Joshua 3:4

“Yet there shall be a space between you and it, etc.] The ark; the Keri or marginal reading is, “between you and them”; the priests that bear it: hence sprung a fiction among the Jews, that there were two arks, the ark of the Shechinah or divine Majesty, and the ark of Joseph, in which his bones were put, which went together f40; which Jarchi, Kimchi, and Abarbinel take notice of, but has no foundation in the text: about two thousand cubits by measure; by a certain well known measure, that of a common cubit; for the “caph” we render “about” is a note of truth, reality, and certainty, and designs the exact precise measure here given: this difference was to be observed, partly in reverence to…”

“The ark, which was since the making of the covenant the special shrine and seat of God’s presence, went before to show the people that God, through its medium, was their leader. They were to follow at a distance that they might the better observe and mark how the miracle was accomplished. This they would do to the greatest advantage while coming down the heights, the ark going on before them into the ravine. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Two thousand cubits - A thousand yards, at which distance from it the Israelites seem to have been encamped in the wilderness. And because they generally went from their tents to the ark to worship God, especially on the sabbath - days; hence it hath been conceived, that a sabbath - day's journey reached only to two thousand cubits. But that may be doubted; for those who encamped nearest the ark, were at that distance from it, and came so far; but the rest were farther from it, and their sabbath - day's journey was considerably longer. Near unto it - Partly from the respect they should bear to the ark; but chiefly, that the ark marching so far before you into the river, and standing still…”

“3:4 Stay about half a mile behind them: God did not want his people to take his presence for granted. They were to acknowledge his holiness with reverence, respect, and awe.”

“a space: Exo 3:5, Exo 19:12; Psa 89:7; Heb 12:28, Heb 12:29 heretofore: Heb. since yesterday and the third day, Gen 31:2; Exo 4:10; Ch1 11:2; Isa 30:33 \*marg. Joshua 3:5”