Joshua Places Twelve Stones to Commemorate the Crossing of the Jordan River and as a Reminder of God’s Power to Bless and Help the Children of Israel
Joshua 4:1–9, 21–24
1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.8 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.9 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. . . .21 And he [Joshua] spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?22 Then ye 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 Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.
President Howard W. Hunter said:
“At the time of the conquest of western Palestine after the death [translation] of Moses, the ten tribes of ancient Israel were united under Joshua. Preparations had been made and orders given for the camp to make ready to cross the Jordan and lay siege to Jericho. Joshua told the people that the Lord would do wonders by drying up the river when the feet of the priests leading the march and bearing the ark of the covenant would touch the water. Just as he had foretold, the waters of the Jordan were miraculously dammed up and they crossed over on dry land.
“After the people of Israel had crossed the dry riverbed, the Lord commanded Joshua to select twelve men, one from each tribe, to carry on their shoulders twelve stones from the Jordan and lay them down in the place where they would encamp that night. Then he added, ‘That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
“‘Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever’ (Joshua 4:6–7).”
(“That We May Be One,” Ensign, May 1976, 105.)
