Bible Strands
Joshua 4:17
So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Joshua commands the priests carrying the ark to exit the Jordan River immediately after the Israelites have crossed on dry ground. This directive occurs at the precise moment the miraculous parting of the waters concludes.
The words — The Hebrew עֲל֖וּ ('a.Lu) literally means "come up" or "ascend," directing the priests to leave the riverbed. It follows וַ/יְצַ֣ו (va/y.Tzav), "and he commanded," establishing Joshua's authoritative role in terminating the event.
The thread — The command to exit a confined space parallels Noah's release in Genesis 8:16 and contrasts with the enforced detention in Acts 16:23 and 16:35. These passages demonstrate how divine timing dictates movement out of or into restricted places.
Why it lands — The text requires immediate obedience to a clear directive at the exact moment of completion. It demands that readers recognize when a divinely orchestrated phase ends and act accordingly without delay.
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
King James Version
Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
Cross-references
- Genesis 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife, along with your sons and their wives.
- Acts 16:23 And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely.
- Acts 16:35 When daylight came, the magistrates sent their officers with the order: “Release those men.”
- Daniel 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,