Joshua 4:7

tell them that the water in the Jordan River was blocked off when the priests were carrying the chest that contained the Ten Commandments that Yahweh gave us. When the chest was carried into the Jordan River, the water was blocked off so that we could cross the riverbed. These stones will be a memorial for the descendants of us Israeli people forever.”

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

In Context

6Then pile them up to be a memorial for you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’,

8So those Israeli men did what Joshua told them to do. They went and picked up twelve large stones from the middle of the Jordan riverbed, one stone for each of the tribes, just as Yahweh had told Joshua. They carried the stones to their camp and put them down.

Read all of Joshua 4

Cross References

Exodus 28:12Then he should fasten the stones onto the shoulder straps of the sacred apron, to represent the twelve Israeli tribes. In that way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes on his shoulders in order that I, Yahweh, will never forget my people (OR, in order that he will always remember that those tribes belong to Yahweh).

Numbers 16:40That warned the Israeli people that only those who were descendants of Aaron were permitted to burn incense for an offering to Yahweh. If anyone else did that, the same thing that happened to Korah and those who were with him would happen to them.

Deuteronomy 16:3When you eat the Passover meal, the bread that you eat must not have yeast in it. You must eat this kind of bread, which will be called the bread of suffering/misery, for seven days. This is to help you to remember all during the time that you are alive that when your ancestors left Egypt, where they were suffering because they were slaves, they left very quickly. They did not put in yeast and wait for the dough to swell up.

Joshua 4:6Then pile them up to be a memorial for you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’,

Isaiah 66:3You have enjoyed continually doing the things that you want to do: Some of you slaughter oxen to sacrifice them to me, but you also bring human sacrifices to your idols! You sacrifice lambs to me, but you kill dogs to offer them to your gods. You offer grain to me, but you also bring pigs’ blood to your idols. You burn incense to me, but you also praise your idols. You enjoy doing those disgusting things.

Matthew Henry on Joshua 4:2-10

The Passage over the Jordan. ( b. c. 1451.) 1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 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. 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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