9:1 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications. 1
3:14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went 7 ahead of them. 3:15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface 8 of the water – (the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time) 9 – 3:16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. 10 It piled up far upstream 11 at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). 12 The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. 13 3:17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. All Israel crossed over on dry ground until the entire nation was on the other side. 14
1 tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.
2 tn Heb “to enter to possess the land which the
3 tn Heb “the soles of the feet.”
4 tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”
5 tn Or “rest in.”
6 tn Heb “the waters of the Jordan, the waters descending from above, will be cut off so that they will stand in one pile.”
7 tn The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.
8 tn Heb “dipped into the edge.”
9 tn Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.”
10 tn Heb “the waters descending from above stood still.”
11 tn Heb “they stood in one pile very far away.”
12 tn Heb “the [waters] descending toward the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) were completely cut off.”
13 map For the location of Jericho see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.
14 tn Heb “and all Israel was crossing over on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”