Joshua 3:1

Joshua 3:1

And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

a. NLT: Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.

b. NIV: Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.

c. YLT: And Joshua riseth early in the morning, and they journey from Shittim, and come in unto the Jordan, he and all the sons of Israel, and they lodge there before they pass over.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the Israelites, and lodged there before passing over.

e. Septuagint: And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and departed from Sattin; and they came as far as Jordan, and lodged there before they crossed over.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: Joshua arose early in the morning, and they journeyed from Shittim and arrived at Jordan, he and all the Children of Israel, and they lodged there before they crossed

1. “And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim…”

a. Joshua [Strong: 3091 * Yhowshuwa` yeh-ho-shoo'-ah or Yhowshua {yeh-ho-shoo'-ah}; from 3068 and 3467; Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader:--Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Joshua.]

b. rose early [Strong: 7925 * shakam shaw-kam' a primitive root; properly, to incline (the shoulder to a burden); but used only as denominative from 7926; literally, to load up (on the back of man or beast), i.e. to start early in the morning:--(arise, be up, get (oneself) up, rise up) early (betimes), morning.]

c. in the morning [Strong: 1242 * boqer bo'-ker from 1239; properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally, morning:--(+) day, early, morning, morrow.]

d. and they removed [Strong: 5265 * naca` naw-sah' a primitive root; properly, to pull up, especially the tent-pins, i.e. start on a journey:--cause to blow, bring, get, (make to) go (away, forth, forward, onward, out), (take) journey, march, remove, set aside (forward), X still, be on his (go their) way.]

e. from Shittim [Strong: 7851 *  Shittiym shit-teem' the same as the plural of 7848; acacia trees; Shittim, a place East of the Jordan:--Shittim.]

1). Israel had been camped at Shittim for at least a year, having arrived there immediately after the military campaigns against Sihon and Og in Numbers 21.

a). Numbers 22:1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

b). Numbers 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

c). Numbers 33:48, 49 And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.

33:49 And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.

2). This means that everything recorded in Scripture, from Numbers 22 until Joshua 2:24 occurred at Shittim which is about 15-17 miles from the walls of Jericho. This includes the episode with Balaam in Numbers 22-24, the idolatrous fornication with the Midianite women in Numbers 25 and the war with the Midianites in Numbers 31 all occur while Israel is camped about 17 miles from Jericho. The citizens of Jericho had witnessed all these things but probably most important of all they witnessed God’s presence with them through the cloudy pillar during the day and the pillar of fire at night.

a). Numbers 14:14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

3). Although it is not included in the text of Joshua, Rahab possibly included all this in her testimony to the two Israelite spies. This is what convinced her to believe that the God of the Israelites was the one true God.

4). Shittim is located about 8 miles from the Jordan river, so Israel moved right up to the river area and camped there for three days before they crossed over. During that time of year, early spring, the banks of the Jordan overflowed its banks, which made crossing the river much more difficult and hazardous if crossing was by natural human means. The crossing of the river was not going to be accomplished through normal human means, but Israel could see for three days the river was flooding over its banks and perhaps wondering how their God was going to work this out. Surely this wondering was not in doubt or unbelief for the one of the purposes of the 40 year postponing of the entrance into Canaan was to purge the generation of the unbelievers out of the group.

