Crossing the Jordan

Joshua rose early in the morning and removed from Shittim to the Jordan with all the children of Israel. They lodged there before they passed over, and after three days, officers went through the host to command the people to follow the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 3:1-3). The text does not say the specific distance in feet, but the people were commanded to maintain a space of about two thousand cubits between themselves and the Ark. Joshua told the people to sanctify themselves because the Lord would do wonders among them (Joshua 3:5).

The Lord told Joshua that He would begin to magnify him in the sight of all Israel so they would know He was with him as He was with Moses. Joshua commanded the priests to stand still in the Jordan once they reached the water's edge. As the feet of the priests were dipped in the brim of the water, the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap, while those that came down toward the sea of the plain failed and were cut off (Joshua 3:7-16). The priests stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the river until all the people had passed over clean (Joshua 3:17).

After the nation had crossed, Joshua commanded twelve men, one from every tribe, to take up twelve stones from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. Joshua also set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan in the place where the priests stood (Joshua 4:2-9). Once the priests came up out of the river and the soles of their feet were lifted unto the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and flowed over all his banks as they did before (Joshua 4:18). The text does not say the specific time of day the crossing ended, but the people encamped in Gilgal on the tenth day of the first month (Joshua 4:19).