Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, Joshua · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Verſ. 1. ANd Joſhua roſe early in the morning, and they removed from Shittim, &c.] By the inference of this upon that which went before in the latter end of the foregoing chapter, concerning the return of the ſpies which he had ſent from Jericho, it may ſeem that having heard from them the report which they made of the fear of the inhabitants, he roſe early the very next morning and went away with all the Iſraelites from Shittim to Jordan; but if we thus underſtand this place, then it muſt neceſſarily be yielded, that before the ſpies returned to him, he had given that charge to the Iſraelites by the Officers, whereof mention was made before, chap. 1.11. to wit, that they ſhould prepare themſelves victualls, and that becauſe within three daies they ſhould paſſe over Jordan. For that charge was certainly given them at Shittim, (it could not be given them when they came to Jordan, where they lodged onelyonly one night, as it is ſaid here, and then paſſed over the next day) and muſt needs therefore be given them before the ſpies came back, if Joſhua went away from Shittim the very next morning after their return. But now, becauſe it is very improbable that Joſhua would appoint the people to prepare to paſſe over Jordan within three dayes, when as yet he could not tell whether the ſpies would return within that time or no, neither was it to any purpoſe to ſend them if he had not reſolved to wait for their return, that according to the information they ſhould give him they might order their journey, therefore I conceive rather, that the drift of theſe words is onelyonly to ſhew, that when they removed from Shittim to Jordan, Joſhua roſe early in the morning that day, to diſpoſe of all things for their intended journey, and not that it was early the next morning after the ſpies returned. And ſo in this order I conceive thoſe things were done which are here related: Firſt, after the return of the ſpies, the people being much encouraged by the tidings they brought, Joſhua commanded the Officers of the people (as is noted before, chap. 1.10, 11.) ſaying, Paſſe through the host and command the people, ſaying, Prepare you victuals, for within three dayes ye ſhall paſſe over this Jordan: Secondly, when the people had according to this direction made proviſion for their journey, Joſhua roſe early in the morning, and they removed from Shittim and came to Jordan. And then thirdly, the three dayes being expired after which they had been told they ſhould paſſe over Jordan (and that was the very day it ſeems when they were come to Jordan) Joſhua again ſent the officers through the hoſt to give direction to the people, how they ſhould follow the ark the next day in paſſing over the river Jordan; and this is that which follows in the next verſe, And it came to paſſe after three dayes that the officers went through the hoſt, &c.
Verſ. 3. When ye ſee the Ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Priests the Levites bearing it, &c.] See the note upon Numb. 4.15.
Verſ. 4. Yet there ſhall be a ſpace between you and it, about two thouſand cubits by meaſure, &c. As near as they could gueſſe by their eye: and two thouſand cubits was a thouſand yards of our meaſure. But why were the people enjoyned, in following the ark as it was carried by the Prieſts before them to lead them over Jordan, to keep ſo farre behind it? I anſwer, firſt, That all Expoſitours do joyntly agree, that this was partly to teach them to fear the Lord their God, of whoſe preſence amongſt them the ark was a ſigne. But ſecondly, another reaſon is here rendred in the following words, Come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not paſſed this way heretofore. The meaning whereof is ſomewhat queſtionable: for there are ſome that conceive of theſe words thus; to wit, That they were enjoyned to keep thus farre behind the ark, to the end they might all the more commodiouſly ſee the ark when the Prieſts went with it into the river Jordan, and how the waters of the river were divided before them, and ſo might know the way by which they were to go. But I ſee not how their being two thouſand cubits behind the ark, could be an advantage for the ſeeing of this, and not rather a hinderance; unleſſe we ſuppoſe that being ſo farre behind the ark, they were upon the aſſcent of a hill, which led down to the river Jordan, from whence they might behold how the Prieſts went on with the ark, and entred the river. Better therefore, I conceive, theſe words may be underſtood thus, Come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye muſt go: That is, that the Prieſts bearing the ark may diſcover a ſure and ſafe paſſage for you through the river, before you come near to enter into it. Indeed when the river was divided before them, there could be no queſtion of ſeeing the way they were to go. But as yet God did not make known to them the miracle he meant to work, but held them as it were in ſuſpence, onelyonly intimating the danger of this paſſage, by commanding this diſtance betwixt the ark and them, to the end the Lord by the ark which went before them, might find out a ſafe way for them, before they might offer to ſet a foot in the channel. And thus this foregoing apprehenſion of the danger of the paſſage, might make them with the more admiration and thankfulneſſe acknowledge the merciemercy of the following miracle.
