Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
necessarily help to preserve the remembrance of the miraculous occurrence. But it
cannot be so absolutely affirmed that these stones would be carried away at once by
the stream, so that they could never be seen any more. As the priests did not stand in
the middle or deepest part of the river, but just in the bed of the river, and close to its
eastern bank, and it was upon this spot that the stones were set up, and as we neither
know their size nor the firmness with which they stood, we cannot pronounce any
positive opinion as to the possibility of their remaining. It is not likely that they
remained there for centuries; but they were intended rather as a memorial for the
existing generation and their children, than for a later age, which would be
perpetually reminded of the miraculous help of God by the monument erected in
Gilgal.
Verse 10-11. Whilst Joshua was carrying out all that Jehovah had commanded him to
say to the people, according to the command of Moses-that is to say, whilst the
people were passing through the Jordan before the ark, and the twelve men were
carrying over the stones out of the river to the resting-place on the other side, and
Joshua himself was setting up twelve stones in Jordan for a memorial-during all this
time, the priests stood with the ark in the bed of the river; but after all the people,
including the twelve men who took the stones out of the Jordan, had finished
crossing, the ark of the Lord passed over, with the priests, before the people: that is to
say, it stationed itself again, along with the priests, at the head of the people. The
words "according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua" do not refer to any
special instructions which Moses had given to Joshua with reference to the crossing,
for no such instructions are to be found in the Pentateuch, nor can they be inferred
from Num 27:23; Deut 3:28, or 31:23; they simply affirm that Joshua carried out all
the commands which the Lord had given him, in accordance with the charge which
he received from Moses at the time when he was first called.
Moses had called him and instructed him to lead to the people into the promised land,
in consequence of a divine command; and had given him the promise, at the same
time, that Jehovah would be with him as He had been with Moses. This contained
implicite an admonition to Joshua to do only what the Lord should command him.
And if this was how Joshua acted, the execution of the commands of God was also an
observance of the command of Moses. The remark in v. 10b, "and the people
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