The Meaning of Joshua 4:20 Explained

Joshua 4:20

KJV: And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.

YLT: and these twelve stones, which they have taken out of the Jordan, hath Joshua raised up in Gilgal.

Darby: And those twelve stones which they had taken out of the Jordan did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

ASV: And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And those twelve  stones,  which they took out  of Jordan,  did Joshua  pitch  in Gilgal. 

What does Joshua 4:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 4:1-24 - The Memorial Stones
Twelve stones were brought up from the Jordan and erected in Gilgal. They gave fathers the opportunity of telling their children of the miraculous passage of the river. We, too, through our Lord, have passed through the waters of death on to resurrection-ground. Let the great deliverances of God wrought for our fatherland, as well as those wrought for us personally in Christ, be more frequent subjects of family-talk.
Twelve other stones were placed in the river-bed and would be visible when the waters were low. There was an ocular demonstration, therefore, that Israel was really once in these depths. We must not forget the Rock out of which we were hewn, Isaiah 51:1; 1 Corinthians 6:11. Let us never cease to magnify God's grace, Psalms 40:2.
The presence of the Ark alone restrained the piled-up waters. Thus Jesus stands between us and whatever would overwhelm us, especially sin and death, Hebrews 2:14. Do not, in rejecting Him, reject your only screen. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 4

1  Twelve men are appointed to take twelve memorial stones from Jordan
9  Twelve other stones are set up in the midst of Jordan
10  The people pass over
14  God magnifies Joshua
15  The priests commanded to come out of Jordan
20  The twelve stones are pitched in Gilgal

What do the individual words in Joshua 4:20 mean?

And two [and] ten stones these which they took out of the Jordan set up Joshua in Gilgal
וְאֵת֩ שְׁתֵּ֨ים עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה הָֽאֲבָנִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָקְח֖וּ מִן־ הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן הֵקִ֥ים יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ בַּגִּלְגָּֽל

שְׁתֵּ֨ים  two 
Parse: Number, fd
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה  [and]  ten 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: עָשָׂר 
Sense: ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers).
הָֽאֲבָנִים֙  stones 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
הָאֵ֔לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
לָקְח֖וּ  they  took 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
מִן־  out 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן  of  the  Jordan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַרְדֵּן  
Sense: the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approx 200 miles (320 km).
הֵקִ֥ים  set  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ  Joshua 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹושֻׁעַ  
Sense: son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim and successor to Moses as the leader of the children of Israel; led the conquest of Canaan.
בַּגִּלְגָּֽל  in  Gilgal 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְגָּל 
Sense: the first site of an Israelite camp west of the Jordan, east of Jericho, here Samuel was judge, and Saul was made king; later used for illicit worship.

What are the major concepts related to Joshua 4:20?

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