Joshua 4:20

“And those twelve stones which they took out of Jordan, etc.] The twelve men who were sent there for that purpose, and took them from thence, and brought them hither, (<060403>Joshua 4:3,5,8); did Joshua pitch in Gilgal; set them in rows, or one upon another, and made a pillar of them commemorative of their passage over Jordan into the land of Canaan: according to Josephus f59, he made an altar of these stones; and Ben Gersom is of opinion, that they were placed in the sanctuary by the ark, though not in it; which yet was the sentiment of Tertullian f60, but very improbable; since that ark was not capable of such a number of large stones; and it must be a very large ark or chest, if one could…”

“those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal--Probably to render them more conspicuous, they might be raised on a foundation of earth or turf. The pile was designed to serve a double purpose--that of impressing the heathen with a sense of the omnipotence of God, while at the same time it would teach an important lesson in religion to the young and rising Israelites in after ages. Next: Joshua Chapter 5”

“In Gilgal - Probably in order, like so many little pillars, to keep up the remembrance of this miraculous benefit. Joshua 4:23”

“Jos 4:3, Jos 4:8 Joshua 4:21”

“There Joshua set up the twelve stones, which they had taken over with them out of the Jordan, and explained to the people at the same time the importance of this memorial to their descendants ( Jos 4:21, Jos 4:22), and the design of the miracle which had been wrought by God ( Jos 4:24). On Jos 4:21, Jos 4:22, see Jos 4:6, Jos 4:7. אשׁר ( Jos 4:23), quod, as (see Deu 2:22). The miracle itself, like the similar one at the Dead Sea, had a double intention, viz., to reveal to the Canaanites the omnipotence of the God of Israel, the strong hand of the Lord (compare Exo 14:4, Exo 14:18, with Jos 6:6; and for the expression "the hand of the Lord is mighty," see Exo 3:19; Exo 6:1, etc.), and to…”