What is the meaning of Joshua 4:20?

And there at Gilgal

• Gilgal becomes Israel’s first campsite west of the Jordan (Joshua 4:19).

• The name Gilgal will later echo God’s covenant faithfulness when He “rolled away the reproach of Egypt” (Joshua 5:9).

• Setting the stones “there” anchors a physical reminder in the very place where the nation stepped into promise—just as Abraham’s altar in Shechem (Genesis 12:6-7) and Samuel’s stone at Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12) marked decisive acts of God.

---

Joshua set up

• Joshua personally leads the memorial, mirroring Moses’ earlier leadership in building an altar after victory (Exodus 17:14-15).

• His action models obedience to the Lord’s prior command (Joshua 4:1-3), illustrating how godly leadership turns divine instruction into visible reality.

• The verb “set up” signals permanence; like the Law written on stones at Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:2-3), this arrangement was meant to endure for generations.

---

the twelve stones

• One stone for each tribe (Joshua 4:5) proclaims national unity under God’s covenant—as also seen in the twelve jewels on the high priest’s breastpiece (Exodus 28:21) and the twelve loaves of showbread (Leviticus 24:5-6).

• Their uncut, river-worn nature keeps the focus on God’s work rather than human artistry, parallel to the unhewn altar stones commanded in Exodus 20:25.

• Twelve testifies that every family in Israel personally experienced the miracle; none are spectators, all are witnesses.

---

they had taken from the Jordan

• These stones once rested beneath flowing water, yet the Lord dried up the river “until the nation had crossed” (Joshua 3:17).

• Carrying them out turns a fleeting miracle into a lasting monument, a practice echoed when David preserved Goliath’s sword (1 Samuel 21:9) and when Jesus instructed: “Gather the pieces that are left over” (John 6:12).

• Each generation could touch the very evidence of God’s power, fulfilling Joshua 4:21-22 where fathers recount, “‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’”

---

summary

Joshua 4:20 shows Joshua rooting Israel’s memory at Gilgal with twelve river-stones, one for each tribe, lifted from the miraculously dried Jordan. The verse underscores obedient leadership, national unity, and the intentional preservation of God’s mighty acts so future generations will trust the Lord who brings His people into promised territory.