King James Version
Joshua 3
17 verses with commentary
Crossing the Jordan
And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Joshua's early rising and journey to Jordan with all Israel shows decisive leadership. Early action demonstrates diligence in pursuing God's purposes.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**III.
THE PASSAGE OF JORDAN** (Joshua 3:1 to Joshua 4:18, inclusive).
Joshua 3:1-6, preliminaries; 3:7- 4:14, the passage of the people and Joshua 4:15-18, the passage of the ark itself.
(1) **They removed from Shittim.**—See Note on Joshua 2:1. Shittim may be called the last stage of the Exodus of Israel, “their journeyings according to their goings out” (Numbers 33:2). The march from Shittim to...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-29. Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God--**The whole congregation of Israel, of all ages and conditions, all--young as well as old; menials as well as masters; native Israelites as well as naturalized strangers--all were assembled before the tabernacle to renew the Sinaitic covenant. None of them were allowed to consider themselves as exempt from the terms of that national c...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Israelites come to Jordan.(1-6)
The Lord encourages joshua--Joshua encourages the people.
(7-13)
The Israelites pass through Jordan on dry land.(14-17)
**Verses 1-6**
The Israelites came to Jordan in faith, having been told that they should pass it. In the way of duty, let us proceed as far as we can, and depend on the Lord. Joshua led them. ...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The three-day waiting period at Jordan before crossing allowed preparation for the miracle. Patient waiting for God's timing precedes dramatic action.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **After three days.**—See Joshua 1:2.
(2-6) PRELIMINARY ORDERS.—The priests are to bear the ark. This was usually the duty of the Levites of the family of Kohath; but both at the passage of Jordan and the taking of Jericho, the priests were employed as bearers. The people must be sanctified, as they were in preparation for the giving of the law at Sinai (in Exodus 19). And the ark itself takes...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-29. Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God--**The whole congregation of Israel, of all ages and conditions, all--young as well as old; menials as well as masters; native Israelites as well as naturalized strangers--all were assembled before the tabernacle to renew the Sinaitic covenant. None of them were allowed to consider themselves as exempt from the terms of that national c...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Israelites come to Jordan.(1-6)
The Lord encourages joshua--Joshua encourages the people.
(7-13)
The Israelites pass through Jordan on dry land.(14-17)
**Verses 1-6**
The Israelites came to Jordan in faith, having been told that they should pass it. In the way of duty, let us proceed as far as we can, and depend on the Lord. Joshua led them. ...
Read full commentary →And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The command to 'follow the ark of the covenant' establishes divine presence as Israel's guide. Where God goes, His people follow. The ark represented God's covenant promise and presence, making it appropriate to follow. This demonstrates the principle that God's presence, not human wisdom, should direct God's people's path.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-29. Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God--**The whole congregation of Israel, of all ages and conditions, all--young as well as old; menials as well as masters; native Israelites as well as naturalized strangers--all were assembled before the tabernacle to renew the Sinaitic covenant. None of them were allowed to consider themselves as exempt from the terms of that national c...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Israelites come to Jordan.(1-6)
The Lord encourages joshua--Joshua encourages the people.
(7-13)
The Israelites pass through Jordan on dry land.(14-17)
**Verses 1-6**
The Israelites came to Jordan in faith, having been told that they should pass it. In the way of duty, let us proceed as far as we can, and depend on the Lord. Joshua led them. ...
Read full commentary →Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore . heretofore: Heb. since yesterday, and the third day
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The instruction that 'there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure' maintained reverence before the ark. Proximity without irreverence—they followed closely enough to see but not so close as to treat holy things casually. This balances intimacy and reverence in approaching God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-29. Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God--**The whole congregation of Israel, of all ages and conditions, all--young as well as old; menials as well as masters; native Israelites as well as naturalized strangers--all were assembled before the tabernacle to renew the Sinaitic covenant. None of them were allowed to consider themselves as exempt from the terms of that national c...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Israelites come to Jordan.(1-6)
The Lord encourages joshua--Joshua encourages the people.
