Joshua 4:15

¹⁴On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.¹⁵Then the LORD said to Joshua, ¹⁶“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

Summary

In Joshua 4:15, the Lord commands Joshua to cross the Jordan River with the Israelites, emphasizing His presence and power in fulfilling His promises. This event symbolizes the faithfulness of God in leading His people to the Promised Land, demonstrating His faithfulness and provision. By instructing the priests to carry the ark of the covenant into the river, God displays His authority over nature and His ability to make a way where there seems to be none. This verse serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness, encouraging trust and obedience in His guidance and promises.

Commentary

Keil-Delitzsch
John Gill

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Termination of the miraculous Passage through the Jordan. - As soon as the priests left their standing-place in the river with the ark of the covenant, according to the command of God made known to them by Joshua, and the soles of their feet "tore themselves loose upon the dry ground" (נתּקוּ אל החרבה, constructio praegnans, for they tore themselves loose from the soft soil of the river, and trode upon the dry or firm ground), the waters of the Jordan returned again to their place, and went over all its banks as before (vid., Jos 3:15). This affirms as clearly as possible that it was the ark which kept back the stream.