Joshua 4:3
New International Version
and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

New Living Translation
Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”

English Standard Version
and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”

Berean Standard Bible
and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’ ”

King James Bible
And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

New King James Version
and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firmly, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the encampment where you will spend the night.’”

NASB 1995
and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’”

NASB 1977
and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’”

Legacy Standard Bible
and command them, saying, ‘Carry for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’”

Amplified Bible
and command them, ‘Pick up for yourselves twelve stones [one each] from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm; carry them over with you and lay them down at the place where you will spend the night tonight.’”

Christian Standard Bible
and command them: Take twelve stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and command them: Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”

American Standard Version
and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And command them and say to them: ‘Take for yourselves from here from within the Jordan, provide twelve stones from under the feet of the Priests and bring them with you and put them among the lodging where you lodge in the night’”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and charge them; and ye shall take out of the midst of Jordan twelve fit stones, and having carried them across together with yourselves, place them in your camp, where ye shall encamp for the night.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And command them to take out of the midst of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood, twelve very hard stones, which you shall set in the place of the camp, where you shall pitch your tents this night.

English Revised Version
and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Order them to pick up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, where the priests' feet stood firmly. Take the stones along with you, and set them down where you will camp tonight."

Good News Translation
and command them to take twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests were standing. Tell them to carry these stones with them and to put them down where you camp tonight."

International Standard Version
and tell them, 'Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests' feet were standing, bring them along with you, and put them down where you camp tonight.'"

JPS Tanakh 1917
and command ye them, saying: Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones made ready, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.'

Literal Standard Version
and command them, saying, Take up for yourselves from this [place], from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and you have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which you lodge tonight.”

Majority Standard Bible
and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”

New American Bible
and command them, “Take up twelve stones from this spot in the Jordan riverbed where the priests have been standing. Carry them over with you, and place them where you are to stay tonight.”

NET Bible
Instruct them, 'Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.'"

New Revised Standard Version
and command them, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight.’”

New Heart English Bible
and command them, saying, "Take up for yourselves from here, from the middle of the Jordan from the place where the feet of the priests stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where you will lodge tonight.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night.

World English Bible
and command them, saying, ‘Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you’ll camp tonight.’”

Young's Literal Translation
and command ye them, saying, Take up for you from this place, from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and ye have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which ye lodge to-night.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Twelve Stones from the Jordan
2“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’” 4So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,…

Cross References
Joshua 4:4
So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

Joshua 4:20
And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.


Treasury of Scripture

And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the middle of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night.

the priest's feet

Joshua 3:13
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

twelve stones

Joshua 24:27
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.

Genesis 28:22
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Deuteronomy 27:1-26
And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day…

leave them

Joshua 4:18,19,20
And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before…

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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














IV.

(3) Out of the midst of Jordan . . . twelve stones--(9) Twelve stones in the midst of Jordan.--It would seem that we are to understand two cairns to have been set up, one on either side the river, to mark the place where the Israelites crossed. The western cairn was in Gilgal, the other on the opposite side, at the edge of the overflow, where the priests had stopped. The only difficulty lies in the words above cited, in the midst of Jordan. The phrase, like many other Hebrew phrases, is used in a different way from that in which we should use it. The words "in the middle of the Jordan" to an English reader appear to mean half-way between the banks. But if the river were divided, and half of it had recoiled many miles towards the north, and the rest flowed away to the south, any one standing between these two parts of the river might be said to stand in the midst of Jordan, the two parts being on either side; and he would be equally in the midst, as regards them, whether he were at the edge of the stream or not. It is contrary to common-sense, as well as to the words of the text, to suppose that a cairn was set up in the midst of the river's bed. "They are there unto this day," the writer adds in Joshua 4:9. It is perfectly clear from Joshua 3:8 that the priests stood at the brim of the overflow. That spot and no other would be the particular spot which it would be most interesting to mark, the place from which Jordan, in full flood, was driven back.

Further, the words "in the midst" (Hebrew, Vtholc) do not necessarily mean more than within. In Joshua 19:1, it is said the inheritance of Simeon was within (b'thok) the inheritance of the children of Judah. Yet it was entirely on one edge of it. May not the ark standing in the midst of Jordan represent that suspension of the power of death which is effected by the interposition of our Saviour, and fills the interval between the reign of death "from Adam to Moses," and the "second death" that is to come?

Verse 3. - Stood firm. Much discussion has taken place about the proper rendering of the word הָכִין which the LXX. translates ἐτοίμους, and the Vulgate durissimos. It seems best to take it, as our version does, as the infinitive absolute, and to translate as in ch. 'Hi. 17. But the punctuation of the Masorites separates it from מִםמּצַּב. They would apparently render "to set up."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and command them:
וְצַוּ֣וּ (wə·ṣaw·wū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

‘Take up
שְׂאֽוּ־ (śə·’ū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

for yourselves
לָכֶ֨ם (lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

twelve
שְׁתֵּים־ (šə·têm-)
Number - fd
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

stones
אֲבָנִ֑ים (’ă·ḇā·nîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 68: A stone

from
מִזֶּ֜ה (miz·zeh)
Preposition-m | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

the middle
מִתּ֣וֹךְ (mit·tō·wḵ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre

of the Jordan
הַיַּרְדֵּ֗ן (hay·yar·dên)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3383: Jordan -- the principal river of Palestine

where the priests
הַכֹּהֲנִ֔ים (hak·kō·hă·nîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3548: Priest

were standing,
הָכִ֖ין (hā·ḵîn)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 3559: To be erect

carry
וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּ֤ם (wə·ha·‘ă·ḇar·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

them with you,
עִמָּכֶ֔ם (‘im·mā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

and set them down
וְהִנַּחְתֶּ֣ם (wə·hin·naḥ·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3240: Bestow, cast down, lay down, up, leave off, let alone remain, pacify, place,

in the place
בַּמָּל֕וֹן (bam·mā·lō·wn)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4411: A lodgment, caravanserai, encampment

where
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you spend
תָּלִ֥ינוּ (tā·lî·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3885: To stop, to stay permanently, to be obstinate

the night.’”
הַלָּֽיְלָה׃ (hal·lā·yə·lāh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity


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OT History: Joshua 4:3 And command them saying 'Take from out (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 4:2
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