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 [Josh. 4:8].

The twelve stones taken out of Jordan and put on the west bank of the river were a reminder of God’s tremendous power on Israel’s behalf.

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 [Josh. 4:9].

That is, the stones were there when Joshua wrote this record.
Now this section has great spiritual significance for us today. In an attempt to get the full significance of this, I am quoting from Phillips’ book (which is not a translation, but is an interpretation), Romans 6:1–4: “Now what is our response to be? Shall we sin to our heart’s content and see how far we can exploit the grace of God? What a ghastly thought! We, who have died to sin—how could we live in sin a moment longer?” Now when did we die to sin? “Have you forgotten that all of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were, by that very action, sharing in his death? We were dead and buried with him in baptism, so that just as he was raised from the dead by the splendid revelation of the Father’s power so we too might rise to life on a new plane altogether.” My friend, may I say to you that Christ went unto death for you and me, and that is set before us here in the Book of Joshua. Twelve stones were put into the water of death. Those twelve stones were placed in Jordan to speak of the death of Christ. And the twelve stones taken out of Jordan and put on the west bank represent the resurrection of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ died over 1,900 years ago, and Paul makes it clear in the sixth chapter of Romans that we are identified with Him in His death. It is too bad that the word baptize was transliterated and not translated. It is a Greek word baptizo, and its primary meaning here has no connection with water. It speaks of identification. We are identified with Christ in His death; and when He died, my friend, He died for us. His death was our death. When He arose from the dead, then we arose from the dead. And we are joined today to a living Christ. It is only in the measure that we are joined to Him that you and I can enjoy all spiritual blessings. I trust that you realize that. We have become identified with Him!
Now, when the children of Israel crossed over the river, they became citizens of Palestine. They became forever identified with that land—so much so, that today, even at this hour, they speak of the Jew in Palestine. And when he is out of that land, he is spoken of as the “wandering Jew.” Let us tie this fact up with another great fact: When you, my friend, came to Christ and accepted Him as your Savior, His death became your death and His resurrection your resurrection. When you “wander” from this identity, even briefly, think of the tragic meaning.
Paul wrote a blessed truth to the Ephesians: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4–7). When He died, He died for your sin that you might have life; and when He came back from the dead, His life was then your life. Now you are joined to the living God. My friend, that is one of the great truths of the Word of God.


McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 10: Thru the Bible commentary: History of Israel (Joshua/Judges) (electronic ed.) (31–33). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

† 4:7 — “Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD .… And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
For years after Israel had defeated Jericho, the people could look at the stones taken from the Jordan’s dry riverbed and remember God’s work on their behalf. What “memorial stones” remind you of God’s work in your own life?


Stanley, C. F. (2005). The Charles F. Stanley life principles Bible: New King James Version (Jos 4:7). Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles.

4:8 the children of Israel did so: A standard feature of Hebrew narratives is repetition. This verse repeats almost verbatim the instructions given in v. 5. Far from being an unimaginative feature of a primitive storytelling style, such repetitions are a sophisticated literary device. Often they show that instructions, usually God’s or those of His representatives, were carried out exactly, “to the letter.” The pattern is for a character in the story to give the instructions and then for the narrator to confirm, using the same words, that the instructions were carried out. The phrase as the LORD had spoken to Joshua confirms the obedience of the Israelites even further. This literary device is used to highlight the importance of obedience to the words of God.
4:9 Joshua set up twelve stones: It is possible that there were two piles of memorial stones, one set up by the people on the banks of the Jordan River (v. 8) and one set up by Joshua in the middle of the river (v. 9), which would have been visible at low water levels. However, the Hebrew of the first part of v. 9 suggests that the activity described here took place earlier and could better be translated, “Joshua had set up twelve stones.” Thus, he would have set up the stones in the Jordan itself before the people crossed, and then after the crossing the people would have taken the stones out of the river (vv. 5, 8) and erected them on the banks. Verse 8 states that the people took the stones from the midst of the Jordan, which suggests that these are the stones that Joshua had erected there (v. 9).
4:10–14 These verses begin and end with references to Moses as he related to Joshua, picking up on the theme of Joshua as Moses’ worthy successor. Their emphasis is on everyone’s obedience to the words of God and to Israel’s leaders.


Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Jos 4:8–14). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.