Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Joshua
Chapter 4: What Mean These Stones?
The nation is safely across, but God is not finished. He commands twelve men to carry twelve stones out of the dry riverbed to build a memorial, so that when children in years to come ask, 'What mean these stones?' their fathers can tell them what the LORD did at the Jordan. God cares that His mighty works be remembered and retold, that the next generation might know His power and fear Him forever, and that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of the LORD is mighty.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Joshua chapter 4. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here twelve stones are taken from the Jordan as a lasting memorial, so that the mighty works of God will be remembered and retold, and His people will fear Him forever. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Twelve From the River
One stone per tribe, taken from where the priests stood.
A Memorial Forever
Set up so the works of God are not forgotten.
What Mean These Stones?
Made for the children to ask, and the fathers to tell.
That All May Know
The hand of the LORD is mighty; fear Him forever.
A Memorial Unto the Children of Israel (Joshua 4:1-9)
God commands twelve men to carry twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, to be a sign and memorial, so that coming generations will ask their meaning and learn what the LORD did.
These Stones Shall Be for a Memorial
"And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 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. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day."
Word Study
"memorial," Hebrew zikkaron (זִכָּרוֹן). The word means a memorial, a remembrance, something that keeps a truth alive in the memory; it comes from the root zakar, "to remember." "These stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever." God knows how quickly His people forget. The generation that saw the Red Sea died in unbelief; and this new generation, having just seen the Jordan part, is immediately given a memorial so they will not forget either. The twelve stones are a zikkaron, a physical, lasting reminder set up where all could see it, so that the memory of God's mighty act would be carried down through the years. Remembering is a central duty of God's people. Israel was told again and again, "Remember" (Deuteronomy 8:2; 32:7), and the great feasts, the Passover, the memorial of the manna, the stones at Gilgal, were all appointed so that God's works would be recounted, not lost. In the New Testament the Lord gives His church its own memorial: "this do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19), the bread and cup that keep the memory of His death alive until He comes. Memory is not sentiment; it is the guard against unbelief and drift. When we remember what God has done, our faith is strengthened, our worship is stirred, and our children are taught. So zikkaron calls us to build memorials of God's faithfulness, to mark and record His works, and to keep telling the story, so that neither we nor those who come after us forget the mighty hand of the LORD.
Explanation
God commands not one memorial but two. Twelve men, one per tribe, lift twelve stones "out of the midst of Jordan" — from the exact spot "where the priests' feet stood firm" — to be carried over and set up at the camp. And there is a second set, easy to miss: "Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan," in the riverbed itself, "and they are there unto this day." One memorial would stand in plain sight at Gilgal; the other would rest hidden beneath the returning waters — a double witness, one for the eye and one known only to faith, both marking the place where God made a way.
Gospel Focus
The crossing is over, but God adds one more command before the day is done: build a memorial. Twelve men, one from each tribe, are to carry twelve stones "out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm." The stones come from the very spot where God's presence held back the waters, taken from the place of the miracle itself. And their purpose is explicitly generational: "when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?" God designs the memorial around a child's question and a parent's answer. He wants the story told from one generation to the next, so that children who never saw the Jordan part will still know the God who parted it. This is a profound principle of the faith: what God does in one generation must be taught to the next, or it will be lost. Faith is not inherited automatically; it is passed on deliberately, through remembering and telling. So Joshua sets up the stones, and interestingly, he also sets up twelve stones "in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests... stood", one memorial where the people would live and see it, and one on the very spot of the miracle. Both testify to the same truth: the LORD did this. For the Apostolic reader the lesson is pointed and practical. God cares that His works be remembered and retold. He gives His people tangible reminders, the stones at Gilgal, and for us the Lord's Supper and baptism, so that we and our children never forget His mighty acts. We must build memorials of God's faithfulness in our own lives and homes, and we must answer the children's question, telling them what the LORD has done, so the story of His salvation is carried forward and not lost.
That All the People of the Earth Might Know (Joshua 4:10-24)
The people finish crossing, the waters return, the stones are pitched at Gilgal, and Joshua declares the purpose: that all the earth may know God's mighty hand and Israel may fear Him forever.
That Ye Might Fear the LORD Your God For Ever
"For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. 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. And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: 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."
Word Study
"fear," Hebrew yare (יָרֵא). The word means to fear, to reverence, to stand in awe; the "fear of the LORD" is the reverent awe and worshipful submission that is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). "That ye might fear the LORD your God for ever." This is the ultimate purpose of the whole event, stated at the very end. God did not part the Jordan merely to get Israel across a river; He could have led them by an easy ford. He did it as a mighty wonder, and He set up memorial stones, for two great purposes: "that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty," and "that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever." The remembering of God's works is meant to produce the fear of God, a deep, reverent, lifelong awe that shapes how we live. This is not craven terror but the worshipful reverence that trusts, obeys, and honors God above all. And notice its scope: the memorial reaches outward, "that all the people of the earth might know," and inward and forward, "that ye might fear the LORD... for ever." God's mighty acts are witnesses to the nations and lessons to the generations, and their intended fruit is worship. So yare gathers up the meaning of the memorial: we remember and retell God's works not merely to inform, but to stir reverence, so that we and our children and the watching world might fear the LORD, honor Him, and walk in awe of the God whose hand is mighty.
