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Joshua 3:13

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Joshua 3:13 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.
Joshua 3:13 — American Standard Version

Context — Joshua 3

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
10And 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 Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.
11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan.
12Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.
13And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.
14And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bare the ark of the covenant being before the people;
15and when they that bare the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for the Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest,)
16that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
← Joshua 3:12Joshua 3:14 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, etc.] Which they were bid to take up and carry, (<060306>Joshua 3:6); the Lord of all the earth; this shows that not the ark, but the Lord, is called “the Lord of all the earth”, (see Gill on “<060311>Joshua 3:11”): shall rest in the waters of Jordan; the meaning is, as soon as their feet should touch them, or they should set their feet in them, when they came to the brink of them: [that] the waters of Jordan shall be cut off [from] the waters that come down from above; from above the place where the priests came, and the children of Israel after passed over: and they shall stand upon an…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“The ark of the Lord - That so it may appear this is the Lord's doing, and that in pursuance of his covenant made with Israel. Of all the earth - The Lord of all this globe of earth and water, who therefore can dispose of this river and the adjoining land as he pleaseth. Cut off - The waters which now are united now shall be divided, and part shall flow down the channel towards the dead sea, and the other part that is nearer the spring of the river, and flows down from it, shall stand still. An heap - Being as it were congealed, as the Red - Sea was, Exo 15:8, and so kept from overflowing the country. Joshua 3:15”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“3:13 Even though the Jordan was in its spring flood stage, the water stopped abruptly, an obvious miracle.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the soles: Jos 3:15, Jos 3:16; Exo 14:19-22 of the Lord: Jos 3:11 stand upon: Jos 3:16; Exo 15:8; Psa 33:7, Psa 78:13, Psa 114:3-5; Hab 3:15 Joshua 3:14”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification