Joshua 12 – “A Summary of the Israelite Conquest”

tally marks numbers counting listHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

The kingdoms that Moses conquered east of the Jordan and that Joshua conquered west of the Jordan are listed.

II. Photo

The kings defeated by Joshua are listed one by one: “The king of Jerusalem: 1; The king of Hebron: 1; The king of Jarmuth: 1; The king of Lachish: 1…” (vv. 10-11)

III. Select Verses

1-6: The following are the local kings whom the Israelites defeated and whose territories they took possession of: East of the Jordan, from the Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon, including the eastern half of the Arabah:  King Sihon of the Amorites, who resided in Heshbon and ruled over part of Gilead — from Aroer on the bank of the Wadi Arnon and the wadi proper up to the Wadi Jabbok [and] the border of the Ammonites — and over the eastern Arabah up to the Sea of Chinnereth and, southward by way of Beth-jeshimoth at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah on the east, down to the Sea of the Arabah, that is, the Dead Sea. Also the territory of King Og of Bashan — one of the last of the Rephaim — who resided in Ashtaroth and in Edrei and ruled over Mount Hermon, Salcah, and all of Bashan up to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, as also over part of Gilead [down to] the border of King Sihon of Heshbon.These were vanquished by Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites; and Moses, the servant of the LORD, assigned that territory as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

7-8:  And the following are the local kings whom Joshua and the Israelites defeated on the west side of the Jordan — from Baal-gad in the Valley of the Lebanon to Mount Halak, which ascends to Seir — which Joshua assigned as a possession to the tribal divisions of Israel:  in the hill country, in the lowlands, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb — [in the land of] the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

24:  Total number of kings 31.

IV. Outline

1-6. Transjordanian conquest

    1. Introduction to Israel’s Transjordanian conquests

    2-3. Sihon: from the Arnon to the Jabbok, plus the Arabah

    4-5. Og: the Bashan and northern Gilead

    6. Summary: Moses conquered and allotted the Transjordanian lands to Reuben, Gad, and Half Manasseh

7-24. Cisjordanian conquest

    7-8. Introduction to Joshua’s Cisjordanian conquests

    9-24. The 31 Cisjordanian kings

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 11 – “Joshua Defeats the Kings of the Land”

sand beachHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

Joshua defeats the local kings who rally against him and conquers the land.

 

II. Photo

The local kings assemble against Joshua: “They took the field with all their armies, an enormous host, as numerous as the sands on the seashore.” (v. 4)

 

 

III. Select Verses

1-5: When the news reached King Jabin of Hazor, he sent messages to King Jobab of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, and to the other kings in the north — in the hill country, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the lowlands, and in the district of Dor on the west;  to the Canaanites in the east and in the west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon, in the land of Mizpah.  They took the field with all their armies — an enormous host, as numerous as the sands on the seashore — and a vast multitude of horses and chariots. All these kings joined forces; they came and encamped together at the Waters of Merom to give battle to Israel.

6-9:  But the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; tomorrow at this time I will have them all lying slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.” So Joshua, with all his fighting men, came upon them suddenly at the Waters of Merom, and pounced upon them. The LORD delivered them into the hands of Israel, and they defeated them and pursued them all the way to Great Sidon and Misrephothmaim, and all the way to the Valley of Mizpeh on the east; they crushed them, letting none escape. And Joshua dealt with them as the LORD had ordered him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

15: Just as the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses had charged Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

23: Thus Joshua conquered the whole country, just as the LORD had promised Moses; and Joshua assigned it to Israel to share according to their tribal divisions. And the land had rest from war.

 

 

IV. Outline

1-5. The king of Hazor forms an alliance against Israel

6. Yahweh guarantees victory to Joshua

7-9. Complete victory for Israel

10-12. The herem of Hazor and other cities

13. Exception to the herem: villages aside from Hazor

14. Exception to the herem: cattle and objects, but not people

15. Joshua compared to Moses

16-20. Summary: Joshua conquers the land

21-22. Joshua expels the Anakites from the land

23. Summary: Joshua conquered and allotted the entire land

 

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 10 – “The Five Amorite Kings; Conquering the Land”

hand sunHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

Joshua protects Gibeon from the Amorites, stops the sun and moon, and conquers the land.

