Joshua 3:13

When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Joshua addresses the Israelites as they prepare to cross the Jordan, declaring that the moment the priests carrying the ark touch the water, the river will stop flowing.

The words — The Hebrew כּוֹף (ka.Pot, "soles") and רַגְלֵי (rag.Lei, "feet") paired with נֹשְׂאֵי (no.se.'Ei, "bearers") emphasize the physical contact of the priests carrying the ark with the riverbed.

The thread — This event mirrors God's earlier work at the Red Sea in Exodus 15:8 and Psalms 78:13, where currents stood firm or piled up, and fulfills the promise in Joshua 3:11 that the ark will lead the people.

Why it lands — The text states that the waters will be cut off and stand in a heap precisely when the priests' feet touch the Jordan, requiring the reader to obey God's specific instructions before the miracle becomes visible.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְהָיָ֡הve./ha.Yahand/ it will be כְּנ֣וֹחַke./No.achwhen/ rest כַּפּ֣וֹתka.Pot[the] soles of רַגְלֵ֣יrag.Lei[the] feet of הַכֹּהֲנִ֡יםha./ko.ha.Nimthe/ priests נֹשְׂאֵי֩no.se.'Ei[the] bearers of אֲר֨וֹן'a.Ron[the] ark of יְהוָ֜הYah.wehYahweh אֲד֤וֹן'a.Don[the] lord of כָּל־kol-all הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ha./'A.retzthe/ earth בְּמֵ֣יbe./Meiin/ [the] waters of הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ןhai./yar.Denthe/ Jordan מֵ֤יmei[the] waters of הַיַּרְדֵּן֙hai./yar.Denthe/ Jordan יִכָּ֣רֵת֔וּןyi.Ka.re.Tu/nthey will be cut off/ !הַמַּ֥יִםha./Ma.yimthe/ waters הַיֹּרְדִ֖יםhai./yo.re.Dimthat/ are coming down מִלְמָ֑עְלָהmi/l./Ma.'e.la/hfrom/ to/ above/ <towards>וְיַעַמְד֖וּve./ya.'am.Duso/ they may stand נֵ֥דneda heap אֶחָֽד׃'e.Chadone

King James Version

And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

Cross-references

Exodus 15:8 At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
Psalms 78:13 He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
Joshua 3:11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.
Joshua 3:15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,
Exodus 14:19 And the angel of God, who had gone before the camp of Israel, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from before them and stood behind them,
Psalms 33:7 He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses.
Psalms 114:3 The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;
Habakkuk 3:15 You trampled the sea with Your horses, churning the great waters.

Places named

Jordan