Joshua 3:7-13 meaning

In Joshua 3:7-13, the Lord gives instructions to Joshua for crossing the Jordan, declaring that He will cause Israel to see Joshua as a leader on par with Moses.

In the previous section, Joshua instructed the Israelites to sanctify themselves in preparation for a miracle God would work among them. He also commanded the Levitical priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant and march ahead of the people toward the Promised Land (Joshua 3:5-6). In Joshua 3:7-13, God spoke with Joshua for the first time since His commands in the first chapter (Joshua 1:1-9). He reassured the new leader of His constant presence with him and gave him some instructions for the priests. Thus, the LORD said to Joshua, This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel (v. 7).

The Hebrew term translated as LORD is Yahweh, the self—existent and all—powerful God who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). Its usage often emphasizes God’s covenant relationship with His people. In our passage, the term shows Joshua’s relationship with Yahweh, solidifying that Joshua was God’s special emissary. Joshua was to receive the divine instructions and disclose them to the Israelites to teach the people how to please their covenant partner, Yahweh. Since God chose Joshua as Moses’ successor, He promised to exalt him.

The verb exalt means to make great or to magnify. To exalt someone means to give rank or dignity. In our passage, God promised to magnify Joshua by confirming his position as Israel’s leader. That means all the Israelites would esteem Joshua highly and follow his leadership. The purpose, God declared, was that they [the Israelites] may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.

The LORD vowed to be with Joshua just like He had been with Moses during his many years of leading Israel from Egypt to the plains of Moab (Exodus 3:12; Joshua 1:5). As Moses’ assistant, Joshua had witnessed the demonstrations of God’s presence in Moses’ life, so he knew this promise was significant. The new generation of Israelites also learned about their past victories with Moses as their leader. For example, God allowed the community of Israel to defeat Pharaoh and the Egyptians at the Red Sea. He also led His people safely through their wilderness journey and provided for all their needs. Thus, the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River would confirm God’s presence in Joshua’s life and encourage the people to follow him faithfully as their new leader.

This passing of the mantle from Moses to Joshua is similar to when the spirit of Elijah passed on to Elisha. Interestingly, Elisha confirms the passing of the mantle by parting the Jordan River like Joshua did centuries earlier (2 Kings 2:13-14).

Having promised to be with Joshua, the LORD next gave him a command for the priests carrying the ark of the covenant (v. 8). The ark was an important religious symbol to the Jewish people, made of wood overlaid with gold. It contained the stone tablets on which the LORD wrote the Ten Commandments. It was a sacred object that pictured the presence of God with His covenant people (Exodus 25:10-22). For this reason, God wanted to ensure that the priests knew how to carry it as He led them across the Promised Land. He commanded Joshua to tell the priests: When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.

The Jordan River is 156 miles long, flowing north to south from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. It separates the western part of ancient Canaan from the east. The Hebrew etymology of the word Jordan means “descending from Dan.” This is because the Jordan River begins in the territory belonging to the tribe of Dan where it flows out of its underground aquifer near Caesarea Philippi (also known as “Banias,” names after the pagan god Pan/Ban). This aquifer is sustained from the melting snows on Mount Hermon.

Since the Jordan is a long river and formed the boundary of the Promised Land, it represented an obstacle for Joshua and the Israelites. But nothing is impossible with God since He is all—powerful. He would allow His people to cross the river and reach their destination by temporarily removing the obstacle. Therefore, He asked the priests carrying the ark to stand still in the river. Through this display, God would show the Israelites His power and encourage their crossing as they journey into an enemy land to take possession of it.

This miracle was a sign to the Israelites that God was with them. It is an obvious parallel, smaller in scale, to the crossing of the Red Sea when the Israelites left Egypt (Exodus 14). The Israelites would remember the stories told to them by their parents about how through Moses, God would create a path of dry land for the Israelites to safely cross the threshold from bondage into freedom. Here at the Jordan, God would perform a similar miracle, showing that Joshua had taken Moses’s place as leader, and that the Israelites were leaving their wilderness wanderings behind to finally inherit the Promised Land.

Having received the divine instructions, Joshua addressed the sons of Israel and said: Come here and hear the words of the LORD your God (v. 9). He revealed the divine will to them. In summoning the Israelites to draw near and listen to God’s words, Joshua reminded them that the LORD was their God, their covenant partner. As such, they needed to know His sovereign plan for them as He fulfilled His word. Joshua added, By this, you shall know that the living God is among you (v. 10). “This” refers to the miracle God would perform to allow His people to cross the Jordan River (vv. 5 and 13). He would do so because He is the living God.

Joshua called Yahweh the living God as opposed to the non—living gods of the pagans. These so—called gods are nothing but idols (Leviticus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:21; Psalm 115:5-7). They are human—made constructions, lifeless stone or wood statues with no power or consciousness. They are used by humans to justify exploitation and efforts to control reality. But Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, is the one true God. He is sovereign over reality. His will is accomplished.

Joshua next told the people that God would grant them victory over their adversaries: He [God] will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. The list of people groups of Canaan is identical to the list in Deuteronomy 7, except for the ordering.

The list in Joshua begins with the Canaanites, a people group who lived “by the sea and by the side of the Jordan” (Numbers 13:29). The Hittites may have been descended from Canaan through Heth, according to Genesis 10:15. They lived around Hebron (Genesis 23:1-20). The Hivites (or Horites) were the peoples of Shechem in the days of Jacob (Genesis 34:2). Later, during the conquest by Joshua, they constituted the population of Gibeon (Joshua 9:7). The Perizzites were a group of people who lived in unwalled suburbs both east and west of the Jordan. The mention of this group of people extends from the time of Abraham (Genesis 13:7) to the post—exilic times (Ezra 9:1).

We know little about the Girgashites. We only know that a corpus of ancient Ugaritic texts discovered in 1928 in Ugarit (Syria) mentioned them briefly. Some think the Girgashites originated in northern Syria or Asia Minor. The Amorites appeared as a group that covered five major kingdoms in the Ancient Near East: Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon (Joshua 10:5).

The Jebusites were the occupants of the region later associated with the tribe of Benjamin, especially the city of Jerusalem (Joshua 15:63). All these seven nations living in the land of Canaan were non—vassals because they did not have a covenant relationship with God. Therefore, He would dispossess them to give the land to His covenant people and demonstrate His superiority over the false gods they worshipped.

Joshua now used the Hebrew particle “hinnēh,” translated here as Behold to get the attention of his audience (v. 11). Then, he stated: The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. The ark carried by the Levitical priests would guide the Israelites and serve as the sign that God was among them. In other words, the people would know God led them into the Promised Land because the ark going ahead of them symbolized His presence.

God could lead His people safely across the Jordan River because He is the Lord of all the earth. Through this statement, Joshua affirmed God’s superiority and sovereignty over the entire world, telling his listeners that He [Yahweh] is the true God; He is the master or ruler of the earth.

As Joshua made the final preparations for crossing the Jordan River, he commanded the people to take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe (v. 12). This passage does not tell the reader what these men would accomplish. But, the next chapter says that Joshua appointed them so they could take up twelve stones that would serve as an everlasting memorial (Joshua 4:3-7).

Joshua concluded this section by stating what would happen when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan (v. 13). Earlier, he commanded the priests to “stand still in the Jordan” but did not give them any further details (v. 8). Perhaps the priests asked, “How can we do that?” Joshua waited until this moment to disclose what the LORD would do to make that happen: The waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters flowing down from above will stand in one heap (v. 13). This action is the wonder God would perform for His covenant people to allow them to cross the Jordan River.