Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
within that time, to cross over the Jordan, and commence the conquest of Canaan. If
we understand the words in this way, they are in perfect harmony with ch. 2 and 3.
According to ch. 2, Joshua sent out spies from Shittim to Jericho, who were obliged
to hide themselves for three days in the mountains after their flight from that city
(Josh 2:22), before they could return to the Israelitish camp; so that they were absent
three or four days at any rate, and came back at the earliest in the evening or night of
the fourth day after they had been sent out. It was not till the morning after this that
the Israelites left Shittim and proceeded to the Jordan, where they halted again. Then,
three days afterwards, they went across the river (Josh 3:1-2), so that at least 4 + 1 +
3, i.e., eight whole days must have intervened between the day when the spies were
sent out and the day on which the people crossed the river. Joshua no doubt intended
to proceed to the Jordan and cross it within three days after despatching the spies; he
therefore sent the spies to Jericho on the same day on which he issued the command
to the people to prepare for crossing within three days, so that he might reasonably
hope that they would fulfil their commission and return in two or three days. But as
they were compelled to hide themselves for three days in the mountains, in
consequence of the unexpected discovery of their arrival in Jericho, and the despatch
of men in pursuit of them, Joshua could not remove with the people from Shittim and
proceed to the Jordan till the day after their return; and even then he could not cross
the river at once, but waited three days after reaching the bank of the river before he
crossed to the other side (vid., Josh 3:1ff.).
(Note: In this way the different statements in the three chapters harmonize perfectly well. But the
majority of commentators have arranged the order of succession differently and in a very arbitrary way,
starting with the unwarrantable assumption that the time referred to in this verse, "within three days," is
identical with that in Josh 3:2, "it came to pass after three days." Upon the strength of this groundless
assumption,
http://207.44.232.113/~bible/comment/ot/k&d/josh/jos04.html (2 of 2) [13/08/2004 01:16:52 p.m.]