Joshua 3 Study Notes

3:1-4:24 These two chaps. outline the ceremony of Israel’s crossing of the Jordan River. This was not a casual activity but something specifically commanded by God. They illustrate the importance of hearing God’s word and responding in faithful obedience (Mt 17:20; Lk 17:6).

3:1 Acacia Grove is the place where Israel had been since Balaam’s failed attempt to curse them (Nm 22:1; 25:1). This was some miles from the actual place where they crossed the Jordan River. In the south opposite Jericho, this meandering river was at that time surrounded by thickets, so it was not a place suitable for a stay of any length (Jr 12:5). The key word crossing again occurs here (see note at 1:2).

3:2-5 On the officers, see note at 1:10. The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the presence of God among his people. The considerable distance of a thousand yards may suggest the need to remain away from the presence of God, especially as a miracle was happening. This separation of a holy God from his people occurred at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:10-25). The command to consecrate yourselves recalls Ex 19:10-15, where consecration was defined as the washing of clothes and as abstinence from sexual relations. This would allow God to work through the people to accomplish his wonders—a term that describes the plagues of Egypt in Ex 3:20 and more general acts in Ex 34:10.

3:6 Joshua’s first instructions to the priests appear here. Note that the verse describes their precise obedience to his words.

3:7 God’s promise of his presence with Joshua accompanied a promise to exalt Joshua (as also Abram in Gn 12:2) as a seal on his leadership over Israel.

3:8 Here is the first example of the Jordan River being used as a place where God chose to cleanse and redeem believers. Others included Naaman in 2Kg 5:10-15 and those baptized by John the Baptist (Mt 3:1-6).

3:9 This is Joshua’s first speech to the Israelites. His concern that they come closer and listen suggests the importance of giving attention to God and his word.

3:10 This Hebrew phrase translated living God appears elsewhere only three times in the OT (Ps 42:2; 84:2; Hs 1:10). In Hos 1:10 it is used in the context of the fulfillment of God’s promises of an innumerable people who belong to him. In Ps 42:2 and 84:2 it describes the deepest yearnings of the psalmist, who longed for the presence of God and intimacy with him. The concern for the presence of God and his fulfillment of his promises for his people are both present here. The Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites describe the pre-Israelite inhabitants of the land. Canaanites is a general term referring to those living in the land of Canaan, although it may also describe the indigenous peoples of the land.

3:11 The ark’s passage, using the key words cross over (1:2), demonstrates God’s leadership of his people, his presence with them, and his fulfillment of his promises. The Lord of the whole earth uses a phrase identical to that charged against the spies in 2:3 (“the entire land”). While God is indeed Lord of all the earth, the expression in chaps. 2-3 focuses on “the whole land” of Canaan.

3:12 The twelve men introduce a third group in addition to the people who will follow the ark and the priests who will carry it. The purpose of these men is explained in 4:2-3.

3:13 The mass of the water is the same term as that used of the waters of the Red Sea in Ex 15:8 and Ps 78:13. God would act for his people when they crossed the Jordan River—just as he did with the previous generation at the exodus.

3:14-15 At spring flood, after the winter rains and during the barley harvest, the Jordan River could reach a width in excess of a hundred feet and a depth of ten feet. The priests as the leaders of the people were the first to step down into the water. Doing so was a risky activity with the river at flood stage. Carrying the ark could easily have caused them to be swept away by the current unless the promised miracle took place.

3:16-17 The town of Adam is modern Tell ed-Damiye, about seventeen miles north of Jericho. Zarethan may be either three or eleven miles north of Adam, depending on which site it is identified with (Tell Umm Hamid or Tell es-Sa’idiyeh). Taking into account the distance from Adam to the Dead Sea, this means that approximately twenty-nine percent of the Jordan Valley was affected (Richard Hess, Joshua). Wordplay ties together the actions of the priests and people with God’s miracle of the waters. Thus the same verb (Hb ‘amad) describes how the waters stood still and how the priests stood firmly. The priests stood on dry ground while the people crossed on dry ground. The water was completely cut off (Hb tammu) until all Israel had finished (Hb tammu) crossing the river.