Verſ. 5. And Joſhua ſaid unto the people, Sanctifie your ſelves, &c.] To wit, by endeavouring to bring your hearts to a holy temper, vvith all faith and reverence and admiration to obſerve the great works which God will do for you: and happely alſo by thoſe Legal rites of waſhing their clothes, and keeping themſelves apart from their wives, formerly likewiſe enjoyned at the giving the Law. See Exod. 19. ver. 10. and 15.
Verſ. 7. This day will I begin to magnifie thee in the ſight of all Iſrael.] Herein was Joſhua a type of Chriſt whom God magnified at his firſt entrance upon the publick diſcharge of his Office, to wit, at his baptiſme, Mat. 3.16, 17. And Jeſus when he was baptiſed, went straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he ſaw the spirit of God deſcending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, ſaying, This is my beloved ſonne, in whom I am well pleaſed; as he did alſo afterwards by his many miracles, for he was a man approved of God amongſt them, by miracles, and ſignes, and wonders, which God did by him in the midst of them, Acts 2.22.
Verſ. 8. When you are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye ſhall ſtand ſtill in Jordan.] This is meant onelyonly of a little ſtop the prieſts were to make upon their firſt ſetting their feet into the waters of Jordan (which had at that time overflowed the banks, verſ. 15.) namely till thereupon the Lord had miraculouſly divided the waters, and opened a fair paſſage for them and the people to go through. For that being done, the prieſts went immediately forward with the ark upon their ſhoulders into the midſt of Jordan. And then indeed they ſtood ſtill there till all the people were gone over, as it is afterwards expreſſed, verſ. 17. And the prieſts that bare the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, stood firm on dry ground in the midſt of Jordan; and all the Iſraelites paſſed over on dry ground, untill the people were paſſed clean over Jordan.
Verſ. 10. He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and Hittites, &c.] See the note upon Deut. 7.1.
Verſ. 12. Now therefore take ye twelve men out of the tribes of Iſrael, out of every tribe a man.] Here it is not expreſſed for what imployment theſe twelve men were to be choſen; but Chap. 4.2. we are told for what ſervice it was, namely, to take twelve ſtones out of the midſt of the river, and to ſet them up in Gilgal as a memoriall of this miraculous paſſage. For that they are the ſame here ſpoken of ſeems implyed, chap. 4.4. where it is ſaid, at the ſecond repeating this charge, that Joſhua called the twelve men whom he had prepared, to wit, before they paſſed over Jordan. Yet the giving the charge here may alſo happely implie, that the ſame twelve men were alſo to go along with the Prieſts that they might be the more preſent eye-witneſſes of this miraculous work of Jordans dividing.
Verſ. 13. Aſſoon as the ſoles of the feet of the Priests that bare the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, &c.] Here Joſhua makes known to the people the miracle that God intended to work to give them entrance into the land of Canaan, namely, that the Lord would divide the waters of Jordan before them, that ſo they might paſſe over on drie land. And obſervable it is, that in relating this to them, firſt, he particularly informs them that this ſhould be done at the very firſt ſetting of the Prieſts feet that bare the ark in the waters of Jordan, thereby to aſſure them both that it was the Lord their God, of whoſe preſence the ark was a ſigne, by whoſe almighty power the waters ſhould be divided; and likewiſe that the Lord did this for them becauſe of the Covenant which he had made with them, whence that is ſo often repeated, verſ. 11. and again, verſ. 14. that it was the ark of the Covenant that paſſed over before them. And ſecondly, that they might not queſtion the Lords doing of this he puts them in mind of the Lords ſovereigne power in ruling and governing the whole world under this Title, the Lord of all the earth: Aſſoon (ſaith he) as the ſoles of the feet of the Priests that bare the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, ſhall reſt in the waters of Jordan, the waters of Jordan ſhall be cut off, &c.
