To the brink, Heb. to the extremity; so far as the river then spread itself, which was now more than ordinary, Joshua 3:5. In Jordan; within the waters of Jordan, in the first entrance into the river; where they stood for a season, till the river was divided, and then they went into the midst of it, as it is implied, Joshua 3:17, and there abode till all the people were passed over, as it follows in the history. read more
CRITICAL NOTES.—Joshua 3:1. In the morning] The morning after the addresses and reply recorded in chap. Joshua 1:10-18. From Shittim to Jordan] Josephus (v. 1. 1) gives the distance as sixty stadia, or furlongs, being nearly eight English miles. Lodged there] i.e., rested there till the return of the spies, and till the completion of the time named in chap. Joshua 1:11. There is nothing in the verse which requires the misleading conjecture that they lodged here only one night. Joshua 3:2. After... read more
Chapter 3As we get into chapter three,Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and they came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and they lodged there before they passed over. And they commanded the people, and he said, Now when you see the ark of the covenant moving out, you stay behind it two thousand cubits: [Which is about a half mile that they were to stay behind the ark, maybe two-thirds of a mile back from the ark of the covenant.] and the Levites... read more
Joshua 3:5 . Sanctify yourselves, by washings and purifications. The Persians, when commissioned to march against Babylon, are called God’s sanctified ones; for the ministers of his vengeance are holy. Isaiah 13:3. Joshua 3:13 . The waters of Jordan. The river near the place where the Israelites passed was a rapid stream; its depth is from five to six feet, and its breadth about twenty yards. But by overflowing its banks it has worked an outward bank at the distance of two hundred and... read more
Joshua 3:2-8When ye see the ark . . . go after it.The good superseded by the betterHitherto the Israelites had been led on their way by the pillar of cloud. But now that was to be seen no more. With the death of Moses, apparently, it had disappeared. So the ark is to take the place of the pillar of cloud. It is better that there should come sometimes these changes of form--changes in the method of the Divine communication with men, or their communication with Him, though we are apt to quarrel... read more
Jos 3:8 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. Ver. 8. Ye shall stand still in Jordan. ] "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which he will show you today," as Exodus 14:13 . Believe and prosper: consent and obey, and ye shall eat the good things of the land. read more
command: Joshua 3:3, 1 Chronicles 15:11, 1 Chronicles 15:12, 2 Chronicles 17:8, 2 Chronicles 17:9, 2 Chronicles 29:4-1 Kings :, 2 Chronicles 29:15, 2 Chronicles 29:27, 2 Chronicles 29:30, 2 Chronicles 30:12, 2 Chronicles 31:9, 2 Chronicles 31:10, 2 Chronicles 35:2-Joshua :, Nehemiah 12:24-Hosea :, Nehemiah 13:22, Nehemiah 13:28 ye shall stand: Joshua 3:17, Exodus 14:13, Lamentations 3:26 Reciprocal: Joshua 4:11 - that the ark read more
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.The brink — Heb. to the extremity, so far as the river then spread itself, which was now more than ordinary, Joshua 3:15.In Jordan — Within the waters of Jordan, in the first entrance into the river; Where they stood for a season, 'till the river was divided, and then they went into the midst of it, and there abode 'till all the... read more
THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN. Joshua 3:1-17. Immediately after the return of the spies, or possibly before this event, the Israelites leave their long occupied camp at Shittim, and move to the banks of the Jordan. A nation moving toward a swollen and angry river with perfect confidence that they should cross it, and yet in perfect ignorance of the manner of such an achievement, is a spectacle of thrilling moral sublimity. Thus marched Moses with the Hebrew people to the Red Sea. read more
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Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 3:1-17
Joshua 3:1 to Joshua 5:1 . The Crossing of Jordan.— Here we begin to meet with more serious difficulties. The old tradition was that after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, they commemorated the event by the erection of twelve stones. But this simple narrative existed in two recensions, which differed as to the destination of these memorial stones. According to one account, they were to be placed in the midst of the river; according to the other, they were to be set up on the W. side of... read more