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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Joshua 4:4

Joshua called out the twelve men whom he selected from the People of Israel, one man from each tribe. Joshua directed them, "Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the Chest of God , your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, so you'll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?' you'll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.'"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Pillar;   Stones;   Token;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jordan, the River;  

Dictionaries:

- Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Jericho;   Joshua;   Quarry;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jordan ;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Galeed;   Joshua (2);   Joshua, Book of;   Sign;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe,
Hebrew Names Version
Then Yehoshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Yisra'el, out of every tribe a man:
King James Version
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
Lexham English Bible
So Joshua summoned the twelve men whom he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe.
English Standard Version
Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.
New Century Version
So Joshua chose one man from each tribe. Then he called the twelve men together
New English Translation
Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe.
Amplified Bible
Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;
New American Standard Bible
So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Ioshua called the twelue men, whome he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of euery tribe a man,
Legacy Standard Bible
So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;
Contemporary English Version
Joshua chose twelve men; he called them together,
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the people of Isra'el, a man from every tribe,
Darby Translation
And Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had appointed of the children of Israel, a man out of every tribe;
Easy-to-Read Version
So Joshua chose one man from each tribe. Then he called the twelve men together.
George Lamsa Translation
Then Joshua called the twelve men who were selected from the children of Israel, out of each tribe a man;
Good News Translation
Then Joshua called the twelve men he had chosen,
Literal Translation
And Joshua called to the twelve men whom he had readied from the sons of Israel, one man out of each tribe.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The Iosua called twolue me which were prepared of the children of Israel, out of euery trybe one,
American Standard Version
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
Bible in Basic English
So Joshua sent for the twelve men, whom he had ready, one man out of every tribe of the children of Israel,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Iosuah called the twelue men, which he had prepared of the chyldren of Israel, out of euery tribe a man.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man;
King James Version (1611)
Then Ioshua called the twelue men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of euery tribe a man:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joshua having called twelve men of distinction among the children of Israel, one of each tribe,
English Revised Version
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
Berean Standard Bible
So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Josue clepide twelue men, whiche he hadde chose of the sones of Israel, of ech lynage o man;
Young's Literal Translation
And Joshua calleth unto the twelve men whom he prepared out of the sons of Israel, one man -- one man out of a tribe;
Update Bible Version
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the sons of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, of every tribe a man:
World English Bible
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
New King James Version
Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe;
New Living Translation
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel.
New Life Bible
So Joshua called the twelve men he had chosen from the sons of Israel, one man from each family.
New Revised Standard
Then Joshua summoned the twelve men from the Israelites, whom he had appointed, one from each tribe.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Joshua called unto the twelve men whom he had made ready, from among the sons of Israel, - one man severally out of each tribe;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Josue called twelve men, whom he had chosen out of the children of Israel, one out of every tribe,
Revised Standard Version
Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;

Contextual Overview

1When the whole nation was finally across, God spoke to Joshua: "Select twelve men from the people, a man from each tribe, and tell them, ‘From right here, the middle of the Jordan where the feet of the priests are standing firm, take twelve stones. Carry them across with you and set them down in the place where you camp tonight.'" 4Joshua called out the twelve men whom he selected from the People of Israel, one man from each tribe. Joshua directed them, "Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the Chest of God , your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, so you'll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?' you'll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.'" 8The People of Israel did exactly as Joshua commanded: They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan—a stone for each of the twelve tribes, just as God had instructed Joshua—carried them across with them to the camp, and set them down there. Joshua set up the twelve stones taken from the middle of the Jordan that had marked the place where the priests who carried the Chest of the Covenant had stood. They are still there today.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

prepared: Joshua 4:2, Mark 3:14-19

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 18:31 - twelve stones

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
Cain left the presence of God and lived in No-Man's-Land, east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17
Cain slept with his wife. She conceived and had Enoch. He then built a city and named it after his son, Enoch. Enoch had Irad, Irad had Mehujael, Mehujael had Methushael, Methushael had Lamech.
Genesis 4:19
Lamech married two wives, Adah and Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal, the ancestor of all who live in tents and herd cattle. His brother's name was Jubal, the ancestor of all who play the lyre and flute. Zillah gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who worked at the forge making bronze and iron tools. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.
Genesis 15:17
When the sun was down and it was dark, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch moved between the split carcasses. That's when God made a covenant with Abram: "I'm giving this land to your children, from the Nile River in Egypt to the River Euphrates in Assyria—the country of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites."
Numbers 16:35
Then God sent lightning. The fire cremated the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Numbers 18:17
"On the other hand, you don't redeem a firstborn ox, sheep, or goat—they are holy. Instead splash their blood on the Altar and burn their fat as a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to God . But you get the meat, just as you get the breast from the Wave-Offering and the right thigh. All the holy offerings that the People of Israel set aside for God , I'm turning over to you and your children. That's the standard rule and includes both you and your children—a Covenant-of-Salt, eternal and unchangeable before God ."
Judges 6:21
The angel of God stretched out the tip of the stick he was holding and touched the meat and the bread. Fire broke out of the rock and burned up the meat and bread while the angel of God slipped away out of sight. And Gideon knew it was the angel of God! Gideon said, "Oh no! Master, God ! I have seen the angel of God face-to-face!"
1 Kings 18:38
Immediately the fire of God fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench.
2 Chronicles 7:1
When Solomon finished praying, a bolt of lightning out of heaven struck the Whole-Burnt-Offering and sacrifices and the Glory of God filled The Temple. The Glory was so dense that the priests couldn't get in— God so filled The Temple that there was no room for the priests! When all Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the Glory of God fill The Temple, they fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and worshiped, thanking God : Yes! God is good! His love never quits!
Hebrews 11:4
By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had prepared of the children of Israel,.... It may be for some other purpose, Joshua 3:12; but this was the destination of them eventually, and as by divine direction:

out of every tribe a man: as he had before ordered, and was now directed to.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 4:4. Twelve men, whom he had prepared — This must refer to their appointment, Joshua 3:12.


 
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