Joshua 4:5-9

4:5 Joshua told them, “Go in front of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. 4:6 The stones ¹  will be a reminder to you. ²  When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ 4:7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing ³  before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing. ⁴  These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”

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 ⁵  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.

Joshua 4:20-24

4:20 Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the ⁶  twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 4:21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’ ⁷  4:22 explain ⁸  to your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River ⁹  on dry ground.’ 4:23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you crossed over. It was just like when the Lord your God dried up the Red Sea before us while we crossed it. ¹⁰  4:24 He has done this so ¹¹  all the nations ¹²  of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power ¹³  and so you might always obey ¹⁴  the Lord your God.”

Joshua 7:26

7:26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day ¹⁵ ) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.

Joshua 7:2

7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho ¹⁶  to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel ¹⁷ ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai.

Joshua 18:17

18:17 It went northward, extending to En Shemesh and Geliloth opposite the Pass ¹⁸  of Adummim, and descended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

Ecclesiastes 3:5

3:5 A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

¹ tn Heb “that this may be”; the referent of “this” (the twelve stones) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “in order that this might be a sign among you.”

³ tn Heb “were cut off from before.”

⁴ tn Heb “how the waters descending from above stood still.”

⁵ 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.

⁶ tn Heb “these,” referring specifically to the twelve stones mentioned in vv. 3-7.

⁷ tn Heb “What are these stones?”

⁸ tn Heb “make known.”

⁹ tn Heb “crossed this Jordan”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

¹⁰ tn Heb “just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea when he dried [it] up before us while we crossed over.”

¹¹ tn Heb “in order that.”

¹² tn Or “peoples.”

¹³ tn Heb “know the hand of the Lord that it is strong.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “fear.”

¹⁵ tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.

¹⁶ map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.

¹⁷ map For the location of Bethel see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

¹⁸ tn Or “ascent.”