II. Photo

Joshua stops the sun: “Joshua addressed Yahweh; he said in the presence of the Israelites: ‘Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon, O moon, in the Valley of Aijalon!’ And the sun stood still And the moon halted.” (vv. 12-13)

III. Select Verses

5-7: The five Amorite kings — the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, with all their armies — joined forces and marched on Gibeon, and encamped against it and attacked it.  The people of Gibeon thereupon sent this message to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not fail your servants; come up quickly and aid us and deliver us, for all the Amorite kings of the hill country have gathered against us.”  So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his whole fighting force, all the trained warriors.

11: While they were fleeing before Israel down the descent from Beth-horon, the LORD hurled huge stones on them from the sky, all the way to Azekah, and they perished; more perished from the hailstones than were killed by the Israelite weapons.

12-14: On that occasion, when the LORD routed the Amorites before the Israelites, Joshua addressed the LORD; he said in the presence of the Israelites: “Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon, O moon, in the Valley of Aijalon!” And the sun stood still And the moon halted, While a nation wreaked judgment on its foes — as is written in the Book of Jashar. Thus the sun halted in midheaven, and did not press on to set, for a whole day;  for the LORD fought for Israel. Neither before nor since has there ever been such a day, when the LORD acted on words spoken by a man.

24-27: And when the kings were brought out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and ordered the army officers who had accompanied him, “Come forward and place your feet on the necks of these kings.” They came forward and placed their feet on their necks.  Joshua said to them, “Do not be frightened or dismayed; be firm and resolute. For this is what the LORD is going to do to all the enemies with whom you are at war.”  After that, Joshua had them put to death and impaled on five stakes, and they remained impaled on the stakes until evening.  At sunset Joshua ordered them taken down from the poles and thrown into the cave in which they had hidden. Large stones were placed over the mouth of the cave, [and there they are] to this very day.

40-42: Thus Joshua conquered the whole country: the hill country, the Negeb, the Shephelah, and the slopes, with all their kings; he let none escape, but proscribed everything that breathed — as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.  Joshua conquered them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, all the land of Goshen, and up to Gibeon. All those kings and their lands were conquered by Joshua at a single stroke, for the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

IV. Outline

1-27. The five amorite kings

    1-4. Five Amorite kings conspire against Gibeon

    5. The kings attack

    6-7. The Gibeonites enlist Joshua’s protection

    8. Yahweh’s encouragement

    9-10. The Israelites are victorious

    11. Yahweh kills the survivors with hail

    12-14. Joshua stops the sun and moon at Gibeon

    15. The Israelites return to Gilgal

    16. The five Amorite kings hide in the cave of Makkedah

    17-18. Joshua plugs the cave

    19-21. The Israelites finish their attack (again)

    22. The cave is opened

    23-24. The necks of the kings are trampled

    25. Lesson

    26-27. Public display of the corpses

28-43. Conquering the land

    28. The herem of Makkedah

    29-30. The herem of Libnah

    31-32. The herem of Lachish

    33. The army of Gezer is defeated

    34-35. The herem of Eglon

    36-37. The herem of Hebron

    38-39. The herem of Debir

    40-42. Summary: Joshua conquered the land

    43. The Israelites return to Gilgal (again)

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 9 – “The Gibeonites’ Ruse”

water bucketHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

The Gibeonites dress in costume and trick the Israelites into a peace treaty. The Israelites consequently force the Gibeonites to do degrading labor.

II. Photo

The Gibeonites are punished: “They became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole community, as the chieftains had decreed concerning them.” (v. 21)

 

III. Select Verses

1-2:  When all the kings west of the Jordan — in the hill country, in the Shephelah, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea up to the vicinity of Lebanon, the [land of the] Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites — learned of this, they gathered with one accord to fight against Joshua and Israel.

3-6:  But when the inhabitants of Gibeon learned how Joshua had treated Jericho and Ai,  they for their part resorted to cunning. They set out in disguise: they took worn-out sacks for their asses, and worn-out waterskins that were cracked and patched;  they had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and threadbare clothes on their bodies; and all the bread they took as provision was dry and crumbly.  And so they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We come from a distant land; we propose that you make a pact with us.”

14-15: The men took [their word] because of their provisions, and did not inquire of the LORD.  Joshua established friendship with them; he made a pact with them to spare their lives, and the chieftains of the community gave them their oath.

27: That day Joshua made them hewers of wood and drawers of water — as they still are — for the community and for the altar of the LORD, in the place that He would choose.

