Joshua 3:14-17

Joshua 3:14-17

[14] And it came to pass, when the people  removed  from their tents,  to pass over  Jordan,  and the priests  bearing  the ark  of the covenant  before  the people;  [15] And as they that bare  the ark  were come  unto Jordan,  and the feet  of the priests  that bare  the ark  were dipped  in the brim  of the water,  (for Jordan  overfloweth  all his banks  all the time  of harvest,)  [16] That the waters  which came down  from above  stood  and rose up  upon an  heap  very  far  from the city  Adam,  that is beside  Zaretan:  and those that came down  toward the sea  of the plain,  even the salt  sea,  failed,  and were cut off:  and the people  passed over  right against Jericho.  [17] And the priests  that bare  the ark  of the covenant  of the LORD  stood  firm  on dry ground  in the midst  of Jordan,  and all the Israelites  passed over  on dry ground,  until all the people  clean  over  Jordan. 

What does Joshua 3:14-17 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Israelites crossed the Jordan when the river was at its widest, deepest, and swiftest, in late April or early May. As the snow on Mt. Hermon melts and the rainy season ends, the Jordan rises to a depth of10-12feet and floods to a width of300-360 feet at this point today. Normally it is only150-180 feet wide here. However, in Joshua"s day the river may only have been full up to its banks, as the Hebrew text suggests. The people considered crossing the river at this time of year by swimming a heroic feat in ancient times (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:15). This is probably how the spies crossed.
The town of Adam ( Joshua 3:16) stood about18 miles north of Jericho near where the Jabbok River empties into the Jordan Valley. Interestingly, several earthquakes have sent much soil into the Jordan River in modern times at this very location, damming up the river for many hours (in A.D1267 , 1837 , and1927). [1] Perhaps an earthquake is what God used in Joshua"s day too. God may have supernaturally used a natural phenomenon, a landslide, near Adam to cut the waters of the Jordan off as they flowed south. [1] Another possibility is that the phenomenon was completely supernatural. [3]
Two million Israelites could have crossed the river in half a day if the procession was a mile or more wide. The dry ground ( Joshua 3:17) was a miracle too (cf. Exodus 14:21).
The major emphasis in chapter3is on the great miracle that God performed to lead the Israelites into the land. The conquest of the land would continue God"s works for His people, all of which they were to remember and appreciate.
"The people of God [4] must realize that God does not help them automatically. God helps them when they obey his commands given through his leader." [5]