(7-13)
The Israelites pass through Jordan on dry land.(14-17)
**Verses 1-6**
The Israelites came to Jordan in faith, having been told that they should pass it. In the way of duty, let us proceed as far as we can, and depend on the Lord. Joshua led them. ...
Read full commentary →And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Joshua's command to "sanctify yourselves" (<em>hitqaddešû</em>, הִתְקַדְּשׁוּ) uses the Hebrew reflexive form, indicating self-consecration through ritual purification and spiritual preparation. This term appears before major divine encounters—Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:10-15), covenant renewal (Joshua 7:13), and here before crossing Jordan. The sanctification involved washing garments, abstaining fro...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Israelites come to Jordan.(1-6)
The Lord encourages joshua--Joshua encourages the people.
(7-13)
The Israelites pass through Jordan on dry land.(14-17)
**Verses 1-6**
The Israelites came to Jordan in faith, having been told that they should pass it. In the way of duty, let us proceed as far as we can, and depend on the Lord. Joshua led them. ...
Read full commentary →And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Joshua's command to priests to 'take up the ark and pass over before the people' placed covenant presence in the vanguard, demonstrating God leads His people.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 3
Chapter Outline
The Israelites come to Jordan.(1-6)
The Lord encourages joshua--Joshua encourages the people.
(7-13)
The Israelites pass through Jordan on dry land.(14-17)
**Verses 1-6**
The Israelites came to Jordan in faith, having been told that they should pass it. In the way of duty, let us proceed as far as we can, and depend on the Lord. Joshua led them. ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
God's promise to magnify Joshua 'in the sight of all Israel' shows divine vindication of appointed leadership. Public miracles establish leaders' credibility.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **The Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee . . .**—Compare Joshua 4:14, “on that day the Lord magnified Joshua.” These words mark the beginning and end of the section. The details that follow in Joshua 4:15, &c., seem to be added by way of appendix. The passage of Jordan, being the principal event, is exhibited by itself; and other particulars of attendant circumstances...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-13**
The waters of Jordan shall be cut off. This must be done in such a way as never was done, but in the dividing of the Red sea. That miracle is here repeated; God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people, as to begin it; the WORD of the Lord was as truly with Joshua as with Moses. God's appearances for his people ought to encourage faith and hope. God's work is pe...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The instruction for priests to 'stand still in Jordan' required faith to step into flooding river before waters parted. Obedience precedes miracle.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-13**
The waters of Jordan shall be cut off. This must be done in such a way as never was done, but in the dividing of the Red sea. That miracle is here repeated; God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people, as to begin it; the WORD of the Lord was as truly with Joshua as with Moses. God's appearances for his people ought to encourage faith and hope. God's work is pe...
Read full commentary →And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Joshua's command to 'come hither, and hear the words of the LORD' gathers Israel for prophetic announcement before the crossing miracle.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-13**
The waters of Jordan shall be cut off. This must be done in such a way as never was done, but in the dividing of the Red sea. That miracle is here repeated; God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people, as to begin it; the WORD of the Lord was as truly with Joshua as with Moses. God's appearances for his people ought to encourage faith and hope. God's work is pe...
Read full commentary →And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Joshua's prophetic declaration establishes the Jordan crossing as proof of God's presence and power. The phrase 'the living God' (<em>El chai</em>, אֵל חַי) contrasts Yahweh with Canaan's dead idols—He is alive, active, and powerful to save. This title emphasizes God's vitality and ability to intervene in history, as opposed to the lifeless gods of the nations who can neither hear, speak, nor act ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-13**
The waters of Jordan shall be cut off. This must be done in such a way as never was done, but in the dividing of the Red sea. That miracle is here repeated; God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people, as to begin it; the WORD of the Lord was as truly with Joshua as with Moses. God's appearances for his people ought to encourage faith and hope. God's work is pe...
Read full commentary →Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The identification of the ark as 'the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth' emphasizes God's universal sovereignty, not merely tribal deity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **The ark of the covenant.**—The ten commandments are presented throughout this narrative as a *covenant. *So Exodus 34:28, “the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” It must be remembered that a promise precedes all the commandments. “I am Jehovah thy God.” The “ten words” that follow are the *testimony *to His character who commanded the covenant. (See *Silver Sockets, *p. 28.) The ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-13**
The waters of Jordan shall be cut off. This must be done in such a way as never was done, but in the dividing of the Red sea. That miracle is here repeated; God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people, as to begin it; the WORD of the Lord was as truly with Joshua as with Moses. God's appearances for his people ought to encourage faith and hope. God's work is pe...