 

 

IV. Outline

1-2. Regional kings unite against the Israelites

3-15. The Gibeonites trick the Israelites into a treaty

16. The Israelites learn that they were tricked

17-21. A decision to make the Gibeonites servants

22-23. Joshua curses the Gibeonites to slavery

24-25. The Gibeonites explain themselves

26. Joshua does not kill them

27. Historical note about the Gibeonites

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 8 – “The Capture of Ai; Blesses and Curses at Mount Ebal”

smoke fire distance natureHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

The Israelites ambush Ai and kill its 12,000 inhabitants. Joshua recites Moses’ teaching of blessings and curses upon Mount Ebal.

 

II. Photo

The soldiers of Ai are doomed: “The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising to the sky; they had no room for flight in any direction.” (v. 20a)

 

III. Select Verses

1-2:  The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be frightened or dismayed. Take all the fighting troops with you, go and march against Ai. See, I will deliver the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land into your hands. You shall treat Ai and her king as you treated Jericho and her king; however, you may take the spoil and the cattle as booty for yourselves. Now set an ambush against the city behind it.”

18: The LORD then said to Joshua, “Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will deliver it into your hands.” So Joshua held out the javelin in his hand toward the city.

24-25: When Israel had killed all the inhabitants of Ai who had pursued them into the open wilderness, and all of them, to the last man, had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites turned back to Ai and put it to the sword. The total of those who fell that day, men and women, the entire population of Ai, came to twelve thousand.

29: And the king of Ai was impaled on a stake until the evening. At sunset, Joshua had the corpse taken down from the stake and it was left lying at the entrance to the city gate. They raised a great heap of stones over it, which is there to this day.

30-35: At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,  as Moses, the servant of the LORD, had commanded the Israelites — as is written in the Book of the Teaching of Moses — an altar of unhewn stone upon which no iron had been wielded. They offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD, and brought sacrifices of well-being.  And there, on the stones, he inscribed a copy of the Teaching that Moses had written for the Israelites.  All Israel — stranger and citizen alike — with their elders, officials, and magistrates, stood on either side of the Ark, facing the levitical priests who carried the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant. Half of them faced Mount Gerizim and half of them faced Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded them of old, in order to bless the people of Israel.  After that, he read all the words of the Teaching, the blessing and the curse, just as is written in the Book of the Teaching.  There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read in the presence of the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the strangers who accompanied them.

 

IV. Outline

1-2. Yahweh guarantees the conquest of Ai

3-8. Joshua’s ambush plan

9-17. Joshua draws the soldiers of Ai out of the city

18. Joshua’s javelin: the symbol of destruction

19. Ai is set ablaze

20-22. The soldiers of Ai are killed

23. The king is spared

24 All the Israelites attack Ai

25. The victims of Ai are 12,000

26. Joshua’s javelin is withdrawn

27. The people’s booty

28. Ai becomes a mound of ruins

29. The king is killed, displayed, and buried under stones

30-31a. Joshua builds an altar on Mt. Ebal in accordance with the teaching of Moses

31b. Sacrifices

32-35. The writing and reciting of blessings and curses at Mt. Ebal, in accordance with the teahing of Moses

 

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 7 – “The Herem and its Consequences”

shovel ground dirtHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

The Israelites are defeated at Ai because the herem (proscription) of Jericho is violated. Achan admits his guilt and he and his entire family are stoned to death.

 

II. Photo

The misappropriated items are found : “Joshua sent messengers, who hurried to the tent; and there it was, buried in his tent, with the silver underneath.” (v. 22)

 

 

III. Select Verses

2-5: Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which lies close to Beth-aven — east of Bethel — with orders to go up and spy out the country. So the men went up and spied out Ai.  They returned to Joshua and reported to him, “Not all the troops need go up. Let two or three thousand men go and attack Ai; do not trouble all the troops to go up there, for [the people] there are few.”  So about three thousand of the troops marched up there; but they were routed by the men of Ai. The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, pursuing them outside the gate as far as Shebarim, and cutting them down along the descent. And the heart of the troops sank in utter dismay.

10-12: But the LORD answered Joshua: “Arise! Why do you lie prostrate?  Israel has sinned! They have broken the covenant by which I bound them. They have taken of the proscribed and put it in their vessels; they have stolen; they have broken faith!  Therefore, the Israelites will not be able to hold their ground against their enemies; they will have to turn tail before their enemies, for they have become proscribed. I will not be with you any more unless you root out from among you what is proscribed.

