Joshua 4 · Verse 3

Joshua 4:3

And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
Joshua 4:3, King James Version

Joshua 4:3 in other translations

BSBand command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”
WEBand command them, saying, ‘Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you’ll camp tonight.’”
ASVand command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.
YLTand command ye them, saying, Take up for you from this place, from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and ye have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which ye lodge to-night.'
DARBYand command them, saying, Take up hence out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night.
BBEAnd say to them, Take up from the middle of Jordan, from the place where the feet of the priests were resting, twelve stones, and take them over with you and put them down in the place where you take your rest tonight.
WebsterAnd command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night.

What does Joshua 4:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 4:1-3

Jos 4:1-8. Twelve Stones Taken for a Memorial Out of Jordan. 1-3. the Lord spake unto Joshua, Take you twelve men--each representing a tribe. They had been previously chosen for this service (Jos 3:12), and the repetition of the command is made here solely to introduce the account of its execution. Though Joshua had been divinely instructed to erect a commemorative pile, the representatives were not apprised of the…

Read the full comment on Joshua 4:1-3 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 Where ye shall lodge this night - This was in the place that was afterwards called Gilgal. See Jos 4:19.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joshua 4:1-9

The works of the Lord are so worthy of rememberance, and the heart of man is so prone to forget them, that various methods are needful to refresh our memories, for the glory of God, our advantage, and that of our children. God gave orders for preparing this memorial.

Read the full comment on Joshua 4:1-9 →

Joshua 4:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְצַוּ֣וּve.tza.Vuand commandH6680
אוֹתָם֮'o.Tam<obj.> themH853
לֵאמֹר֒le.Mor<to> sayingH559
שְׂאֽוּ\־se.'u-take upH5375
לָכֶ֨םla.Khemfor <the> yourselves
מִזֶּ֜הmi.Zehfrom hereH2088
מִתּ֣וֹךְmi.Tokhfrom [the] middle ofH8432
הַיַּרְדֵּ֗ןhai.yar.Denthe JordanH3383
מִמַּצַּב֙mi.ma.Tzavfrom [the] standing-place ofH4673
רַגְלֵ֣יrag.Lei[the] feet ofH7272
הַכֹּהֲנִ֔יםha.ko.ha.Nimthe priestsH3548
הָכִ֖יןha.Khinto make firmH3559
שְׁתֵּים\־she.teim-two [plus]H8147
עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה'es.RehtenH6240
אֲבָנִ֑ים'a.va.NimstonesH68
וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּ֤םve.ha.'a.var.Temand you will take overH5674
אוֹתָם֙'o.Tam<obj.> themH853
עִמָּכֶ֔ם'i.ma.Khemwith youH5973
וְהִנַּחְתֶּ֣םve.hi.nach.Temand you will set downH5117
אוֹתָ֔ם'o.Tam<obj.> themH853
בַּמָּל֕וֹןba.ma.Lonat the lodging placeH4411
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834
תָּלִ֥ינוּta.Li.nuyou will stayH3885
ב֖וֹvoat it
הַלָּֽיְלָה\׃\ \סha.La.ye.lahthis nightH3915

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joshua 4:3

  • Joshua 4:19-20

    And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.

  • Joshua 3:13

    And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

  • Joshua 4:8

    And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

  • Deuteronomy 27:1-26

    And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day. And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister: And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee. Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them with plaister. …

  • Psalms 11:4

    The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

  • 1 Samuel 7:12

    Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben–ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.

  • Luke 19:40

    And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

  • Psalms 103:2

    Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

  • Joshua 24:27

    And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.

  • Genesis 28:22

    And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the priest's fees.
3:13
twelve stones.
24:27; Ge 28:22; De 27:1-26; 1Sa 7:12; Ps 103:2; 11:4; Lu 19:40
leave them.
8,19,20

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Joshua 4:2

    Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

  • Joshua 4:3

    And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

  • Joshua 4:4

    Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

Read all of Joshua 4

Joshua 4:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y mandadles, diciendo: Tomaos de aquí del medio del Jordán, del lugar donde están firmes los pies de los sacerdotes, doce piedras, las cuales pasaréis con vosotros, y las asentaréis en el alojamiento donde habéis de tener la noche.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et commandez-leur, disant: Enlevez d’ici, du milieu du Jourdain, de là où se sont tenus les pieds des sacrificateurs, douze pierres; et vous les transporterez avec vous, et vous les poserez dans le lieu où vous passerez cette nuit.
German
Elberfelder 1871
und gebietet ihnen und sprechet: Hebet euch auf von hier, aus der Mitte des Jordan, von dem Standorte, wo die Füße der Priester festgestanden haben, zwölf Steine; und bringet sie mit euch hinüber und leget sie nieder in dem Nachtlager, wo ihr diese Nacht übernachten werdet.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
et præcipe eis ut tollant de medio Jordanis alveo, ubi steterunt pedes sacerdotum, duodecim durissimos lapides, quos ponetis in loco castrorum, ubi fixeritis hac nocte tentoria.