Read full commentary →Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The selection of twelve men, one from each tribe, prepares for memorial stone gathering, ensuring corporate participation in commemoration.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Take you twelve men.**—These were selected beforehand and kept in readiness, that there might be no delay in the work which they had to do (Joshua 4:3).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-13**
The waters of Jordan shall be cut off. This must be done in such a way as never was done, but in the dividing of the Red sea. That miracle is here repeated; God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people, as to begin it; the WORD of the Lord was as truly with Joshua as with Moses. God's appearances for his people ought to encourage faith and hope. God's work is pe...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse predicts the specific miracle God will perform—waters piling up upstream when priests' feet touch the Jordan. The title 'the Lord of all the earth' (<em>adon kol-haarets</em>, אֲדוֹן כָּל־הָאָרֶץ) emphasizes Yahweh's universal sovereignty over all creation, not merely Israel's tribal deity but the cosmic King. This title appears rarely in Scripture (Micah 4:13; Zechariah 4:14; 6:5), hig...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **The soles of the feet of the priests.**—Observe that the priests, the ark-bearers, did not stand in the middle of the *bed *of the river, but at the edge of the flood. They had no need to advance further. As soon as their feet “rested” in the overflow, “Jordan was driven back.” The waters descending from the north as it were recoiled and shrank away, and stood up in “one heap.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-13**
The waters of Jordan shall be cut off. This must be done in such a way as never was done, but in the dividing of the Red sea. That miracle is here repeated; God has the same power to finish the salvation of his people, as to begin it; the WORD of the Lord was as truly with Joshua as with Moses. God's appearances for his people ought to encourage faith and hope. God's work is pe...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The people removing from tents to cross Jordan shows obedient movement when God commands advance despite flooded conditions.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ha...
Read full commentary →And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The timing when Jordan 'overfloweth all his banks' makes the miracle unmistakable—this wasn't crossing at dry season but at flood stage.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30 De 30:1-10. Great Mercies Promised unto the Penitent.
**1-10. when all these things are come upon thee, ... and thou shalt return ... then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity--**The hopes of the Hebrew people are ardently directed to this promise, and they confidently expect that God, commiserating their forlorn and fallen condition, will yet rescue them from all the evils of thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ha...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The waters standing 'upon an heap very far from...Adam' shows miracle's comprehensive scope affecting long river stretches, not local phenomenon.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan.**—The written text is *“in *Adam,” but the Masorites read it *“from *Adam.” The reading makes no difference to the literal fact. The two prepositions, *in and from, *express the same thought. The heap of water stood up as it were in Adam. From Adam to the place where Israel crossed, the river-bed was dry—the heap was as far away as Adam, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 30:11-14. The Commandment Is Manifest.
**11-14. For this commandment ... is not hidden ... neither is it far off--**That law of loving and obeying God, which was the subject of Moses' discourse, was well known to the Israelites. They could not plead ignorance of its existence and requirements. It was not concealed as an impenetrable mystery in heaven, for it had been revealed; nor was it caref...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ha...
Read full commentary →And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse describes the fulfillment of God's promise—the miracle occurred exactly as predicted. The phrase 'stood firm' (<em>amad nakon</em>, עָמַד נָכוֹן) emphasizes stability and security; the priests weren't tentatively balanced but firmly established on dry ground. Their position 'in the midst of Jordan' (<em>betok hayarden</em>, בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן) meant they stood in the riverbed's center...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 30:11-14. The Commandment Is Manifest.
**11-14. For this commandment ... is not hidden ... neither is it far off--**That law of loving and obeying God, which was the subject of Moses' discourse, was well known to the Israelites. They could not plead ignorance of its existence and requirements. It was not concealed as an impenetrable mystery in heaven, for it had been revealed; nor was it caref...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 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 ha...
Read full commentary →