Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, November 27th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Amplified Bible

Joshua 3:16

the waters which were flowing down from above stopped and rose up in one mass a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan. Those [waters] flowing downward toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed [the river] opposite Jericho.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adam;   Dead Sea;   Miracles;   Salt;   Water;   Zaretan;   Scofield Reference Index - Israel;   Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Dead Sea;   Miracles;   Salt;   Sea;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jordan, the River;   Miracles Wrought through Servants of God;   Water;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Adam;   Miracle;   Zaretan;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ark;   Dead sea;   Earthquake;   Palestine;   Priest;   Salt;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Adam, the City of;   Admah;   Arabah;   Ark;   Jericho;   Salt Sea;   Zaretan;   Zereda;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adam (2);   Jericho;   Jordan;   Miracles;   Sea, the Salt;   Zaretan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Adam;   Adam and Eve;   Arabah;   Jordan River;   Water;   Zaretan;   Zarethan;   Zererah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adam (1);   Jericho;   Joshua;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Walk (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Adam ;   Arabah;   Jordan ;   Miracles;   Salt Sea;   Sea;   Zaretan, Zarthan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Adam;   Ark;   Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Harvest;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Lachish;   Salt (2);   Zaretan;   Zereda;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ad'am,;   Jer'icho;   Tabernacle;   Zar'etan,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Bethabara;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adam, City of;   Admah;   Arabah;   Champaign;   Dead Sea, the;   Fail;   Heap;   Jordan;   Joshua (2);   Sea;   Zaketan;   Zarethan;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Adam;   Ark of the Covenant;   Jordan, the;   Miracle;   Salt;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
Update Bible Version
that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
English Revised Version
that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan: and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
New Century Version
the water upstream stopped flowing. It stood up in a heap a great distance away at Adam, a town near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed the river near Jericho.
New English Translation
the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. It piled up far upstream at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). The people crossed the river opposite Jericho.
Webster's Bible Translation
That the waters which came down from above stood [and] rose up in a heap very far from the city Adam, that [is] beside Zaretan; and those that came down towards the sea of the plain, [even] the salt sea, failed, [and] were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
World English Bible
that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
the watris yeden doun, and stoden in o place, and wexiden grete at the licnesse of an hil, and apperiden fer fro the citee that was clepid Edom, `til to the place of Sarthan; sotheli the watris that weren lowere yeden doun in to the see of wildirnesse, which is now clepid the deed see, `til the watris failiden outirli.
Young's Literal Translation
that the waters stand; those coming down from above have risen -- one heap, very far above Adam the city, which [is] at the side of Zaretan; and those going down by the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea, have been completely cut off; and the people have passed through over-against Jericho;
Berean Standard Bible
the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
Contemporary English Version
the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed toward the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.
American Standard Version
that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
Bible in Basic English
Then the waters flowing down from higher up were stopped and came together in a mass a long way back at Adam, a town near Zarethan; and the waters flowing down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were cut off: and the people went across opposite Jericho.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The waters also that came downe fro aboue, did rise vp vpon an heape and departed farre from ye citie of Ada, that was beside Zarthan: And the waters that were beneath towarde ye sea of the wildernes, euen the salt sea, fayled and were cut of: and the people went right ouer against Iericho.
Complete Jewish Bible
the water upstream stood piled up like an embankment for a great distance at Adam, the city next to Tzartan; so that the water flowing downstream toward the Sea of the ‘Aravah, the Dead Sea, was completely cut off; and the people crossed over right by Yericho.
Darby Translation
the waters which flowed down from above stood [and] rose up in a heap, very far, by Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan; and those that flowed down towards the sea of the plain, the salt sea, were completely cut off. And the people went over opposite to Jericho.
Easy-to-Read Version
immediately the water stopped flowing and piled up like a wall. The water piled up high a long way up the river—all the way to Adam (a town near Zarethan). And the water flowing down to the sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. The people crossed the river near Jericho.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over right against Jericho.
King James Version (1611)
That the waters which came downe from aboue, stood and rose vp vpon an heape very farre, from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came downe toward the sea of the plaine, euen the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed ouer right against Iericho.
New Life Bible
Then the water flowing down from above stood and rose up in one place far away at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The water flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, was all cut off. So the people crossed beside Jericho.
New Revised Standard
the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
that the waters which were coming down from above, stood - rose up in one mound, a great way off, by the city Adam, which is beside Zarethan, and, they which were going down to the sea of the waste plain, the salt sea, failed - were cut off, - and, the people, passed over, right against Jericho.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the waters that came downe from aboue, stayed and rose vpon an heape and departed farre from the citie of Adam, that was beside Zaretan: but the waters that came downe towarde the Sea of the wildernes, euen the salt Sea, failed, and were cut off: so the people went right ouer against Iericho.
George Lamsa Translation
That the waters that flowed down from above piled up as though they were in sheepskins, one beside the other; and extended for a long distance from the town of Aram, that is beside Zaretan; and those that flowed down toward the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea, failed to flow, and were divided; and the people passed over opposite Jericho.
Good News Translation
the water stopped flowing and piled up, far upstream at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The flow downstream to the Dead Sea was completely cut off, and the people were able to cross over near Jericho.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The waters that came down from above stood in one place, and swelling up like a mountain, were seen afar off, from the city that is called Adom, to the place of Sarthan: but those that were beneath, ran down into the sea of the wilderness, (which now is called the Dead Sea) until they wholly failed.
Revised Standard Version
the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zar'ethan, and those flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over opposite Jericho.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
then the waters that came down from above stopped; there stood one solid heap very far off, as far as the region of Kariathiarim, and the lower part came down to the sea of Araba, the salt sea, till it completely failed; and the people stood opposite Jericho.
Christian Standard Bible®
and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah—the Dead Sea—was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.
Hebrew Names Version
that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Tzaretan; and those that went down toward the sea of the `Aravah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Yericho.
King James Version
That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
Lexham English Bible
the waters flowing down from above stood still; they stood up in one heap very far from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while the waters flowing down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
Literal Translation
that the waters stood still, those coming down from above rose up into a heap, very far above the city Adam, which is beside Zaretan; and those going down by the sea of the Arabah, the SaltSea, were completely cut off. And the peoplepassed over opposite to Jericho.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
then the water that came downe fro aboue, stode straight vp vpon one heape, very farre from the cite of Adom, that lyeth on the syde of Zarthan: But the water that ranne downe to the see (euen to the salt see) fell awaye, and decreased. So ye people wente thorow ouer agaynst Iericho.
New American Standard Bible
then the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho.
New King James Version
that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
New Living Translation
the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho.
Legacy Standard Bible
the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho.