16-18: Early next morning, Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes; and the tribe of Judah was indicated.  He then had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of Zerah was indicated. Then he had the clan of Zerah come forward by ancestral houses, and Zabdi was indicated.  Finally he had his ancestral house come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was indicated.

22-26:  Joshua sent messengers, who hurried to the tent; and there it was, buried in his tent, with the silver underneath.  They took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and displayed them before the LORD.  Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah — and the silver, the mantle, and the wedge of gold — his sons and daughters, and his ox, his ass, and his flock, and his tent, and all his belongings, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.  And Joshua said, “What calamity you have brought upon us! The LORD will bring calamity upon you this day.” And all Israel pelted him with stones. They put them to the fire and stoned them.  They raised a huge mound of stones over him, which is still there. Then the anger of the LORD subsided. That is why that place was named the Valley of Achor — as is still the case.

 

 

IV. Outline

1. The herem is violated

2-5. Defeat at Ai

6-9. Joshua’s complaint

10-12. Yahweh’s condemnation

13-15. Command to purify and appear before Yahweh

16-18. Achan of Judah is indicated

19-21. Achan admits his guilt

22-23. The misappropriated items are found

24-25. Achan and his family are stoned

26. Yahweh is pleased; The etymology of the Valley of Achor

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 6 – “Jericho is Destroyed”

knife-bloodHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

Joshua carries out Yahweh’s plan and destroys the city of Jericho.

 

II. Photo

Jericho is destroyed: “[The Israelites] exterminated everything in the city with the sword: man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass.” (v. 21)

 

III. Select Verses

2-5: The LORD said to Joshua, “See, I will deliver Jericho and her king [and her] warriors into your hands. Let all your troops march around the city and complete one circuit of the city. Do this six days, with seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns preceding the Ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. And when a long blast is sounded on the horn — as soon as you hear that sound of the horn — all the people shall give a mighty shout. Thereupon the city wall will collapse, and the people shall advance, every man straight ahead.”

20-21: So the people shouted when the horns were sounded. When the people heard the sound of the horns, the people raised a mighty shout and the wall collapsed. The people rushed into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they captured the city. They exterminated everything in the city with the sword: man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass.

25: Only Rahab the harlot and her father’s family were spared by Joshua, along with all that belonged to her, and she dwelt among the Israelites — as is still the case. For she had hidden the messengers that Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26: At that time Joshua pronounced this oath: “Cursed of the LORD be the man who shall undertake to fortify this city of Jericho: he shall lay its foundations at the cost of his first-born, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest.”

27: The LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

 

IV. Outline

1. Introduction: Jericho is fortified

2-5. Yahweh tells Joshua the plan

6-7. Joshua relates the plan

8-9. The ark advances with priests, shofars, and guards

10. Joshua instructs the nation for the proper attack

11. The first day of circling Jericho

12-14. The next five days of circling Jericho

15. The city is circled seven times on the seventh day

16-19. Joshua orders the attack; all items are to be put to the herem-ban; Rahab is to be saved

20. The wall of Jericho falls

21. All the city’s inhabitants are killed

22-23. Rahab’s family is saved

24. Precious metals are donated to Yahweh, all else is burned

25. Rahab joins the Israelites

26. Joshua curses any future builder of Jericho

27. Joshua’s fame spreads

 

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 5 – “Circumcision and Passover in Canaan”

flint knife blade stone making carving handHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

The Israelites are circumcised at the hill of foreskins, which is renamed Gilgal. The people celebrate Passover and Joshua is approached by the general of Yahweh’s army.

 

II. Photo

The Israelites are circumcised: “Joshua made flint knives and the Israelites were circumcised at the hill of foreskins.” (v. 3)

 

III. Select Verses

1: When all the kings of the Amorites on the western side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites near the Sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the sake of the Israelites until they crossed over, they lost heart, and no spirit was left in them because of the Israelites.

2-3:  At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and proceed with a second circumcision of the Israelites.”  So Joshua had flint knives made, and the Israelites were circumcised at Gibeath-haaraloth.

