle, greater even than the passage of the Red Sea in this respect: that, admitting the fact, there is no possibility of rationalistic insinuations as to the influence of natural causes in producing it, as have been made in the former case.
12 the children of Reuben . . . passed over armed before the children of Israel--There is no precedency to the other tribes indicated here; for there is no reason to suppose that the usual order of march was departed from; but these are honorably mentioned to show that, in pursuance of their promise (
Josh 1:16-
Josh 1:18), they had sent a complement of fighting men to accompany their brethren in the war of invasion.
13 to the plains of Jericho--That part of the Arabah or Ghor, on the west, is about seven miles broad from the Jordan to the mountain entrance at Wady-Kelt. Though now desert, this valley was in ancient times richly covered with wood. An immense palm forest, seven miles long, surrounded Jericho.
14 GOD MAGNIFIES JOSHUA. (
Josh 4:14-
Josh 4:24)
On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel--It appeared clear from the chief part he acted, that he was the divinely appointed leader; for even the priests did not enter the river or quit their position, except at his command; and thenceforward his authority was as firmly established as that of his predecessor.
18 it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark . . . were come out of the midst of Jordan . . . that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place--Their crossing, which was the final act, completed the evidence of the miracle; for then, and not till then, the suspended laws of nature were restored, the waters returned to their place, and the river flowed with as full a current as before.
19 the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month--that is, the month Nisan, four days before the passover, and the very day when the paschal lamb required to be set apart, the providence of God having arranged that the entrance into the promised land should be at the feast.
and encamped in Gilgal--The name is here given by anticipation (see on
Josh 5:9). It was a tract of land, according to JOSEPHUS, fifty stadia (six and one-half miles) from Jordan, and ten stadia (one and one-fourth miles) from Jericho, at the eastern outskirts of the palm forest, now supposed to be the spot occupied by the village Riha.
20 those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal--Probably to render them more conspicuous, they might be raised on a foundation of earth or turf. The pile was designed to serve a double purpose--that of impressing the heathen with a sense of the omnipotence of God, while at the same time it would teach an important lesson in religion to the young and rising Israelites in after ages.