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Texts -- Joshua 3:1-14 (NET)

Context
Israel Crosses the Jordan
3:1 Bright and early the next morning Joshua and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan . They camped there before crossing the river. 3:2 After three days the leaders went through the camp 3:3 and commanded the people : “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests , you must leave here and walk behind it. 3:4 But stay about three thousand feet behind it. Keep your distance so you can see which way you should go , for you have not traveled this way before .” 3:5 Joshua told the people , “Ritually consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform miraculous deeds among you.” 3:6 Joshua told the priests , “Pick up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people .” So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people . 3:7 The Lord told Joshua , “This very day I will begin to honor you before all Israel so they will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses . 3:8 Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenant , ‘When you reach the bank of the Jordan River , wade into the water .’” 3:9 Joshua told the Israelites , “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God !” 3:10 Joshua continued, “This is how you will know the living God is among you and that he will truly drive out before you the Canaanites , Hittites , Hivites , Perizzites , Girgashites , Amorites , and Jebusites . 3:11 Look ! The ark of the covenant of the Ruler of the whole earth is ready to enter the Jordan ahead of you. 3:12 Now select for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel , one per tribe . 3:13 When the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord , the Ruler of the whole earth , touch the water of the Jordan , the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up .” 3:14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan , the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Heshbon was a city, but Bashan was a territory. Bashan lay north of the Yarmuk Wadi. Evidently at the time of Israel's conquest Og controlled the territory south of the Yarmuk as far as the Jabbok, the area known as Gilead.19...
  • As I have explained previously, the date of the Exodus was about 1446 B.C. (cf. 1 Kings 6:1).7Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness (Exod. 16:35; Num. 14:33-34). Thus Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the land abo...
  • I. The conquest of the land chs. 1-12A. Preparations for entering Canaan chs. 1-21. God's charge to Joshua 1:1-92. Joshua's charge to Israel 1:10-183. The spying out of Jericho ch. 2B. Entrance into the land 3:1-5:121. Passag...
  • In one sense verses 1-9 are a preamble to the whole book. They contain the basic principles that were to guide Joshua and Israel so they could obtain all that God had promised their forefathers.1:1 The first word of the book ...
  • As preparation for entering Canaan, Joshua sent spies to reconnoiter the area Israel would enter."Although Joshua had received a promise from the Lord of His almighty help in the conquest of Canaan, he still thought it necess...
  • The 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 of God to Joshua (3:7-8; 4:1-3; and 4:15-16) followed by the...
  • 3:1-6 Joshua may have moved the nation from Shittim to the Jordan's edge at approximately the same time he sent the spies on their mission (cf. vv. 1-2 and 1:11; 2:22). However the sequence of events was probably as it appear...
  • The main point in the story of the crossing recorded in this chapter is the removal of the stones from the river bed. They served as a memorial of this event for generations to come (vv. 6-7).524:1-14 The piling up of stones ...
  • 5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
  • The writer identified 31 kings in the order in which Joshua defeated them."Many of the same names appear in the Amarna letters, thus confirming the historicity of our text."158"The description was not complete. Shechem is not...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Province-List of Judah."Vetus Testamentum9 (1959):225-46.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwel...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • A promise of future restoration immediately follows this gloomy revelation of judgment. It provided encouragement to Hosea's audience by assuring a glorious and secure future for Israel.1:10 Despite the judgment promised, Yah...
  • Having given His essential response to the people's repentance, the Lord now explained what He would do in more detail. This section is chiastic with the focus of emphasis on verses 21-24. Verses 19 and 26-27 promise a restor...
  • 6:1-2 Micah called his audience to hear what Yahweh had told him to say. Yahweh had a case (lawsuit, Heb. rib) to bring against His people. The Lord was summoning Israel to defend herself in a courtroom setting. He addressed ...
  • The final three bowl judgments all have political consequences.16:12 The problem that this judgment poses for earth-dwellers is not a result of the judgment itself but its consequences, namely, war. It does not inflict a plag...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Joshua 3:4.IT was eminently true of Israel that they had not passed this way heretofore,' inasmuch as the path which was opening before them, through the oozy bed of the river, had never been seen by human eye, nor trodden by...
  • Joshua 3:5-17The arrangement of the narrative of the passage of Jordan, which occupies Joshua 3. and Joshua 4., is remarkable, and has led to suggestions of interpolation and blending of two accounts, which are quite unnecess...
  • Joshua 4:10-24This chapter is divided into two sections. The first (from Joshua 4:5, 6 of the chapter belong to the section which deals with the preparation. General instructions had been already issued that the host was to f...
  • The triple division appears again. First God commands Joshua, who then transmits the command to the people, who, in turn, then obey. And thus at each stage the divine causality, Joshua's delegated but absolute authority, and ...
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