Explanation
The closing verses state the crossing's twofold purpose plainly. It was done "that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty" — a witness to the watching nations — "and that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever" — an anchor for Israel's own reverence. And Joshua ties this miracle back to the last one: the God who "dried up the waters of Jordan" is the God who "dried up the Red sea." The parents crossed the sea at the start of the journey; now the children cross the river at its end. Each generation is given its own testimony of the same delivering God.
Gospel Focus
The chapter closes the crossing with careful detail. The priests held the ark in the midst of Jordan "until every thing was finished," a picture of God's faithfulness holding the way open until the last of His people had passed; the tribes who had settled east of Jordan crossed "armed before the children of Israel," keeping their promise to help their brethren fight; and "on that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel," fulfilling His word (3:7). Then, when the priests' feet came up onto dry land, "the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks," the miracle over, the river restored, but the memory secured in stone. The people camped at Gilgal, and Joshua "pitched" the twelve stones there, repeating the command about the children's question: "What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know." And he gives the full answer, linking this generation's miracle to the last: "as the LORD your God did to the Red sea." The God of the fathers is the God of the children; the same LORD who opened the sea for Moses' generation opened the Jordan for Joshua's. Finally the purpose is declared in full: "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." Every wonder of God has this double aim, that the world would know His power, and that His people would live in reverent awe of Him. For the Apostolic reader the memorial at Gilgal preaches an enduring truth. God's mighty works are not for the moment only but for the generations; they are meant to be remembered, retold, and to produce the fear of the LORD in every heart that hears. We build our memorials, we answer our children, we point the watching world to the mighty hand of God, and we let the memory of His salvation keep us in reverent, worshipful fear of the LORD our God forever.
Chapter 4 in Review
Joshua 4 records the building of a memorial at the Jordan. God commands twelve men, one per tribe, to carry twelve stones "out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm," to be "a sign" and "a memorial... for ever." Their purpose is generational: "when your children ask their fathers... What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them" what the LORD did. The priests hold the ark until all have crossed, the waters return when they come up, and Joshua "pitched" the stones at Gilgal, declaring the great purpose: "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."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter teaches the ministry of memory. God knows how quickly His people forget, so He commands memorials, tangible, lasting reminders of His mighty works, set where they and their children will see them and ask about them. Faith is passed on deliberately, through remembering and retelling; what God does in one generation must be taught to the next, or it is lost. The stones at Gilgal, like the Passover, and like the Lord's Supper and baptism He has given His church, are appointed so that the story of God's salvation is carried forward. And the aim of all this remembering is worship: "that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever." We remember not merely to inform but to stir reverent, lifelong awe of the God whose hand is mighty, and to bear witness to the watching world. So we build our own memorials of God's faithfulness, we answer the children's question, we tell the story of what the LORD has done, and we let the memory of His salvation keep us in the fear of the LORD, and draw the nations to know His mighty hand, forever.
- God commands a memorial because His people forget so quickly (4:3, 7).
- The stones are built around a child's question and a parent's answer (4:6-7, 21-22).
- Faith is passed on deliberately, by remembering and retelling (4:6-7).
- The same God who parted the Red Sea parted the Jordan, one faithful LORD (4:23).
- God's wonders aim outward, "that all the people of the earth might know" (4:24).
- The goal of remembering is worship: "that ye might fear the LORD... for ever" (4:24).
Questions for Reflection
- What memorials of God's faithfulness have you built in your own life and home?
- Are you telling the next generation what the LORD has done?
- How does remembering God's past works strengthen your faith today?
- Does the memory of God's mighty acts stir in you a reverent fear of the LORD?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The twelve stones as a memorial and sign: Joshua 4:1-9; Exodus 12:14, 26-27; Genesis 28:18; 1 Samuel 7:12. Remembering and teaching the children: Joshua 4:6-7, 21-22; Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 20-25; Psalm 78:4-7; Luke 22:19. The crossing completed; Joshua magnified: Joshua 4:10-18; Joshua 3:7; Exodus 14:31. The stones at Gilgal; the Red Sea remembered: Joshua 4:19-23; Joshua 5:9; Exodus 14:21-22, 29. The purpose: that all may know and fear the LORD: Joshua 4:24; Exodus 9:16; Proverbs 9:10; Deuteronomy 6:2; Psalm 130:4. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The twelve stones taken from the Jordan as a memorial forever: Joshua 4:1-9; Exodus 12:14; 1 Samuel 7:12.
- Built for the children's question; faith passed to the next generation: Joshua 4:6-7, 21-22; Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Psalm 78:4-7.
- The crossing completed; Joshua magnified; the waters return: Joshua 4:10-18; Joshua 3:7.
- The purpose: that all the earth might know, and Israel fear the LORD forever: Joshua 4:19-24; Exodus 9:16; Proverbs 9:10.