hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alph… · cardinal number, both genders singular absolute
prepared
חֲלוּצֵ֣יcha.lu.Tzei
H2502
to pull off · verb, qal passive participle, masculine plural construct
war
הַצָּבָ֑אha.tza.Va'
H6635
a mass of persons (or figuratively · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
over
עָבְר֞וּ'a.ve.Ru
H5674
to cross over · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
before
לִפְנֵ֤יlif.Nei
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
battle
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔הla.mil.cha.Mah
H4421
a battle (i.e. the engagement) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
plains
עַֽרְב֥וֹתar.Vot
H6160
a desert · noun, common feminine plural construct
Jericho
יְרִיחֽוֹye.ri.Cho
H3405
Jericho or Jerecho · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
2 Kings 25:5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.
Jeremiah 39:5 But the Chaldeans’ army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up…
Jeremiah 52:8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from hi…
Joshua 5:10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Joshua 4:10-19
The inspired historian seems to be so well pleased with his subject here that he is loth to quit it, and is therefore very particular in his narrative, especially in observing how closely Joshua pursued the orders God gave him, and that he did nothing without divine direction, finishing all that the Lord had commanded him (v. 10), which is also said to be what Moses commanded. We read not of any particular commands that Moses gave to Joshua about this matter: the thing was altogether new to him. It must therefore be understood of the general instructions Moses had given him to follow the divine direction, to deliver that to the people which he received of the Lord, and to take all occasions…
to the plains of Jericho--That part of the Arabah or Ghor, on the west, is about seven miles broad from the Jordan to the mountain entrance at Wady-Kelt. Though now desert, this valley was in ancient times richly covered with wood. An immense palm forest, seven miles long, surrounded Jericho.
Adam Clarke on Joshua 4:12
The children of Reuben, and - Gad - Concerning the numbers of these tribes that stayed behind to take care of the women, children, and cattle, and which amounted to 70,580 men, see the note on Num 32:17.
Passed over armed - See the note on Jos 1:14.
John Gill on Joshua 4:13
About forty thousand prepared for war,.... Accoutred with proper armour to defend themselves, and their brethren, and annoy their enemies: this is to be understood of such a number of the above mentioned tribes; otherwise the number of all Israel that went over Jordan, even armed or fighting men, besides women and children, were five hundred thousand or more. Now though the number of men fit for war, of these tribes, were an hundred thirty thousand, who were all, according to the original agreement, under obligation to go with their brethren over Jordan into Canaan's land, and continue with them until it was subdued, and they had rest in it; yet Joshua took no more than about forty thousand…
The Church Fathers
Or do these things not seem to you to be indicated in this, when it is said that: "forty thousand men girded"—or "equipped"—"crossed over to battle in the sight of the Lord, to storm the city of Jericho"? Let us inquire who these are whom Scripture calls "girded" or "equipped." I do not dare to presume anything of myself and to declare it; rather, let us be taught in such matters by the letters of the Apostle. Who these "girded" ones are, let us learn as Paul expounds it. Hear what he himself says: "be therefore girded as to your loins in truth." You see, then, that Paul knows those to be "girded" who are girt about with the belt of "truth." Therefore for us too truth ought to be our belt, if indeed we have kept the sacrament of this warfare and of the belt. For if truth is our belt, by which we are girded for the warfare of Christ, whenever we speak falsehood and a lie proceeds from our mouth, we are ungirded from the warfare of Christ and are loosed from the baldric of truth. We are, therefore, "girded" if we are "in truth," but if in falsehood, ungirded. But let us rather imitate those "forty thousand girded men going forth to war in the sight of the Lord," and let us always "be girt about in truth." But I do not even pass idly over this, which Scripture added, that they were "girded in the sight of the Lord." For it is not enough for you to be seen among men to keep the truth. For it is possible to deceive men and to seem truthful, but you are not on that account "girded in truth," unless you have kept the truth also "in the sight of the Lord," that is, not only those things which men hear by the voice, but also those which God perceives in the heart. Let there be nothing "false on the tongue," let there be nothing feigned in the heart, according to what the prophet says of such men: "who speak peace with their neighbor, but evils are in their hearts." Free from all these, then, ought he to be who wishes "to go forth girded in the sight of the Lord to storm Jericho," because in crossing the river Jordan we cross over to combats and wars. Do you wish again to learn what battles, what wars await us after baptism? Learn not from me, but again from the Apostle Paul himself; he himself teaches you, saying: "for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Jordan — Heb. Yarden, “the descender;” Arab. Nahr-esh-Sheriah, “the watering-place” the chief river of Palestine. It flows from north to south down a deep valley in the centre of the country. The name…
Palestine — Originally denoted only the sea-coast of the land of Canaan inhabited by the Philistines (Ex. 15:14; Isa. 14:29, 31; Joel 3:4), and in this sense exclusively the Hebrew name Pelesheth (rendered…
Gad · .Aid in the conquest of the region west of the Jordan River — .Aid in the conquest of the region west of the Jordan River
Gad, The Tribe Of · Assisted in conquest of Canaan — Assisted in conquest of Canaan
Manasseh · of the Jordan River — of the Jordan River
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Joshua 4:10-18
10. 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.
10. Sacerdotes autem portantes arcam stabant in medio Jordanis donec compleretur omnis sermo quem praeceperat Jehova ad Josuam, ut diceret populo: prorsus ut praeceperat Moses ipsi Josue: festinavit autem populus transeundo.
11. 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.
11. Quum vero transeundi finem fecisset universus populus,…
Crossing the River. - In the account of the crossing, the main point is their taking twelve stones with them from the bed of the river to the opposite side to serve as a memorial. To set forth the importance of this fact as a divine appointment, the command of God to Joshua is mentioned first of all (Jos 4:2, Jos 4:3); then the repetition of this command by Joshua to the men appointed for the work (Jos 4:4-7); and lastly, the carrying out of the instructions (Jos 4:8). This makes it appear as though God did not give the command to Joshua till after the people had all crossed over, whereas the twelve men had already been chosen for the purpose (Jos 3:12). But this appearance, and the discrepa…
A second memorial of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan was submerged as soon as the river resumed its flow. The monument’s top would be visible in the dry summer seasons. • Their existence to this day indicates that the memorials stood for generations, until the final editing of the book (see Joshua Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).
Rashi on Joshua 4:11
And it was when all the people had finished crossing and the Ark crossed. The Ark did not cross as the others did, but in the manner explained below:3Verse 18. ‘The soles of the feet of the Kohanim were lifted and they were moved back to the dry land, on the bank from which they initially entered. They were standing next to it and the waters were returned to their course to flow as they did before. The result of all this was that the Ark and its bearers were on this side and all the Bnei Yisroel were on the other (lit. this) side. The Ark then lifted its bearers and crossed over.’
In the people’s presence. Before the eyes of the people.