Contextual Overview

14So when the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan with the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who were carrying the ark came up to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were submerged at the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all of its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16the waters which were flowing down from above stopped and rose up in one mass a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan. Those [waters] flowing downward toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed [the river] opposite Jericho. 17And while all [the people of] Israel crossed over on dry ground, the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan [riverbed], until all the nation had finished crossing over the Jordan.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

rose up: Joshua 3:13, Psalms 29:10, Psalms 77:19, Psalms 114:3, Matthew 8:26, Matthew 8:27, Matthew 14:24-33

Zaretan: 1 Kings 4:12, Zartanah, 1 Kings 7:46, Zarthan

the salt sea: Joshua 15:2, Genesis 14:3, Numbers 34:3, Deuteronomy 3:17, The passage through the Red Sea took place in the night, when the Israelites were fleeing from the Egyptians with great trepidation, but they passed Jordan in the day-time, with previous warning, leisurely, directly opposite to Jericho, and with a triumphant defiance of the Canaanites; this passage into the promised land evidently typifying the believer's passage through death to heaven.

Reciprocal: Exodus 14:29 - a wall Numbers 22:1 - on this side Deuteronomy 9:1 - to pass Joshua 4:10 - stood in the midst Joshua 12:3 - the sea Joshua 16:7 - Jericho Joshua 18:12 - Jericho Joshua 18:19 - the salt Judges 6:33 - went over 2 Chronicles 20:2 - beyond the sea Psalms 33:7 - heap Psalms 66:6 - they Psalms 77:16 - General Psalms 78:13 - made Psalms 126:4 - as the streams Isaiah 50:2 - I dry Isaiah 63:12 - dividing Ezekiel 47:8 - desert Habakkuk 3:8 - the Lord Habakkuk 3:10 - the overflowing

