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Joshua 4:6

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Joshua 4:6 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
Joshua 4:6 — American Standard Version

Context — Joshua 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
3and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests` feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.
4Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;
6that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7then ye shall say unto them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
8And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
← Joshua 4:5Joshua 4:7 →
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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
“That this may be a sign among you, etc.] A commemorative one: [that] when your children ask [their fathers] in time to come; or “tomorrow” f53 and so in all time, or any time hereafter: saying, what mean you by these stones? what is the reason of setting them up, and in this place, and being just of such a number?”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“That this may be a sign among you--The erection of cairns, or huge piles of stones, as monuments of remarkable incidents has been common among all people, especially in the early and rude periods of their history. They are the established means of perpetuating the memory of important transactions, especially among the nomadic people of the East. Although there be no inscription engraved on them, the history and object of such simple monuments are traditionally preserved from age to age. Similar was the purpose contemplated by the conveyance of the twelve stones to Gilgal: it was that they might be a standing record to posterity of the miraculous passage of the Jordan.”
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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
“A sign - A monument or memorial of this day's work. Joshua 4:9”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“4:6 Joshua twice (4:21) told the Israelites to prepare to answer future generations. The stone memorial would serve as a teaching aid.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“a sign: Jos 22:27; Exo 12:14, Exo 13:9, Exo 31:13; Num 16:38; Isa 55:13; Eze 20:12, Eze 20:20 when your: Jos 4:21; Exo 12:26, Exo 12:27, Exo 13:14; Deu 6:20, Deu 6:21, Deu 11:19; Psa 44:1, Psa 71:18, Psa 78:3-8; Isa 38:19; Act 2:39 in time to come: Heb. to-morrow Joshua 4:7”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification