17. the priests . . . and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground—the river about Jericho has a firm pebbly bottom, on which the host might pass, without inconvenience when the water was cleared off. read more
The Israelites crossed the Jordan when the river was at its widest, deepest, and swiftest, in late April or early May. As the snow on Mt. Hermon melts and the rainy season ends, the Jordan rises to a depth of 10-12 feet and floods to a width of 300-360 feet at this point today. Normally it is only 150-180 feet wide here. However, in Joshua’s day the river may only have been full up to its banks, as the Hebrew text suggests. The people considered crossing the river at this time of year by... read more
The Passage of JordanThis is the initial miracle of Joshua’s leadership. Its moral effect upon the Israelite host is suggested in Joshua 3:7 and Joshua 4:14 that wrought upon the Canaanites in Joshua 5:1 (which properly belongs to this section of the book). 3. The ark of the covenant of the Lord your God] see Exodus 25:10-22 and Exodus 37:1-9. It was the authoritative symbol of the Divine Presence (cp. Exodus 23:20.), and as such led the van in the desert marches (Numbers 10:33-36). The priests... read more
(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, but as it was not actually in the city, the word in was most likely altered to from. The more difficult... read more
Joshua 3:0 'In the mosaics of the earliest churches of Rome and Ravenna,' says Dean Stanley, 'before Christian and pagan art were yet divided, the Jordan appears as a river-god pouring his streams out of his urn. The first Christian Emperor had always hoped to receive his long-deferred baptism in the Jordan up to the moment when the hand of death struck him at Nicomedia.... Protestants, as well as Greeks and Latins, have delighted to carry off its waters for the same sacred purpose to the... read more
CHAPTER IX.JORDAN DIVIDED.Joshua Ch. 3-4.AT Joshua’s command the priests carrying the ark are again in motion. Bearing the sacred vessel on their shoulders, they make straight for the bank of the river. "The exact spot is unknown; it certainly cannot be that which the Greek tradition has fixed, where the eastern banks are sheer precipices of ten or fifteen feet high. Probably it was either immediately above or below, where the cliffs break away; above at the fords, or below where the river... read more
3. The Passage of Jordan CHAPTER 3 1. The Ark of Jehovah going before (Joshua 3:1-6 ) 2. Jehovah’s words to Joshua (Joshua 3:7-8 ) 3. Joshua’s words to the people (Joshua 3:9-13 ) 4. The passage accomplished (Joshua 3:14-17 ) The River Jordan divided the people from the promised land. To be in the land Jordan had to be crossed. Jordan, overflowing all its banks at that time (verse 15), rolled its dark waters between them and their God-given possession. Only the power of God could... read more
3:17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood {g} 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.(g) Either tarrying till the people were past, or as some read, sure, as though they had been on dry land. read more
THE CROSSING OF JORDAN (vv. 1-17) The next morning Joshua arose early and led Israel to the river. There may be a question as regards the three days spoken of in chapter 2:11 and the three days the spies hid.Whether the latter two are the same three days spoken of in chapter 2:11 seems to be rather unclear; but the spiritual lesson of three days is the most important, speaking of resurrection, thus Israel acting in "newness of life," the energy of resurrection power. The people were told... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Joshua 3:16
16. the waters which came down from above—that is, the Sea of Galilee stood and rose up upon a heap—"in a heap," a firm, compact barrier (Exodus 15:8; Psalms 78:13); very far—high up the stream; from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan—near mount Sartabeh, in the northern part of the Ghor (1 Kings 7:46); that is, a distance of thirty miles from the Israelitish encampment; and those that came down toward the sea of the desert—the Dead Sea—were cut off (Psalms 114:2; Psalms 114:3). The river... read more