What is the meaning of Joshua 4:9? Joshua also set up twelve stones “Joshua also set up twelve stones…” • Joshua personally acts, underscoring leadership that follows God’s explicit command (Joshua 4:1-3). • Twelve stones picture the unity of the twelve tribes, as in Exodus 24:4 and 1 Kings 18:31. • This is a second memorial; the first pile was carried to Gilgal (Joshua 4:8). God provides a double reminder—one inside the riverbed, one on the bank—so no generation can miss the story. • The literal stones affirm that God works in concrete history, not myth. in the middle of the Jordan “…in the middle of the Jordan…” • The exact spot where the waters had miraculously stopped (Joshua 3:13) becomes the place of remembrance. • When the river returned to flood stage, the hidden stones continued bearing silent testimony—much like Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea was marked by Pharaoh’s destruction beneath the waves (Exodus 14:26-31). • Psalm 114:3 celebrates, “The Jordan turned back,” and these stones ground that praise in geography. in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood “…in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood.” • The Ark represented God’s throne (1 Samuel 4:4); the priests’ feet marked the boundary between danger and deliverance (Joshua 3:17). • Memorial stones exactly at that spot proclaim that every victory flows from God’s presence, not human strength (Numbers 10:35-36). • Linking the stones to priestly ministry foreshadows the later truth that only through the Mediator can people pass safely through judgment (Hebrews 4:14-16). And the stones are there to this day “And the stones are there to this day.” • The writer, living years later, verifies the continuing existence of the memorial, anchoring the narrative in verifiable history (cf. Deuteronomy 34:6; 1 Samuel 6:18). • This phrase invites every reader to trust the record because the evidence was publicly accessible. • God’s acts are permanent; memories may fade, but His works endure (Psalm 111:2-4). summary Joshua 4:9 records a literal, physical memorial placed by Joshua in the very riverbed where God held back the Jordan. The twelve submerged stones, forever linked to the tribes, the Ark, and the priests, certify the reality of the miracle and call every generation to remember that the living God brings His people safely through impossible barriers. |
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