Joshua 3

 

וַיַּשְׁכֵּם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּסְעוּ מֵהַשִּׁטִּים וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־הַיַּרְדֵּן הוּא וְכָל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּלִנוּ שָׁם טֶרֶם יַעֲבֹרוּ׃    3:1

Josh. 3:1   And Joshua rose early in the morning, and they pulled out from Hashittim and went up to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and they tarried there before they crossed.

וַיְהִי מִקְצֵה שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים וַיַּעַבְרוּ הַשֹּׁטְרִים בְּקֶרֶב הַמַּחֲנֶה׃    3:2

Josh. 3:2   And it was at the end of three days that the officers passed through the midst of the camp,

וַיְצַוּוּ אֶת־הָעָם לֵאמֹר כִּרְאוֹתְכֶם אֵת אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם נֹשְׂאִים אֹתוֹ    3:3

וְאַתֶּם תִּסְעוּ מִמְּקוֹמְכֶם וַהֲלַכְתֶּם אַחֲרָיו׃

Josh. 3:3   and they commanded the people saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord, your God, and the priests, the Levites carrying it, then you shall pull out from your places and go after it.”

אַךְ רָחוֹק יִהְיֶה בֵּינֵיכֶם (וּבֵינוֹ ) [וּבֵינָיו] כְּאַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה בַּמִּדָּה אַל־תִּקְרְבוּ אֵלָיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדְעוּ    3:4

אֶת־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכוּ־בָהּ כִּי לֹא עֲבַרְתֶּם בַּדֶּרֶךְ מִתְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם׃

Josh. 3:4   “But there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits in size (do not come nearer to it), in order that you may know the way that you must go on it, for you have not passed this way before this time.”

An apparent error in the fifth word in the verse (in parentheses) is corrected in the brackets.  I believe the correction is unnecessary.  In my opinion, the word in the parentheses is correctly spelled.  It is translated as [between you ] and it.  There is only one other place where this word occurs (Joshua 8) and it is also spelled as here and is also corrected as here.  Yet there is a comparable word meaning between me [and you] that occurs 31 times in the bible, and it is spelled as ynIyBe.  I claim the two spellings are comparable.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל־הָעָם הִתְקַדָּשׁוּ כִּי מָחָר יַעֲשֶׂה יְהוָה בְּקִרְבְּכֶם נִפְלָאוֹת׃    3:5

Josh. 3:5   And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders in your midst.”

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים לֵאמֹר שְׂאוּ אֶת־אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית וְעִבְרוּ לִפְנֵי הָעָם .וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־אֲרוֹן     3:6

הַבְּרִית וַיֵּלְכוּ לִפְנֵי הָעָם׃

Josh. 3:6   And Joshua spoke to the priests saying, “Lift up the ark of the covenant and pass before the people.” And they lifted the ark of the covenant and they went before the people.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אָחֵל גַּדֶּלְךָ בְּעֵינֵי כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יֵדְעוּן כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיִיתִי    3:7

עִם־מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ׃

Josh. 3:7   And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I shall begin to magnify you in the eyes of all Israel, that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses.”

וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת־הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹן־הַבְּרִית לֵאמֹר כְּבֹאֲכֶם עַד־קְצֵה מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן בַּיַּרְדֵּן תַּעֲמֹדוּ׃    3:8

Josh. 3:8   “And you shall command the priestly bearers of the ark of the covenant saying, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.”

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל גֹּשׁוּ הֵנָּה וְשִׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃    3:9

Josh. 3:9   And Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come near here and hear the words of the Lord, your God.”

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּזֹאת תֵּדְעוּן כִּי אֵל חַי בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וְהוֹרֵשׁ יוֹרִישׁ מִפְּנֵיכֶם אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְאֶת־הַחִתִּי    3:10

וְאֶת־הַחִוִּי וְאֶת־הַפְּרִזִּי וְאֶת־הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַיְבוּסִי׃

Josh. 3:10   And Joshua said, “In this you shall know that the living God is in your midst, that He will surely drive out from before you the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Hivite and the Perizzite and the Girgashite and the Amorite and the Jebusite.”

הִנֵּה אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית אֲדוֹן כָּל־הָאָרֶץ עֹבֵר לִפְנֵיכֶם בַּיַּרְדֵּן׃    3:11

Josh. 3:11   “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes before you in the Jordan.”

וְעַתָּה קְחוּ לָכֶם שְׁנֵי עָשָׂר אִישׁ מִשִּׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ־אֶחָד אִישׁ־אֶחָד לַשָּׁבֶט׃    3:12

Josh. 3:12   “Then now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel for you, one man, one man for a tribe.”

וְהָיָה כְּנוֹחַ כַּפּוֹת רַגְלֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹן יְהוָה אֲדוֹן כָּל־הָאָרֶץ בְּמֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן יִכָּרֵתוּן    3:13

הַמַּיִם הַיֹּרְדִים מִלְמָעְלָה וְיַעַמְדוּ נֵד אֶחָד׃

Josh. 3:13   “And it shall be, when the soles of the feet of the priestly bearers of the ark of the Lord, the Master of all the earth, are resting in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be freed of the waters falling from on high and they will raise up one wave.”

וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָעָם מֵאָהֳלֵיהֶם לַעֲבֹר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן וְהַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן הַבְּרִית לִפְנֵי הָעָם׃    3:14

Josh. 3:14   And it was, when the people pulled out from their tents to cross the Jordan, that the priestly bearers of the ark of the covenant were before the people,

וּכְבוֹא נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן עַד־הַיַּרְדֵּן וְרַגְלֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן נִטְבְּלוּ בִּקְצֵה הַמָּיִם וְהַיַּרְדֵּן מָלֵא    3:15

עַל־כָּל־גְּדוֹתָיו כֹּל יְמֵי קָצִיר׃

Josh. 3:15   and when the bearers of the ark were coming up to the Jordan and the feet of the priestly bearers of the ark were dipped into the surface of the waters -- now the Jordan overflowed on all its banks all the time of the harvest  --                                                  [Return to Josh. 4:9]

וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַמַּיִם הַיֹּרְדִים מִלְמַעְלָה קָמוּ נֵד־אֶחָד הַרְחֵק באדם אָדָם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר מִצַּדצָרְתָן     3:16

וְהַיֹּרְדִים עַל יָם הָעֲרָבָה יָם־הַמֶּלַח תַּמּוּ נִכְרָתוּ וְהָעָם עָבְרוּ נֶגֶד יְרִיחוֹ׃

Josh. 3:16   then the waters falling from on high stood still; they rose up in one heap keeping very far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and the falls above the sea of Arabah, the Sea of Salt, ceased; they were cut off, and the people crossed in front of Jericho.

וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָה בֶּחָרָבָה בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן הָכֵן וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹבְרִים    3:17

צָרְתָן וְהַיֹּרְדִים עַל יָם הָעֲרָבָה יָם־הַמֶּלַח תַּמּוּ נִכְרָתוּ וְהָעָם עָבְרוּ נֶגֶד יְרִיחוֹ׃

Josh. 3:17   And the priestly bearers of the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry firm land in the midst of the Jordan as all of Israel were crossing on dry land until when all of the nation were finished crossing the Jordan.

 

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