Joshua 4 explains why Israel set up twelve stones after crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. People read it to understand the meaning of those stones, and to see how a memorial can help a community remember God’s faithfulness across generations. The chapter answers that question directly: the stones were a visible sign, meant to prompt children to ask what happened and to receive the answer that the LORD dried up the waters before his people.
Joshua 4 Summary
The chapter opens once the whole nation has finished crossing the Jordan. God instructs Joshua to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, and send them back into the riverbed to lift a stone from the spot where the priests stood holding the ark. Each man carries his stone to the camp, and Joshua sets them up at Gilgal as a lasting reminder.
Then the chapter explains the purpose of the stones. When future children ask what they mean, parents are to tell the story of the waters being cut off before the ark of the covenant. The memorial is meant to teach the next generation who God is and what he did for them. The chapter closes with the people moving on, the priests coming out of the river, and the waters returning to their banks, along with a reminder that all this was so the peoples of the earth would know the LORD’s power and that Israel would fear him.
Background and Setting
The book of Joshua takes its name from Joshua, Moses’ successor, who led Israel into Canaan. Tradition credits Joshua with writing much of the material, though the book was likely shaped and edited over time, and scholars often date its final form to the period of the monarchy or later. The events it describes concern Israel’s entry into the land after the wilderness years, following the death of Moses.
Chapter 4 sits in the opening section of the book, which narrates the conquest and settlement. It is written for a people who had lived as wanderers and were now becoming a nation with land and a shared identity. The crossing of the Jordan parallels the earlier crossing of the Red Sea, linking this new generation to the story of their deliverance from Egypt.
Joshua 4 Section by Section
Verses 1-7: A Sign Built for Future Questions
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in the future, saying, ‘What do you mean by these stones?’ 7 then you shall tell them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the LORD’s covenant. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.’”
Joshua 4:6-7 (WEB)
God tells Joshua to choose twelve men and have them take stones from the middle of the Jordan. The reason is stated plainly: the stones are a sign so that when children ask about them, parents can explain. This shows that God designed the memorial around teaching. A physical object invites a question, and the question opens the door to telling the story of what the LORD did at the river.
Notice that the instruction includes the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s presence, standing in the riverbed. The stones are tied to a real event with a real God at its center. The people are not merely remembering a feeling or a good memory. They are remembering that the waters were cut off because God acted, and they are asked to pass that truth on in words their children can understand.
Verses 8-14: Stones Carried and Set Down
8 The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, as the LORD spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel. They carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there. 9 Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.
Joshua 4:8-9 (WEB)
The people obey exactly as they were commanded. Twelve stones are carried to the place where they camp, and Joshua also sets up twelve stones in the middle of the river where the priests had stood. The text says these stones remain there to this day, which suggests the author was writing from a time when they could still be seen. Two sets of memorials mark the same event from different places.
Verses 10 through 14 describe the crossing completed: the priests remain in the river until everything is done, the people hurry across, and the armed tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh go before the nation. The chapter also notes that God magnified Joshua in the sight of Israel, and the people feared him as they had feared Moses. Leadership is shown to rest on God’s own honor being displayed through the man he chose.
Verses 15-18: The Priests Come Out of the River
When the priests who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant had come up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet had been lifted up to the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks, as before.
Joshua 4:18 (WEB)
Once the priests step onto dry ground, the waters return to their place and flow over the banks as before. This moment completes the miracle. The river that held back for the people now resumes its course, leaving no doubt that the crossing was not an ordinary event. The timing matters: the waters return only after the ark and its bearers are clear of the riverbed.
The verse highlights the careful, ordered nature of the whole event. God directs each step, from the stones to the priests to the return of the water. Israel does not cross by its own strength or planning. It moves forward at the LORD’s command, and the chapter presents this as a deliberate demonstration of his presence and power.
Verses 19-20: Gilgal Becomes a Place of Remembrance
19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. 20 Joshua set up those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, in Gilgal.
Joshua 4:19-20 (WEB)
The people arrive at Gilgal on the tenth day of the first month and make camp on the east border of Jericho. Joshua sets up the twelve stones there. The location is significant because Gilgal becomes the first camp in the land, and the stones give that ground a meaning that goes beyond its use as a campsite. A place becomes sacred because of what God did there.
This detail teaches that remembrance is tied to particular places as well as particular people. When you know a place where God acted, that location can speak to you for years. Gilgal shows that the people were meant to see their new home through the lens of God’s past faithfulness.
Verses 21-24: The Purpose of the Memorial
21 He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had crossed over; 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty; that you may fear the LORD your God forever.’”
Joshua 4:21-24 (WEB)
Joshua gives the final instruction, which repeats the purpose of the stones. Parents are to tell their children that Israel crossed on dry land, that the LORD dried up the waters, and that he did the same at the Red Sea. The memorial thus connects the generation entering Canaan with the generation that left Egypt, and both with the God who acts in history.
The chapter ends by stating the larger goal: that all the peoples of the earth may know the LORD’s hand is mighty, and that Israel may fear him forever. The stones point beyond Israel’s own story. They announce that God’s power is real and that the right response is reverent trust.
Key Themes in Joshua 4
- Remembrance: The stones exist so that God’s past acts are not forgotten.
- Teaching the next generation: The memorial prompts questions, and the answers are meant to be passed from parents to children.
- God’s presence and power: The ark in the riverbed and the returning waters show that the LORD himself is at work.
- Continuity with the exodus: The crossing of the Jordan echoes the crossing of the Red Sea, linking the two events.
- Leadership under God: Joshua is exalted because God is exalted through him, and the people honor the leader God appointed.
Lessons From Joshua 4 for Today
Many people today have a moment when God clearly came through for them: a job that opened unexpectedly, a diagnosis that turned out better than feared, a relationship restored. Joshua 4 encourages you to create some visible reminder of that moment. It might be a journal entry kept in a drawer, a photo on a wall, or a simple habit of recounting the story at the dinner table. The point is to give your memory something to hold on to.
The chapter also reminds parents and mentors that children learn faith partly through stories told well. When a young person asks why your family prays a certain way or why a particular date matters to you, that question is an opportunity. Joshua 4 suggests that you do not need a perfect speech. You need to tell the truth about what God has done in your life, plainly and with gratitude.
Questions for Reflection
- What is one moment in your life when you clearly saw God at work, and how do you remember it?
- What object, place or habit could serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness for the people you love?
- When a younger person asks you about your faith, what story from your own life would you tell first?
- How does remembering God’s past acts shape the way you face a new challenge in front of you?
A Prayer From Joshua 4
Lord, you have carried your people through rivers and wildernesses, and you have not forgotten a single step of the way. Help me to remember what you have done for me, even when the memory has grown faint. Give me the wisdom to tell my story honestly to the people around me, especially to the young ones who are watching and listening. Let my life point others to your power and your faithfulness. Teach me to fear and trust you every day, and to see the places you have met me as holy ground. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Israel set up twelve stones in Joshua 4?
The stones were a memorial of the crossing of the Jordan River. They were meant to prompt children to ask what happened, so that parents could tell the story of God drying up the waters before his people.
Where were the twelve stones placed?
Joshua set up twelve stones in Gilgal, where the people camped after crossing. He also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests had stood, and the text says those stones remained there to this day.
What does Joshua 4 teach about remembering God’s faithfulness?
The chapter shows that God wants his people to remember his mighty acts and pass them on to future generations. Remembrance is tied to a concrete sign and a clear story, which helps faith endure beyond the moment of deliverance.