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, "Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Genesis 3:8
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:9
But the LORD God called to Adam, and said to him, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:10
He said, "I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."
Genesis 3:11
God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten [fruit] from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
Genesis 3:12
And the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it."
Genesis 3:16
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth; In pain you will give birth to children; Yet your desire and longing will be for your husband, And he will rule [with authority] over you and be responsible for you."
Genesis 3:17
Then to Adam the LORD God said, "Because you have listened [attentively] to the voice of your wife, and have eaten [fruit] from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it'; The ground is [now] under a curse because of you; In sorrow and toil you shall eat [the fruit] of it All the days of your life.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That the waters which came down from above,.... Above where the priests' feet rested, and which came down from Mount Lebanon, and the fountains of Jordan northward:

stood [and] rose up upon an heap; they stopped their current, and as the water came down they rose up on high, and made one vast heap of waters:

very far from the city of Adam, that is, beside Zaretan; the Cetib, or textual reading, is, "in Adam the city"; we follow the marginal reading, "from Adam": both readings, as is usually, if not always the case, are to be received; and the meaning is, that this heap of waters, though the river was at a considerable distance from Adam; yet through the overflow of it, it reached to, and was "in Adam": this city was in Perea, on the other side Jordan, that side on which the Israelites were before their passage; and Zaretan, which is supposed to be the same with Zartanah, and Zarthan, 1 Kings 4:12, was on this side, in the tribe of Manasseh; and the sense is, not that Adam was on the side of Zaretan, or near it, for it was on the other side of the river; and according to the Talmudists a was twelve miles from it; but the construction is with the word "heap", "which [heap] was on the side of Zaretan"; it was there where the waters were heaped up; it seems as if they reached on the one side to Adam, and on the other side to Zaretan:

and those that came down towards the sea of the plain, [even] the salt sea, failed, [and] were cut off; those waters, which were below where the priests' feet rested, ran down into the lake Asphaltites, where Sodom and Gomorrah formerly stood, the sea of the plain, or vale of Siddim, Genesis 14:3; sometimes called the dead sea, and here the salt sea, its water being exceeding salt; so, Mr. Maundrell, the above mentioned traveller b testifies on his own knowledge;

"the water of the lake (the lake Asphaltites, or dead sea, says he) was very limpid, and salt to the highest degree; and not only salt, but also extreme bitter and nauseous;''

so that these waters running down thither, and those above stopped, made a dry channel for sixteen or eighteen miles: and the people passed over right against Jericho; which was the city Joshua had in view to attack first, and had sent spies thither to get intelligence of it, and the disposition of the people in it: Genesis 14:3- :.

a T. Hieros. Sotah, fol. 21. 4. b Maundrell, ut supra, (Journel from Aleppo to Jerusalem) p. 84. Ed. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The passage should run “rose up, an heap far away, by Adam, the city which is beside Zarthan.”

The city of Adam is not named elsewhere, and Zarthan (mentioned here and in marginal references.) has also disappeared. It is, however, probably connected with the modern Kurn Sartabeh (Horn of Sartabeh), the name given to a lofty and isolated hill some 17 miles on the river above Jericho.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 3:16. Rose up upon a heap — That is, they continued to accumulate, filling up the whole of the channel toward the source, and the adjacent ground over which they were now spread, to a much greater depth, the power of God giving a contrary direction to the current. We need not suppose them to be gathered up like a mountain, instar montis, as the Vulgate expresses it, but that they continued to flow back in the course of the channel; and ere they could have reached the lake of Gennesareth, where they might have been easily accumulated, the whole Israelitish army would have all got safely to the opposite side.

Very far from the city Adam - beside Zaretan — Where these places were it is difficult to say. The city Adam is wholly unknown. From 1 Kings 4:12 we learn that Zartanah was below Jezreel near Bethshean, or Scythopolis, and not far from Succoth, 1 Kings 7:46. And it appears from Genesis 33:17, Joshua 13:27, that Succoth lay on the east side of Jordan, not far from the lake of Gennesareth; and probably Adam was on the same side to the north of Succoth. It is probable that the Israelites crossed the Jordan near Bethabara, where John baptized, John 1:28, and which probably had its name, the house of passage, from this very circumstance. After all, it is extremely difficult to ascertain the exact situation of these places, as in the lapse of upwards of 3,000 years the face of the country must have been materially changed. Seas, rivers, and mountains, change not; and though we cannot ascertain the spot, it is sufficiently evident that we can come near to the place. It has been considered a lame objection against the truth of the Iliad that the situation of Troy cannot now be exactly ascertained. There are even many ancient cities and considerable towns in Europe, that, though they still bear their former names, do not occupy the same spot. There are not a few of those even in England; among such Norwich, Salisbury, c., may be ranked, neither of which is in its primitive situation.

Right against Jericho. — It would be impossible for the whole camp to pass over in the space opposite to Jericho, as they must have taken up some miles in breadth, besides the 2,000 cubits which were left on the right between them and the ark but the river was divided opposite to Jericho, and there the camp began to pass over.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile