Joshua 4:1-9 | The Way of Scripture

Joshua 4:1-9

Why are twelve stones taken from the river?

Berean Standard Bible

1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’” 4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.” 8 Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.

What is the context?

One man from each tribe must take a stone from where the priests stood in the Jordan and carry it to the place of lodging. The stones will prompt questions from children and provide an occasion to tell how the Lord stopped the river.

The people carry out the command. The BSB also describes Joshua setting twelve stones in the river where the priests stood. The remembered act belongs to the whole people, reflected in the number of tribes represented.

The stones are given an explanatory purpose: they bear witness to the crossing for later generations. Their meaning is to be taught, rather than left as an impressive arrangement whose story has been forgotten.

How is this passage commonly understood?

The BSB footnote records another way translators understand verse 9, referring to the stones that had been in the river. Wesley instead understands a second set placed there and speculates about how it could remain visible. The quotation here retains the BSB’s main wording without claiming that the size, arrangement, or surviving location of the stones is independently known. The USCCB notes connect the children’s question with the Passover pattern of question and answer.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

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