4:2 twelve men from the people Signifies that all Israel participates in the ritual erection of the monument (see 1:2; 3:1, 12).

4:3 the priests’ feet stood firmly The Israelites were to erect the monument using stones from the dry, solid ground, which God produced by stopping the water.

4:4 whom he had appointed Joshua calls on the men he had previously chosen (3:12).

4:5 the ark of Yahweh See Exod 25:10 and note; Josh 3:3 and note.

to the middle of the Jordan The Israelites were not to take the memorial stones from the shores of the Jordan, but from the middle, highlighting the fact that they crossed over on dry ground.

4:6 a reminder The Hebrew term used here, oth, can mean pledge or omen, or refer to a display of miraculous power. Here, it refers to a memorial object which will remind the present generation and future generations of this event. The story of miraculous salvation must be preserved through succeeding generations.

your children Echoes Exod 12:26–27; Deut 6:20–25.

4:7 the waters of the Jordan were cut off See Josh 3:14–17.

4:9 place where the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood This verse seems to indicate that the Israelites erected a second memorial of 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan, which would be covered over by water; the first memorial would be a visible sign, while the second would mark where the priests had stood, perhaps becoming visible at times when the Jordan was low. More likely, however, v. 9 is a parenthetical thought, and there was only one memorial.

they are there Refers to the ancient location of the camp by the river’s bank.

to this day Indicates that the book of Joshua was written sometime after the events it describes (e.g., 5:9; 7:26; 9:27).

4:12 The children of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh See note on 1:12.

4:13 forty thousand See note on Num 1:46.

4:14 as they respected Moses See Josh 1:5.

4:16 the testimony Refers to the tablets containing the Ten Commandments that were stored within the ark (see Exod 31:18; 32:15).

4:19 tenth day of the first month Coincides with the day that the Israelites were to select the Passover lamb (Exod 12:3) and therefore anticipates Josh 5:10, where the Israelites will keep the Passover on the 14th day of the same month (Exod 12:6, 18). The proximity of the event to Passover (Exod 12–13) further connects this event to the miracle of the Red Sea (Exod 14; compare Josh 4:23).

Israelite Festivals Table

Gilgal The first of several important religious sites for the Israelites at this time of conquest (also Shiloh, 18:1; and Shechem, 24:1; compare 8:30).

4:23 your God did to the Red Sea Identifies the parallel between this crossing and the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 14:21). See Josh 4:19.

4:24 the hand of Yahweh is strong The people will be intimidated in the manner described by Rahab (see 2:10–11; 5:1).