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After all the people had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying:
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“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe,
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and command them, saying, ‘Take up twelve stones from here, from the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood, and carry them over with you and set them down in the place where you will lodge tonight.’”
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Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from each tribe,
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and Joshua said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,
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that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
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you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. Therefore these stones shall be a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
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So the children of Israel did as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. They carried them over to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
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Joshua also set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant had stood. They are there to this day.
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The priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. So the people hurried across.
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When all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed over before the people.
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The sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.
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About forty thousand men prepared for war crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for battle.
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On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him, as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.
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Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying:
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“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony of God to come up out of the Jordan.”
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So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
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When the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and as soon as the soles of the priests’ feet were set on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and flowed as before, overflowing all its banks.
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The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho.
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And the twelve stones that had been taken from the Jordan Joshua set up at Gilgal.
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Then he said to the Israelites, saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’
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then you shall tell your children, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.’
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For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,
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so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that they may always fear the LORD your God.”
🪨📖👣 Summary of Joshua 4 – The Twelve Stones as a Memorial
After the miracle of crossing the Jordan River, the LORD commanded Joshua to set up a memorial. Twelve stones were taken from the middle of the river and placed at the camp site, Gilgal, as a reminder of God’s power in stopping the river, and so that future generations would know His works.
📌 1. The Command to Take Twelve Stones (verses 1–8)
- The LORD told Joshua to choose 12 men, one from each tribe, to take stones from the middle of the river, from the place where the priests stood.
- Those stones were to be a sign, so that when their children ask:
“What do these stones mean to you?”
They will answer:
“It is a sign that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD.”
🎯 The LORD wanted His people to remember clearly how His power worked in their history.
📌 2. The Memorial Stone Set Up and the Crossing Completed (verses 9–18)
- Joshua also set up 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests stood.
🎯 Spiritual signs help build faith and honor the leadership that the Lord has appointed.
📌 3. The Stones Were Set Up at Gilgal, and the Message for the Next Generation (verses 19–24)
- The twelve stones were set up at Gilgal, where the people camped that night.
- Joshua gave this message:
“So that all the nations may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and so that you may fear the Lord all your days.”
🎯 The heritage of faith is not only to be remembered, but to be passed on to the next generation and become a witness to the world.
📖 Main Lessons
- The Lord wants His people always to remember His great works.
- Experiences of faith should be passed on to children, not kept for oneself alone.
- Spiritual signs (memorial stones) help strengthen faith in the future.
- The Lord exalts obedient leaders so that His people may have direction.
- Miracles are not merely emotional experiences, but part of the history of salvation.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“You also, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…”
“…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.”
“If these were silent, the stones would cry out.”
🎯 The Lord does not only want us to remember, but also to become “living stones” that bear witness to His power in the world.
“So that it may be a sign among you…” – Joshua 4:6
“All the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty…” – Joshua 4:24
“The Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel…” – Joshua 4:14
