Bible Chapter Summary
Joshua 4 Summary
Twelve Stones Memorial at Gilgal
After all Israel has crossed the Jordan on dry land, the LORD commands Joshua to have twelve men — one from each tribe — carry twelve stones from the riverbed to the camp at Gilgal as a perpetual memorial of the crossing. Joshua also sets up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan where the priests' feet had stood. The priests bearing the ark remain in the river until everything is complete, and the moment their feet touch dry land the Jordan's waters return to flood stage. The people encamp at Gilgal on the tenth day of the first month, where Joshua erects the twelve stones and instructs Israel to use them as a teaching sign for future generations, comparing the Jordan crossing to the drying of the Red Sea, so that all the earth might know the mighty hand of the LORD.
Key themes
Key verses
Joshua 4:7
“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.”
Joshua 4:14
“On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.”
Joshua 4:18
“And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.”
Joshua 4:24
“That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.”
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