Joshua 4:16
New International Version
“Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”

New Living Translation
“Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to come up out of the riverbed.”

English Standard Version
“Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

King James Bible
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

New King James Version
“Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

New American Standard Bible
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.”

NASB 1995
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.”

NASB 1977
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.”

Amplified Bible
“Order the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.”

Christian Standard Bible
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

American Standard Version
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.

English Revised Version
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Order the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come out of the Jordan River."

Good News Translation
to command the priests carrying the Covenant Box to come up out of the Jordan.

International Standard Version
"Command the priests who carry the Ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan River."

Majority Standard Bible
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

NET Bible
"Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws to come up from the Jordan."

New Heart English Bible
"Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan."

Webster's Bible Translation
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

World English Bible
“Command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, that they come up out of the Jordan.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Testimony, and they come up out of the Jordan.”

Young's Literal Translation
'Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony, and they come up out of the Jordan.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Command the priests lifting up the ark of the testimony, and they shall come up out of Jordan.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Command the priests, that carry the ark of the covenant, to come up out of the Jordan.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant to ascend from the Jordan.”

New American Bible
Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to come up from the Jordan.

New Revised Standard Version
“Command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, to come up out of the Jordan.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Command the Priests who bear the ark of the testimony and they shall offer up from within the Jordan.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Charge the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the testimony of the Lord, to go up out of Jordan.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Twelve Stones from the Jordan
15Then the LORD said to Joshua, 16“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.” 17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”…

Cross References
Exodus 14:21-22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, / and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

Joshua 3:13-17
When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.” / So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. / Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ...

2 Kings 2:8
And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Psalm 114:3
The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;

Isaiah 43:16
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters,

Hebrews 11:29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.

1 Corinthians 10:1-2
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

Exodus 15:8
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

Nehemiah 9:11
You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.

Psalm 66:6
He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.

Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Acts 7:36
He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.

Exodus 14:29
But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

2 Kings 2:14
Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.

Psalm 77:16
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken.


Treasury of Scripture

Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

Joshua 3:3-6
And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it…

Exodus 25:16-22
And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee…

Revelation 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Jump to Previous
Ark Bear Bearing Carry Carrying Command Jordan Orders Priests Testimony Witness
Jump to Next
Ark Bear Bearing Carry Carrying Command Jordan Orders Priests Testimony Witness
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














Command the priests
In this phrase, the word "command" signifies a direct order or instruction, reflecting the authority of God conveyed through Joshua. The Hebrew root for "command" is "tsavah," which implies a charge or commission. This highlights the divine authority and the importance of obedience to God's instructions. The priests, as spiritual leaders, are to act in accordance with God's will, demonstrating the importance of leadership that is aligned with divine guidance.

carrying the ark of the Testimony
The "ark of the Testimony" refers to the Ark of the Covenant, which held the tablets of the Law given to Moses. The Hebrew word for "Testimony" is "edut," signifying a witness or evidence. The Ark symbolizes God's presence and covenant with Israel. It serves as a physical reminder of God's promises and faithfulness. The priests carrying the Ark underscore the sacred duty of bearing God's presence and the responsibility of upholding His covenant.

to come up
The phrase "to come up" indicates movement and transition. In the context of crossing the Jordan River, it signifies the completion of a miraculous event. The Hebrew root "alah" means to ascend or rise, suggesting not only a physical movement but also a spiritual elevation. This act of coming up from the riverbed symbolizes the Israelites' transition from the wilderness into the Promised Land, marking a new chapter in their journey with God.

from the Jordan
The Jordan River holds significant historical and spiritual importance in the Bible. It represents a boundary and a place of transition. Crossing the Jordan is symbolic of entering into the promises of God. The river itself is a testament to God's power, as He miraculously parted its waters for the Israelites. This event echoes the earlier crossing of the Red Sea, reinforcing God's continual provision and faithfulness to His people. The Jordan serves as a reminder of God's ability to make a way where there seems to be none, encouraging believers to trust in His guidance and provision.

(16) Command the priests . . . that they come up out of Jordan.--Observe that the removal of the priests and the ark of the covenant from their station in Jordan is made the subject of a distinct section, and treated as a distinct event. It need not have been so for the purpose of the mere historical narrative. We might have taken it for granted. But the significance of the event is so marked as to receive a separate notice. We are not suffered to forget by what means Jordan was driven back, and held in check; and the check was not meant to be perpetual. We are reminded that the suspension of the power of death for men has its limits. When the day of grace is over, the waters will "return unto their place and flow over all the banks as before." (Comp. Isaiah 28:16-18; Isaiah 28:20.)

Verse 16. - The testimony. The word עֵדוּת though derived from the same root as עֵד witness, would seem rather to have the sense of precept, from the idea of repetition contained in the root. Compare the well known Hebrew particle עוד again. It must refer to the two tables of the law which (Hebrews 10:4) were placed in the ark (see Deuteronomy 10:5, and comp. Exodus 25:16, 21, 40, Numbers 17:10, where this is said to be the testimony). Other things were placed in the ark, such as the manna, Aaron's rod, and these, no doubt, were for a witness to the facts of the Mosaic record. The LXX., however, consistently render this word by μαρτύρια μαρτύριον. The Vulgate here has arcam foederis.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Command
צַוֵּה֙ (ṣaw·wêh)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

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

who carry
נֹשְׂאֵ֖י (nō·śə·’ê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

the ark
אֲר֣וֹן (’ă·rō·wn)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 727: A chest, ark

of the Testimony
הָעֵד֑וּת (hā·‘ê·ḏūṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5715: Testimony

to come up
וְיַעֲל֖וּ (wə·ya·‘ă·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

from
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

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


Links
Joshua 4:16 NIV
Joshua 4:16 NLT
Joshua 4:16 ESV
Joshua 4:16 NASB
Joshua 4:16 KJV

Joshua 4:16 BibleApps.com
Joshua 4:16 Biblia Paralela
Joshua 4:16 Chinese Bible
Joshua 4:16 French Bible
Joshua 4:16 Catholic Bible

OT History: Joshua 4:16 Command the priests who bear the ark (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 4:15
Top of Page
Top of Page