joshua-3:8-web

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 3:7-13

We may observe here how God honours Joshua, and by this wondrous work he is about to do designs to make Israel know that he is their governor, and then how Joshua honours God and endeavours by it to make Israel know that he is their God. Thus those that honour God he will honour, and those whom he has advanced should do what they can in their places to exalt him. I. God speaks to Joshua to put honour upon him, Josh. 3:7, 8. 1. It was a great honour God id him that he spoke to him as he had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 3:8

And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the Lord ,.... Who were subject to Joshua, the chief governor of the nation, and general of the army, as well as the common people; and whose commands they were to obey, and especially when they appeared to be from the Lord: saying, when ye come to the brink of the water of Jordan ; not of the bank of it, but of the water, which had now overflowed its bank; that is, the brink or extremity of it, which was nearest to them, and to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 3:8

Ye shall stand still in Jordan - The priests proceeded first with the ark, and entered into the bed of the river the course of which was immediately arrested, the waters collecting above the place where the priests stood, while the stream fell off towards the Dead Sea; so that the whole channel below where the priests were standing became dry. The whole camp, therefore, passed over below where the priests were standing, keeping at the distance of two thousand cubits from the ark;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 3:7-17

The passage of Jordan. I. THE MINISTRY OF JOSHUA AND JESUS BEGAN AT JORDAN . As with Joshua at his crossing, so with Jesus at His baptism, God marked the moment of their coming to Jordan with a special favour. For as the waters of the Red Sea ( 1 Corinthians 10:2 ), so the waters of Jordan are the type of Christian baptism. In connection with the wandering in the wilderness, the stream of Jordan is the type of death, which admits us to the promised land. But in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 3:8

And thou shalt command the priests . We have not here the whole command. That is to be found in Joshua 3:13 . To the brink עַד־קְצֵה . Literally, to the end, i.e; the end or brink of the waters at the eastern side. There they halted, and as long as the ark remained there, the waters of Jordan ceased to flow. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Joshua 3:8

Joshua 3:8. The brink of Jordan Hebrew, to the extremity, so far as the river then spread itself, which was now more than ordinary, Joshua 3:15. Ye shall stand still 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 people were passed over. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Joshua 3:1-17

Crossing the Jordan River (3:1-5:1)Israel’s conquest of Jericho was more than just a military exercise. It had religious meaning. The Israelites were to cleanse themselves before God, because he was the one who would lead them against their enemies. His presence was symbolized in the ark of the covenant (GNB: covenant box), which the priests carried ahead of the procession in full view of the people (3:1-6).As God had worked through Moses, so he would work through Joshua. Just as the waters of... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Joshua 3:7-10

"And Jehovah 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. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God. And Joshua said, Hereby shall ye know that the living God is... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Joshua 3:8

Ver. 8. When ye are come to the brink, &c.— The Hebrew is, so soon as ye are come to the extremity of the water: by which we are certainly to understand the eastern limit of the river, whose waters were now out beyond the banks; just as if Joshua had said to the priests, "Without waiting till you are entered into the common bed of Jordan, as soon as your feet are wetted with its waters, stop, and there rest, till you see what the divine power will effect." Some able interpreters understand... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Joshua 3:1-12

B. Entrance into the land 3:1-5:12The entrance into the land was an extremely important event in the life of Israel. The writer marked it off in three major movements. Each one begins with a command from God to Joshua (Joshua 3:7-8; Joshua 4:1-3; and Joshua 4:15-16), followed by the communication of the command to the people, and then its execution. The way the narrator told the story seems designed to impress on the reader that it was Yahweh who was bringing His people miraculously into the... read more