a). Numbers 14:26-35 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

14:27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

14:28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

14:29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

14:31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

14:32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

14:35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

b). Hebrews 3:7-11 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

5). The forty years begins at Numbers 14:35 in the Biblical text, the forty years does not include the approximate 1½ years from the night of the Exodus in Exodus 12:37-42 to this point in Numbers 14. During the study I learned that the Biblical material of Exodus 12, the night of the Exodus from Egypt to Numbers 13 &14, the sending of the spies and subsequent unbelief and rebellion of Israel comprise a time period of about 1½ years. I also learned that the Biblical material from Numbers 22 to Joshua 3 comprises another time period of about 1½  years, which leaves the 7 chapters of Numbers 15-21 to fit in 38 ½ years. Inside those 7 chapters of Numbers is the rebellion of Korah in Numbers 16, the budding of Aaron’s rod in Numbers 17, signifying again that God chose Aaron and his sons in the Priesthood. In Numbers 20 is the disobedience of Moses and Aaron in getting water out of the rock, for which disobedience neither enter into the Promised Land. In Numbers 21 is the episode of Israel’s complaining and the subsequent result of the death of many from serpent bites and the making of the brass serpent by Moses. Finally Numbers 21:20 records Israel getting to the top of Pisgah immediately before the military campaigns against Sihon and Og. These campaigns occurred approximately 1½ years before Israel went into the Promised Land. Other than those few historic Biblical events there is nothing recorded about those 38½ years. NOTHING! In early January of 2013 me and Missy were listening to a series by John Bevere entitled Honors’ Reward . In that series he made the statement that in Numbers 14 when Israel refused to believe God about going into the Promised Land, they lost their calling. On Sunday morning 1/20/13 as I was putting on the finishing touches of my message I was going to teach at church that morning, John Bevere’s statement combined with the awareness of my previous study concerning the brevity of Scripture concerning that generation finally dawned on me. This group of Israelites was called by God to be the people prophesied by the Hebrew fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses to go into the Promised Land, but because of their unbelief, they were denied by God and sentenced to wander in the desert for forty years, until everyone in that generation died. They lost their calling. What is even more profound to me is that there is very little written of them and what is written contains nothing good. What a sobering thought. I am reminded of a passage in Exodus concerning Israel’s disobedience at Sinai when Moses was receiving the Law. While Moses was on top of Mt. Sinai Israel was caught up in worshipping a golden calf. The next day Moses returned into the presence of God and the following dialogue was recorded.

a). Exodus 32:31-33 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

b). Because of the mercy and forgiveness of God, many of that generation surely went to paradise when they died. The point I want to make is this, regardless of whether they died righteous or not they not only lost their initial Divine calling, but their history, their deeds, their actions are not recorded and in a sense blotted out of remembrance, no memorial, no remembrance.

6). We know from the fact that they celebrated Passover immediately after crossing the Jordan that this was in either March or April (Joshua 5:10, 11).

2. “…and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.”

a. and came [Strong: 935 * bow' bo a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

b. to [Strong: 5704 * `ad ad properly, the same as 5703 (used as a preposition, adverb or conjunction; especially with a preposition); as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with):--against, and, as, at, before, by (that), even (to), for(-asmuch as), (hither-)to, + how long, into, as long (much) as, (so) that, till, toward, until, when, while, (+ as) yet.]

c. Jordan [Strong: 3383 * Yarden yar-dane' from 3381; a descender; Jarden, the principal river of Palestine:--Jordan.]

d. he [Strong: 1931 * huw' hoo of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.]

e. and all [Strong: 3605 * kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

f. the children [Strong: 1121 * ben bane from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

g. of Israel [Strong: 3478 * Yisra'el yis-raw-ale' from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: --Israel.]

h. and lodged [Strong: 3885 * luwn loon or liyn {leen}; a primitive root; to stop (usually over night); by implication, to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain):--abide (all night), continue, dwell, endure, grudge, be left, lie all night, (cause to) lodge (all night, in, -ing, this night), (make to) murmur, remain, tarry (all night, that night).]

i. there [Strong: 8033 * sham shawm a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834); there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence:--in it, + thence, there (-in, + of, + out), + thither, + whither.]

j. before [2962 * terem teh'-rem from an unused root apparently meaning to interrupt or suspend; properly, non-occurrence; used adverbially, not yet or before:--before, ere, not yet.]

k. they passed over [Strong: 5674 * `abar aw-bar' a primitive root; to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in copulation):--alienate, alter, X at all, beyond, bring (over, through), carry over, (over-)come (on, over), conduct (over), convey over, current, deliver, do away, enter, escape, fail, gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way, in, on, over, through), have away (more), lay, meddle, overrun, make partition, (cause to, give, make to, over) pass(-age, along, away, beyond, by, -enger, on, out, over, through), (cause to, make) + proclaim(-amation), perish, provoke to anger, put away, rage, + raiser of taxes, remove, send over, set apart, + shave, cause to (make) sound, X speedily, X sweet smelling, take (away), (make to) transgress(-or), translate, turn away, (way-)faring man, be wrath.]

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