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| 1 And it came to pass, when all the nation had made an end of passing over the Jordan, that Yahweh slake unto Joshua, saying: |
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| 2 Take unto you, from among the people, twelve men, one man severally from each tribe; |
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| 3 and command ye them, saying, Take you up from hence, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where stood the feet of the priests with firm footing, twelve stones;–and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge, tonight. |
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| 4 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; |
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| 5 and Joshua said unto them: Pass ye over, before the ark of Yahweh your God, into the midst of the Jordan,–and lift ye up, each man one stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel: |
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| 6 that this may be a sign in your midst,–for your sons will ask in time to come, saying, What mean these stones to you? |
These stones – Twelve stones were taken from the bed of the river and piled on the shore as a memorial; while twelve from the shore were placed in the bed of the river as a similar memorial. R5345:2
To bear witness to future generations of this great act of divine providence on behalf of the twelve tribes of Israel. R5345:3
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| 7 Then shall ye say unto them–That the waters of the Jordan, were cut off, from before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, when it passed into the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan, were cut off. So shall these stones become a memorial unto the sons of Israel, unto times age-abiding. |
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| 8 And the sons of Israel did so, as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as spake Yahweh unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,–and carried them with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. |
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| 9 Twelve stones also, did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where stood the feet of the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant,–and they have remained there until this day. |
Twelve stones – (In the river), typifying the 144,000 of the elect as dying in the midst of Jordan so that all might pass over. R3086:5
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| 10 Now, the priests who were bearing the ark, continued standing in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished which Yahweh commanded Joshua, to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua,–the people therefore hasted, and passed over. |
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| 11 And so it was, as soon as all the people had made an end of passing over,–then passed over the ark of Yahweh, and the priests, in presence of the people. |
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| 12 Also the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, passed over, armed, before the sons of Israel,–as Moses had spoken unto them: |
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| 13 about forty thousand, equipped for the war, passed over before Yahweh, to battle, into the waste plains of Jericho. |
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| 14 On that day, did Yahweh magnify Joshua in the eyes of all Israel,–and they revered him, as they revered Moses, all the days of his life. |
Magnified Joshua – Type of Christ. A79
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| 15 Then spake Yahweh unto Joshua, saying: |
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| 16 Command the priests who are bearing the ark of testimony,–that they come up out of the Jordan. |
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| 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying,–Come ye up out of the Jordan. |
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| 18 And it came to pass, when the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the feet of the priests were withdrawn unto the dry ground, then returned the waters of the Jordan unto their place, and went, as before, over all his banks. |
Unto their place – Representing the Second Death, which will be the portion of any who, in the Millennial age, renounce the goodly heritage which the Lord has provided for the redeemed world. R4063:2
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| 19 So, the people, came up out of the Jordan, on the tenth of the first month,–and encamped in Gilgal, at the eastern end of Jericho. |
Tenth day of the first month – Forty years to the day from when they set out from Egypt to Palestine. R4063:1
There the Jubilee cycles began to count. R1980:3
From their entrance into the promised land in the spring to the spring of AD 1875 was the total 3449 years of the Jubilee cycles. HG59:6
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| 20 And, these twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up, in Gilgal. |
Gilgal – There seem to have been several Gilgals, meaning "circle"; so-called from places where circles of memorial stones were set up. R3344:2*
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| 21 Then spake he unto the sons of Israel, saying,–When your sons shall ask, in time to come, of their fathers, saying,–What mean these stones? |
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| 22 then shall ye let your sons know, saying,–On dry ground, came Israel over this Jordan; |
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| 23 in that Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan, from before you, until ye had passed over,–as Yahweh your God had done unto the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had passed over: |
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| 24 that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of Yahweh, that, firm, it is; that they might revere Yahweh your God, all the days. |
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