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Joshua 4:8

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Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 8

This chapter gives a further account of the miraculous passage of Israel through Jordan. I. The provision that was made at that time to preserve the memorial of it, by twelve stones set up in Jordan (Jos 4:9) and other twelve stones taken up out of Jordan (Jos 4:1-8). II. The march of the people through Jordan's channel, the two tribes first, then all the people, and the priests that bore the ark last (Jos 4:10-14). III. The closing of the waters again upon their coming up with the ark (Jos 4:15-19). IV. The erecting of the monument in Gilgal, to preserve the remembrance of this work of wonder to posterity (Jos 4:20-24).

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Strong's Concordancev. 8

בֵּן (bên, H1121) — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative… יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrâʼêl, H3478) — Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh, H6213) — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ, H3091) — Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader צָוָה (tsâvâh, H6680) — (intensively) to constitute, enjoin נָשָׂא (nâsâʼ, H5375) — to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative שְׁנַיִם (shᵉnayim, H8147) — two; also (as ordinal) twofold עָשָׂר (ʻâsâr, H6240) — ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also (ordinal) -teenth אֶבֶן (ʼeben, H68) — a stone תָּוֶךְ (tâvek, H8432) — a bisection, i.e. (by implication) the centre יַרְדֵּן (Yardên, H3383) — Jarden, the principal river of Palestine יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh, H3068) — Jehovah, Jewish national name of God דָבַר (dâbar, H1696) — perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a… מִסְפָּר (miçpâr, H4557) — a number, definite (arithmetical) or indefinite (large, innumerable; small, a few); also…

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Joshua 4:20rank 2

And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

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