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Joshua 4:21

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Joshua 4:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
Joshua 4:21 — American Standard Version

Context — Joshua 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
18And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah were come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests` feet were lifted up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime.
19And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.
20And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.
21And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
22Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
23For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were passed over;
24that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye may fear Jehovah your God for ever.
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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 he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying, etc.] At the same time he set up the stones: when you children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What [mean] these stones? (see Gill on “<060406>Joshua 4:6”).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“When your: Jos 4:6; Psa 105:2-5, Psa 145:4-7 in time to come: Heb. to-morrow Joshua 4:22”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification