Joshua 4:24
New International Version
He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

New Living Translation
He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the LORD’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the LORD your God forever.”

English Standard Version
so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

Berean Standard Bible
He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

King James Bible
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

New King James Version
that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

New American Standard Bible
so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

NASB 1995
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

NASB 1977
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

Legacy Standard Bible
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is strong, so that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.”

Amplified Bible
so that all the peoples of the earth may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that the hand of the LORD is mighty and extraordinarily powerful, so that you will fear the LORD your God [and obey and worship Him with profound awe and reverence] forever.”

Christian Standard Bible
This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is strong, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

American Standard Version
that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye may fear Jehovah your God for ever.

Contemporary English Version
because he wants everyone on earth to know how powerful he is. And he wants us to worship only him."

English Revised Version
that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty; that they may fear the LORD your God for ever.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD did this so that everyone in the world would know his mighty power and that you would fear the LORD your God every day of your life."

Good News Translation
Because of this everyone on earth will know how great the LORD's power is, and you will honor the LORD your God forever."

International Standard Version
Do this so that all of the people of the earth may know how strong the power of the LORD is, and so that you may fear the LORD your God every day."

Majority Standard Bible
He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.?

NET Bible
He has done this so all the nations of the earth might recognize the LORD's power and so you might always obey the LORD your God."

New Heart English Bible
that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty; that you may fear the LORD your God forever.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

World English Bible
that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh’s hand is mighty, and that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.’”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
so that all the people of the land know the hand of YHWH—that it [is] strong, so that you have feared your God YHWH [for] all the days.”

Young's Literal Translation
so that all the people of the land do know the hand of Jehovah that it is strong, so that ye have reverenced Jehovah your God all the days.'

Smith's Literal Translation
So that all the people of the earth knew the hand of Jehovah that it is strong: so that ye shall fear Jehovah your God all the days.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
That all the people of the earth may learn the most mighty hand of the Lord, that you also may fear the Lord your God for ever.

Catholic Public Domain Version
So may all the peoples of the earth learn of the very powerful hand of the Lord. So may you also fear the Lord your God for all time.”

New American Bible
in order that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and that you may fear the LORD, your God, forever.”

New Revised Standard Version
so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and that you may worship the LORD your God for ever.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
That all the nations of the Earth would know the hand of LORD JEHOVAH which is mighty, and you shall worship LORD JEHOVAH your God for all days.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty; that ye may fear the LORD your God for ever.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
That all the nations of the earth might know, that the power of the Lord is mighty, and that ye might worship the Lord our God in every work.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Camp at Gilgal
23For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

Cross References
Exodus 14:31
When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.

1 Samuel 17:46
This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

1 Kings 8:42-43
for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, / then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.

2 Kings 19:19
And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”

Psalm 67:7
God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

Psalm 89:7
In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.

Isaiah 59:19
So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.

Isaiah 63:12-13
who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown, / who led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble?

Jeremiah 10:6-7
There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power. / Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.

Daniel 6:26-27
I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end. / He delivers and rescues; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

Acts 2:22
Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.

Acts 4:30
as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

Acts 14:3
So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

1 Corinthians 2:5
so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.


Treasury of Scripture

That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that you might fear the LORD your God for ever.

all the people

Exodus 9:16
And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:10
And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

1 Samuel 17:46
This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

that it is

Exodus 15:16
Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

1 Chronicles 29:12
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

Psalm 89:13
Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

he might

Exodus 14:31
And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

Exodus 20:20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Deuteronomy 6:2
That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

for ever [heb] all days

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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














He did this
This phrase refers to the actions of God, emphasizing His direct involvement in the events described. In the context of Joshua 4, God is the one orchestrating the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River. The Hebrew root for "did" is "עָשָׂה" (asah), which means to make, do, or accomplish. This highlights God's active role in the history of Israel, reminding us that He is not a distant deity but one who intervenes in the lives of His people to fulfill His promises.

so that all the peoples of the earth
This phrase expands the scope of God's actions beyond Israel to include all nations. The Hebrew word for "peoples" is "עַמִּים" (amim), which often refers to nations or ethnic groups. This underscores the universal nature of God's power and His desire for all humanity to recognize His sovereignty. Historically, Israel was meant to be a light to the nations, demonstrating God's character and inviting others to know Him.

may know
The Hebrew word "יָדַע" (yada) means to know, perceive, or understand. This is not merely intellectual knowledge but an experiential understanding. God's actions are intended to lead to a deep, personal recognition of His power and authority. This knowledge is transformative, calling for a response of reverence and worship.

that the hand of the LORD
The "hand of the LORD" is a metaphor for God's power and intervention. In Hebrew, "יָד" (yad) signifies strength and capability. This imagery is used throughout Scripture to depict God's mighty acts, such as delivering Israel from Egypt. It reassures believers of God's ability to act decisively in history and in their personal lives.

is mighty
The word "mighty" in Hebrew is "חָזָק" (chazaq), meaning strong or powerful. This emphasizes the overwhelming strength of God, which is unmatched by any earthly power. The crossing of the Jordan River is a testament to this might, as God controls nature itself to fulfill His purposes. This serves as a reminder of God's omnipotence and His ability to overcome any obstacle.

and so that you may always fear the LORD your God
The phrase "fear the LORD" involves reverence, awe, and respect for God. The Hebrew word "יָרֵא" (yare) conveys a sense of awe and worshipful submission. This fear is not about being afraid but about recognizing God's holiness and responding with obedience and devotion. The historical context of Israel's journey shows that their success depended on their faithfulness to God, and this fear was meant to guide their relationship with Him continually.

Verse 24. - The hand of the Lord, that it is mighty. "Thus the river, though dumb, was the best of heralds, proclaiming with a loud voice that heaven and earth are subject to the Lord God of Israel" (Calvin). That ye might fear. The construction here is unusual. Instead of the imperfect or infinitive with לְמַעַן we have the perfect. Therefore Ewald, Maurer, and Knobel (who says that the second member of the sentence ought to correspond with the first) have altered the pointing in order to bring this passage into conformity with the supposed necessities of grammar. In so doing they have robbed it of its picturesqueness and its meaning. For the object is clearly to show the lasting nature of the fear, "that ye might recognise now the hand of the Lord, that ye might have a thorough and lasting fear of his name." We may here remark on the necessarily miraculous character of the whole narrative of the crossing the Jordan. It admits of no explaining away. The account must either be accepted or rejected en bloc. First we have the specific declaration of Rahab in chap. 2:10, that Jehovah dried up the Red Sea, and that this proof of the peculiar protection of Israel by the Most High had struck terror into the hearts of the inhabitants of Canaan. Next we have the fact that Jordan had overflowed its banks. The dangerous nature of the crossing, even at ordinary times, has been mentioned already. Lives are frequently lost in the attempt, as recent travellers with one voice declare. At the time when the waters were out such a crossing was practically impossible to a host like the host of Israel. Nor can there be any mistake about its being the period of the overflowing of Jordan, for the time of the crossing is mentioned. It was the time of harvest - that is, of the barley harvest. This is confirmed by the fact that the recently cut flax was now lying on the roof of Rahab's house, and by the fact that the harley and flax ripened together, a coincidence which we have already mentioned in the note on chap. 2:6. The time is yet further defined. It was the "tenth day of the first month." We learn, moreover, from Leviticus 23:9-15 and Deuteronomy 16:6 that this was the time when the firstfruits were offered, from which seven weeks were reckoned to the beginning of wheat harvest (Exodus 34:2). Moreover, the passover was kept immediately afterwards (Joshua 5:10), on "the fourteenth day of the first month." Thus the date of the crossing, which is accurately fixed by a variety of circumstances, is clearly proved to correspond with the time of Jordan's overflow. We next come to the measures taken to secure the crossing. There is likewise no mistake here. Not one single intimation is given of an endeavour to break in any way the force of the current, or to preserve the Israelites, either men, women, or children, from the imminent risk they ran of death by drowning. Not only are no other expedients resorted to, but no animals seem to have been prepared to transport them over. Nor, again, were any means used to elude the vigilance of the inhabitants of Canaan. Readers of Xenophon's 'Anabasis ' will not fail to notice how often the passage of the rivers was a matter of the utmost difficulty to that expedition, and how fiercely attempts at crossing were disputed by the half savage tribes of Asia Minor. How are we to account for the fact that no opposition was offered to Joshua's passage by the highly civilised nations of Palestine? According to the narrative before us it was effected in the most leisurely and peaceful manner. What other explanation is possible titan that offered in the text, that when the feet of the priests bearing the ark touched the waters, those waters were cut off by supernatural power, and a way was miraculously made for the people of God through the midst of Jordan? The crossing was remarkable enough, we are told, to have been commemorated by a double memorial (vers. 8, 9). If it had taken place through an unusually easy ford there would have been nothing remarkable about it. Therefore it is clear that the whole narrative of the crossing is either absolute fable or strictly and historically accurate. Let us conclude by summing up the several reasons which make the former alternative inadmissible. The first is the precision with which the date is fixed, and the fact that the correctness of this date is confirmed, as we have seen, by a variety of corroborative evidence. The next is the simplicity and artlessness of the narrative, and its appeal to still existing monuments as confirmatory of the facts recorded. The third is that no account of a battle at Jordan is even hinted at by the Hebrew or any other historian, a battle which must infallibly have taken place had the Israelites attempted to enter Palestine in any ordinary manner; for the supposition that the waters of the ford at Jericho were unusually low at this time is quite inadmissible for the reasons given above; nor can it be supposed that the Israelites crossed the river by any other ford without rejecting the whole history of the conquest. The last reason is the touch of detail given in the word XXX which seems to mark the transition from the soft adhesive mud of the river to the firmness of the dry land beyond (for the word translated "dry land" in chap. 3:17 only means that it was land and not water. Gesenius). Our witness, in fact, can be subjected to the severest cross examination without shaking his testimony. And we are thus compelled to choose between accepting the literal correctness of the narrative as it stands, or crediting the author with a skill in constructing a work of fiction which itself scarcely falls short of the miraculous.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
{He did this] so that
לְ֠מַעַן (lə·ma·‘an)
Conjunction
Strong's 4616: Purpose -- intent

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the peoples
עַמֵּ֤י (‘am·mê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

of the earth
הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

may know
דַּ֜עַת (da·‘aṯ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1847: Knowledge

that
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the hand
יַ֣ד (yaḏ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

of the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

is mighty,
חֲזָקָ֖ה (ḥă·zā·qāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 2389: Strong, stout, mighty

and so that
לְמַ֧עַן (lə·ma·‘an)
Preposition
Strong's 4616: Purpose -- intent

you may always
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

fear
יְרָאתֶ֛ם (yə·rā·ṯem)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God.”
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם (’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT History: Joshua 4:24 That all the peoples of the earth (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 4:23
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