Joshua 3

¹ And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

² And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;

³ And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

⁴ Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

⁵ And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

⁶ And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

⁷ And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

⁸ And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

⁹ And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.

¹⁰ And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

¹² Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

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.

¹⁴ And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;

¹⁵ And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,

¹⁶ That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

¹⁷ And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

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QUESTIONS WORTH EXPLORING

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Where could Israel have crossed the Jordan?

WHAT REMAINS UNCERTAIN

The narrative places the crossing opposite Jericho, but it does not provide coordinates. The river's channels and floodplain have changed, so an exact crossing point cannot be securely identified.

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What does “the Jordan overflows all its banks” tell us?

The note places the crossing during a season of high water, giving environmental context to the narrative even though ancient river conditions cannot be reconstructed at one exact point.

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What was the ark doing at the front of the crossing?

The ark functions as the narrative focal point for movement through the river, with priests standing in the channel while the people pass.

WORTH A CLOSER LOOK

Maps & Geography

Crossing the Jordan

The Jordan River connects the Sea of Galilee with the Dead Sea through a deep rift valley. This regional map helps orient the crossing narrative while leaving the exact crossing point open.

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⌘ Research PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3

History & Daily Life1

• The JordanJewish Encyclopedia

  Historical-geographic reference for the Jordan River, its sources, course, and importance in the land; useful for Joshua 3’s river-crossing setting.

Maps & Timeline1

• Israel Enters the Promised LandBible Mapper

  Strong map-based context for Joshua 3, including the Jordan crossing, seasonal flooding, Adam, Jericho, and entry into the land.

Language & Literature1

• Joshua 3 NET Bible Translation NotesNET Bible

  Translation notes for ark, priests, Jordan, crossing, consecration, covenant terminology, and land-entry language.

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