Chapter 3
Israel Crosses the Jordan
3:1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Joshua and the Israelites rose early one morning and moved their camp from Shittim to the eastern bank of the Jordan River. There is no information regarding what the distance was. Most believe it was less than ten miles.
3:2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
At the end of three days the wait was over, the people were informed to follow the ark of the covenant that would be carried by the priests (somewhat unusual as the sons of Kohath usually carried the ark, see Numbers 3:30-31; 4:15; 7:9, although the priests were also from the Kohath clan). They were further instructed not to follow too close, a distance of 2,000 cubits (a little more than a half mile) would be adequate, which would allow them room to respond to any course changes, as this would be unexplored terrain. When the ark is later being held over the river while the people cross (see verse thirteen). It is believed that the people had to be either a half mile downstream or a half mile upstream from the ark.
Having the ark in front of the procession was nothing new (for example see Numbers 10:33-35), however, understanding that the ark is the highest revered object of the Tabernacle (God’s dwelling place when they’re camped), not only can we see that this appearance represents God, but having both the ark and the Israelites cross together also represents the beginning of the covenant (see Exodus 12:25; Leviticus 14:34; 19:23; 23:9; 25:2; Numbers 15:1, 18; 33:51; 34:2; 35:10; Deuteronomy 12:10; 17:14; 18:9; 26:1; 27:2, 3, 4, 12). Making this a significantly holy event.
3:5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Joshua instructed the people to consecrate themselves (Hebrew hiṯ·qǎd·dā’·šû, to be set apart, made holy) and explained that tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among them. The process of consecration was likely the same as God required at Mount Sinai before He gave Moses and the Israelites the law, they were to bathe, wash their clothes, and abstain from sexual activity (see Exodus 19:14-15).
3:6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
In verse five Joshua tells the people that on the next day God will do something amazing but now it appears to be progressing. Some believe that a day passed between verse five and six. Here we read that Joshua tells the priests to pick up “the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” Some Bible versions translate what ESV translated here as “pass on” (Hebrew iḇ·rû’) as “cross over,” which can confuse readers as to the sequence of events leading to the crossing of the Jordan. This situation is reminiscent of the time God led the Israelites to the Red Sea which became a test of their faith (see Exodus 14:10-31). Although not being pursued by an enemy’s army, the tensions were inevitably high, especially since we are told that the water level was high at this time (see verse fifteen).
3:7 The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ”
God tells Joshua that He will exalt him like He did for Moses in front of the Israelites (as He did at the Red Sea), there will be no doubt that Joshua is the new leader. He then instructed Joshua to command the priests to come to the edge of the water to stand still in the river.
3:9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
Joshua tells the Israelites to gather together to hear what God had told him. That they can know that the living God is with them now and will drive out the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites as promised (see also Exodus 34:10-17; Leviticus 18:24-25; Deuteronomy 20:17), when the soles of the priests carrying the ark enter the water and stop, the river will stop flowing as the water will stand in one heap. This miracle will testify to three facts: 1) Joshua is God’s chosen leader for the Israelites; 2) that God is with them there; and 3) God will assure their victory over the current occupants of the land. But where does verse twelve fit in this narrative? There is no further information, it is not in the Septuagint. Most believe it was a scribal error as we will see a nearly identical verse in the following chapter.
3:14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
When the people were ready (encampment cleared and people cleansed) they proceeded towards the Jordan River behind the priests carrying the ark of the covenant. As soon as the priests reached the edge of the river and their feet got wet, the water stood and rose up in a heap some distance away (at Adam, a city near Zarethan, believed to be approximately 15 miles north of where the the Israelites were at this time, see 1 Kings 4:12; 7:46; 2 Chronicles 4:17). We are told that the river flowed towards the Sea of Arabah which is also known as the Dead Sea (making the Jordan River dry for approximately fifty miles). It is interesting to note that we are informed in verse fifteen that the Jordan overflows throughout the time of harvest. In the next chapter we are told that they crossed on the tenth day of the first month (Abib, or on our calendars March - April, Click here to read more about the Jewish calendar, see also Joshua 4:19) meaning it was in the spring during harvest time, and that the river had indeed been overflowing (see Joshua 4:18), making this scene even more dramatic and spectacular.
3:17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Just as when the Israelites crossed through the Red Sea was on dry ground, the land where they crossed the Jordan was also dry. The priests holding the ark of the covenant remained until all of the Israelites had crossed the river. The text for the first time in this book calls the people of Israel a nation.
Considerations
Three Days
There are several three-day periods in the Bible, the most important one is in regard to Jesus being in a tomb for three days. Which becomes more intriguing when you consider apostle Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (ESV). Why does that make the three-day period intriguing? Because the Scriptures Paul is referring to is not the New Testament, but the Old Testament. And there are many three-day periods to choose from (for example see Genesis 22:4; 42:18; Exodus 19:16; Esther 5:1; Ezra 8:32; Jonah 2:1; Hosea 6:2). But many miss that the book of Joshua also contains a few three-day periods. It talks about preparing to cross into the Promised Land in three days (see Joshua 1:11); for the spies to hide for three days (see Joshua 2:16, 22); for the spies to wait before returning for three days (see Joshua 3:2 above); and then later they will find out after three days they were deceived by the Gibeonites (see Joshua 9:16). Nothing too intriguing, but when you consider that Jesus also was prepared for burial, hid from the world and waited for three days prior to His resurrection, the parallels are interesting. However, I am not suggesting that any of these three-day periods are what Paul was referring to in his epistle.
Introducing the Canaanites
In Genesis 10:15-19 we read, "Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha." (ESV) Only six of these people groups are referenced in this chapter, all are descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham who was one of three sons of Noah (see Genesis 10:6)