10-12: Encamped at Gilgal, in the steppes of Jericho, the Israelites offered the passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the month, toward evening. On the day after the passover offering, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the country, unleavened bread and parched grain.  On that same day, when they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. The Israelites got no more manna; that year they ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

13-15. Once, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him, drawn sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and asked him, “Are you one of us or of our enemies?”  He replied, “No, I am captain of the LORD’s host. Now I have come!” Joshua threw himself face down to the ground and, prostrating himself, said to him, “What does my lord command his servant?” The captain of the LORD’s host answered Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

 

IV. Outline

1. Fear amongst the Amorites and Canaanites

2. Yahweh’s call for circumcision

3. Joshua circumcises the people

4-7. History of Israel’s circumcision since Egypt

8. The people rest

9. The etymology of Gilgal

10-12. The passover and cessation of manna

13-15. Joshua is greeted by Yahweh’s general

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 4 – “The Stones from the Jordan”

flowing water riverHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

Twelve stones from the Jordan are set up at Gilgal as a remembrance for the miraculous crossing of the Jordan. Joshua also sets up twelve stones within the Jordan itself.

 

II. Photo

The Jordan returns to normal: “As soon as the priests who bore the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant came up out of the Jordan, and the feet of the priests stepped onto the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course, flowing over its entire bed as before.” (v. 18)

 

III. Select Verses

4-7:  Joshua summoned the twelve men whom he had designated among the Israelites, one from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, “Walk up to the Ark of the LORD your God, in the middle of the Jordan, and each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder — corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel.  This shall serve as a symbol among you: in time to come, when your children ask, ‘What is the meaning of these stones for you?’  you shall tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off because of the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant; when it passed through the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ And so these stones shall serve the people of Israel as a memorial for all time.”

9: Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the spot where the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood; and they have remained there to this day.

14:  On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, so that they revered him all his days as they had revered Moses.

18: As soon as the priests who bore the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant came up out of the Jordan, and the feet of the priests stepped onto the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course, flowing over its entire bed as before.

 

IV. Outline

1-3. Yahweh’s command to gather twelve stones from the Jordan

4-5. Joshua relates the command to the tribal leaders

6-7. Joshua’s rationale

8. The tribal leaders act out the command

9. Joshua sets up stones within the Jordan

10-11. The people and ark complete the crossing

12-13. Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh crossed first

14. Joshua’s veneration equals Moses’

15-16. Yahweh’s command for the priests to leave the Jordan

17. Joshua relates the command

18. The waters return after the priests leave

19. Calendrical statement; Encampment at Gilgal

20. Joshua sets up the twelve stones at Gilgal

21-24. Joshua’s rationale

 

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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Joshua 3 – “Miraculous Crossing at the Jordan”

Feet wet water pool river lakeHebrew-English Text

I. Summary

Yahweh promises to exalt Joshua in the eyes of the people. The Jordan river is halted and the people cross on dry land.

 

II. Photo

The priests get their feet wet: “As soon as the bearers of the Ark reached the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the Ark dipped into the water at its edge, the waters coming down from upstream piled up in a single heap a great way off.” (vv. 15b-16a)

 

III. Select Verses

5: And Joshua said to the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will perform wonders in your midst.”

7: The LORD said to Joshua, “This day, for the first time, I will exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they shall know that I will be with you as I was with Moses.

9-10: And Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the LORD your God.  By this,” Joshua continued, “you shall know that a living God is among you, and that He will dispossess for you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.”

14-17:  When the people set out from their encampment to cross the Jordan, the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant were at the head of the people.  Now the Jordan keeps flowing over its entire bed throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the bearers of the Ark reached the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the Ark dipped into the water at its edge, the waters coming down from upstream piled up in a single heap a great way off, at Adam, the town next to Zarethan; and those flowing away downstream to the Sea of the Arabah (the Dead Sea) ran out completely. So the people crossed near Jericho.  The priests who bore the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant stood on dry land exactly in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry land, until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

 

IV. Outline

1. Waiting at the Jordan

2-4. The leaders’ order to follow the ark

5. Joshua’s order to purify

6. Joshua orders the ark to advance

7-8. Yahweh promises to exalt Joshua in the Jordan

9-13. Joshua predicts the stopping of the water

14-17. The people cross the Jordan on dry land while the ark waits in the middle

 

V. Comment

No comment today. Stay tuned.

 

VI. Works Used

(see “Commentaries” page)

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