Verſ. 15. For Jordan overfloweth all his banks at the time of harveſt.] To wit, of barly-harveſt, which was in that hot countrey in their firſt monethmonth, called Abib or Niſan, the monethmonth wherein the Paſſeover was kept (as is evident Levit. 23.10. where it is ſaid, that at the feaſt they were to bring a ſheaf of the firſt-fruits of their harveſt unto the Prieſt) and therefore we find it elſewhere ſo expreſſed, 1. Chron. 12.15. Theſe are they that went over Jordan in the firſt monethmonth when it had overflown all his banks. And indeed obſervable it is, that the Lord brought his people into the land of Canaan in harveſt time, juſt when it was ready furniſhed with the fruits of the earth that were to be for their proviſion and ſtore the following yeare. As for Jordans overflowing his banks at this time, either it was the nature of this river ſo to do: or elſe it was, as ſome conceive, becauſe the ſunne growing hot at this time of the yeare great ſtreams of water came running down from the mountains about Jordan, by reaſon of the melting of the ſnow that lay there, and ſo cauſed the river to overflow his banks. But however, the reaſons why this clauſe is here inſerted we may conceive to be theſe: Firſt, to ſhew how God did herein trie the faith of the Iſraelites, ſeeming herein as it were to oppoſe their entrance into the land. Secondly, to ſhew the neceſſitie of the miraculous dividing of the waters of Jordan, becauſe by reaſon of this inundation of the waters they could not paſſe over the foords as at other times. Thirdly, to ſhew how the feet of the Prieſts could touch the brim of the waters as is ſaid in the foregoing words before they came at the chanell, in a place convenient for them to ſtand on awhile; it was becauſe Jordan at that time overflowed his banks.
Verſ. 16. The waters which came down from above ſtood and roſe up upon an heap, &c.] The meaning of the firſt clauſe of this verſe concerning the waters above the place where Jordan was divided is not much queſtioned by expoſitours, all in a manner making this to be the meaning of them, that thoſe upper waters ſtood firm as a wall, ſwelling continually and riſing up higher and higher even as farre backward as from the citie Adam that is beſides Zaretan, unto the place where the Iſraelites paſſed over: and that by reaſon of the ſucceſſive coming down of the waters from above, and their ſtay in that place, where they were bounded and barred up by the Almighty power of God. But now the ſecond clauſe, which ſpeaks of waters beneath the place where the river was divided, and thoſe that came down towards the ſea of the plain, even the ſalt ſea, failed and were cut off, is ſomewhat more queſtionable; and that becauſe ſome by the failing and cutting off thoſe lower waters underſtand onelyonly this, that they rolled a little way toward the ſalt ſea, till there was a ſpace broad enough for the people to go over, and then not being ſupplied ſtill as before by the waters from above, failed and were cut off from the upper waters, and there ſtood on a heap, verſ. 13. and ſo the ground lay bare for the Iſraelites to paſſe over. But then others again, by the failing and cutting off thoſe waters underſtand that thoſe lower waters, after they were divided from thoſe that were above, paſſing away by degrees toward the dead ſea, they failed and were cut off for want of a ſupplie from above, and ſo the whole channell down toward the ſea was left quite without water. And this I conceive is moſt agreeable to the words of the Text.
Verſ. 17. And all the Iſraelites paſſed over on drie ground, untill all the people were paſſed clean over Jordan.] That is, the waters of Jordan being thus divided, the whole people of Iſrael went quietly over, there being no body on the other ſide to withſtand them; which is indeed very obſervable. It hath alwayes been the conſtant policie of all nations to guard the rivers through which the enemie muſt paſſe into their countreys, becauſe there they have a great advantage over them to hinder their entrance into their land: and how was it then that the Canaanites had not then ſet a guard upon theſe foords of Jordan? I anſwer, Sure, becauſe they were confidently perſwaded that the Iſraelites could not have paſſed over by reaſon of the overflowing of Jordan at that time; or elſe, becauſe God had ſtricken them with ſuch a fear and trembling of heart that they durſt not ſtirre out of their walled cities; or elſe, becauſe he had infatuated them and deprived them of that wiſdome which is ordinarily found in other men for the defence of their countrey againſt an enemie.