Joshua 3

Joshua got up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They camped there before they crossed over.

After three days, the officers went through the middle of the camp;

and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, and the Levitical priests bearing it, then leave your place and follow it.

Yet there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measure—don’t come closer to it—that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way before.”

Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”

Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and cross over before the people.” They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”

Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”

Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you.

Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan.

Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.

It shall be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of GOD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap.”

When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people,

and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest),

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. Then the people passed over near Jericho.

The priests who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter records the Israelites’ crossing of the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership, marking their entrance into the Promised Land. It emphasizes God’s presence and power through the ark of the covenant, the consecration of the people, and the miraculous halt of the Jordan’s waters, confirming Joshua as Moses’ successor and establishing divine authority at the threshold of conquest.

Flow.

The people prepare to cross, moving from Shittim to the Jordan, with instructions to follow the ark at a respectful distance.
Joshua calls for the people’s sanctification, anticipating God’s wonders, and receives divine confirmation that God will magnify him as He did Moses.
Joshua gathers the people to hear God’s word, declares the sign of God’s living presence, and issues instructions for twelve representatives and the priests.
The miracle occurs: the Jordan’s waters are cut off when the priests’ feet touch the river, allowing all Israel to cross on dry ground.

Connections. Following chapter 2, which narrates Rahab’s faith and the spies’ report confirming God’s judgment on Jericho, chapter 3 now advances the narrative from preparation to fulfillment—Israel crosses into the land promised centuries earlier. The divine presence signaled by the ark echoes the Shekinah glory, grounding confidence in God’s word. This moment of transition and miracle is then followed by chapter 4, which erects memorial stones to preserve the event’s meaning, making chapter 3 the hinge between anticipation and remembrance.

What it teaches. This chapter reveals God’s covenant faithfulness and active presence among His people in their journey of obedience. The ark, as the symbol of God’s throne and covenant, leads the way, demonstrating that the Lord goes before them (WCF 7.3). The miracle confirms Joshua’s commission as God’s appointed leader, showing continuity between the Mosaic and post-Mosaic eras (HC LD 31). The people’s sanctification calls for holiness in preparation for encountering God’s mighty works (WLC 99), while the dry crossing reaffirms God’s power to open a way where there is none, as He did at the Red Sea (WCF 10.2). The event underscores that the conquest proceeds not by human strength but by divine intervention.

Apply. The crossing points forward to the sure path God provides through Christ, where death’s flood is parted by His authority.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.