4:8 The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there. 4:9 Joshua also set up twelve stones 10 in the middle of the Jordan in the very place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to this very day.
4:10 Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people was accomplished, in accordance with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people went across quickly,
5:13 When Joshua was near 13 Jericho, 14 he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. 15 Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?” 16
6:8 When Joshua gave the army its orders, 17 the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind.
24:19 Joshua warned 18 the people, “You will not keep worshiping 19 the Lord, for 20 he is a holy God. 21 He is a jealous God who will not forgive 22 your rebellion or your sins.
1 sn The ark of the covenant refers to the wooden chest that symbolized God’s presence among his covenant people.
2 tn Heb “set out from your place.”
3 tn Or “march.”
4 tn Heb “the soles of the feet.”
5 tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”
6 tn Or “rest in.”
7 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 Heb “and all Israel was crossing over on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
10 tn Heb “the feet of the priests.”
13 tn Here “also” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear (as indicated by v. 20) that these are not the same stones the men took from the river bed.
16 tn Heb “and the soles of the feet of the priests were brought up to the dry land.”
17 tn Heb “and the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went as formerly over their banks.”
19 tn Heb “in.”
20 map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.
21 tn Heb “he lifted up his eyes and looked. And look, a man was standing in front of him, and his sword was drawn in his hand.” The verb הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the reader to view the scene through Joshua’s eyes. By calling the stranger “a man,” the author reflects Joshua’s perspective. The text shortly reveals his true identity (vv. 14-15).
22 tn Heb “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
22 tn Heb “when Joshua spoke to the people.”
25 tn Heb “said to.”
26 tn Heb “you are not able to serve.”
27 sn For an excellent discussion of Joshua’s logical argument here, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 274-75.
28 tn In the Hebrew text both the divine name (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) and the adjective (קְדֹשִׁים, qÿdoshim, “holy”) are plural. Normally the divine name, when referring to the one true God, takes singular modifiers, but this is a rare exception where the adjective agrees grammatically with the honorific plural noun. See GKC §124.i and IBHS 122.
29 tn Heb “lift up” or “take away.”