Joshua 4:19-20
The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights the incredible timing of God's faithfulness: the Israelites entered the Promised Land on the tenth day of the first month, the exact same day they were instructed to set apart the Passover lamb forty years earlier. This deliberate echo across time emphasizes that their arrival wasn't just a geographical shift, but the fulfillment of a promise initiated long before.
The Israelites have just finished crossing the Jordan River, a monumental act of God that echoed the parting of the Red Sea decades earlier. This verse marks their first encampment in the Promised Land at a place called Gilgal, located just east of Jericho. This specific timing, on the tenth day of the first month, is significant as it falls exactly forty years to the day after they were instructed to select the Passover lamb, underscoring a new beginning and the fulfillment of God's promises.
Why does the Bible pinpoint the exact day and place Israel first encamped after crossing the Jordan? It wasn't just a stopping point, but a place designed to speak across generations.
The encampment at Gilgal marked a crucial transition. It was the first 'home base' in the Promised Land, established on the very day they entered.
A Deliberate Monument
Joshua 4:19 tells us they encamped at Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. This wasn't accidental. The stones taken from the Jordan (as described in Joshua 4:1-8) were to be set up here. This monument served as a physical reminder of God's faithfulness in bringing them across.
Connecting Generations
As generations passed, children would ask, 'What do these stones mean?' (Joshua 4:21). The parents' explanation would recall the miracle of the Jordan drying up. This practice ensured that the memory of God's power and provision wasn't lost, but actively passed down, forging a shared identity rooted in divine acts.
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The date they entered the Promised Land wasn't random. It echoes a pivotal moment from their exodus forty years prior.
The timing of Israel's arrival at Gilgal is deeply symbolic.
A Full Circle
Joshua 4:19 states they came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Forty years earlier, on the very same tenth day of the first month, the Israelites were instructed to select their Passover lamb (Exodus 12:3). They kept it until the fourteenth day, when they finally left Egypt.
Fulfillment of Promise
This precise timing shows God's perfect orchestration. Forty years after setting apart the lamb that symbolized their deliverance, they entered the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It signifies the completion of their journey and the beginning of a new covenant relationship in their inheritance.
The name 'Gilgal' itself carries a profound meaning related to removing shame and establishing a new spiritual reality.
While Joshua 4:19 mentions Gilgal by anticipation, its true significance unfolds in the next chapter, revealing a powerful metaphor for spiritual transformation.
Rolling Away the Reproach
Later, in Joshua 5:9, God declares, 'Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.' The name Gilgal, derived from a root meaning 'to roll,' signifies this act of God removing the shame and disadvantage of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, where they were uncircumcised and outside the promised inheritance.
A New Beginning in Covenant
This act of 'rolling away' was immediately followed by the circumcision of the new generation (Joshua 5:2-8), signifying their re-entry into God's covenant people. Gilgal thus becomes a place where the shame of the past is removed, and a purified, covenant people begins their journey in the land God promised.
Understand the original words
Gilgal · Hebrew Proper Noun
A place of rolling or circular formation, used in the Bible as a location for spiritual renewal, the renewal of the covenant, and a base of operations for the conquest of Canaan.
Yericho · Hebrew Proper Noun
The primary city and fortress at the entry point into the Promised Land, representing the first major obstacle and victory for Israel under God's command.
This verse pinpoints the exact day Israel entered the Promised Land, the 10th of the first month. This date is highly significant as it mirrors the day, 40 years earlier, when they were instructed to set aside the lamb for their first Passover. Their arrival and encampment at Gilgal also set the stage for crucial covenant renewals and the beginning of their conquest.
c. 1446 BC
Israel departs Egypt
The Israelites leave Egypt after 400 years of slavery, marking the beginning of their 40-year journey through the wilderness.
c. 1446 BC
First Passover in the Wilderness
The Israelites celebrate their first Passover shortly after leaving Egypt. This event established a crucial religious observance.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Israel crosses the Jordan River
Led by Joshua, the Israelites miraculously cross the Jordan River on dry ground, marking their official entry into the Promised Land. This event fulfills a long-held promise to Abraham.
c. 1406 BC
Israel encamps at Gilgal
Immediately after crossing the Jordan, the people set up camp at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho. This becomes their first base in the land.
c. 1406 BC
Circumcision at Gilgal
Joshua commands the circumcision of the men who were born in the wilderness. This act re-establishes the covenant sign after it had been neglected for 40 years.
c. 1406 BC
First Passover in Canaan
The Israelites celebrate their first Passover in the Promised Land at Gilgal, eating unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna then ceases.
c. 1405 BC
Fall of Jericho
Following God's instructions, the Israelites march around Jericho for seven days, and its walls miraculously collapse. This marks the first major military conquest in Canaan.
This passage describes the institution of the Passover, highlighting the significance of the tenth day of the first month as a pivotal moment for God's people, mirroring the timing of Israel's arrival in the Promised Land as recorded in Joshua 4:19.
Joshua 5:10-12This passage immediately follows Joshua's crossing of the Jordan and details the celebration of the Passover at Gilgal. It reinforces the significance of this location and the timing of their arrival, showing that Gilgal was the site of key covenant renewals.
Deuteronomy 31:12-13This passage speaks to the importance of gathering the people, including children, to hear God's word and commandments, connecting to the idea in Joshua 4:19-24 of the monument stones serving to teach future generations about God's mighty acts.
Psalm 78:1-7This psalm is a call to remember and teach the history of God's faithfulness, particularly His mighty deeds for Israel. It echoes the purpose behind the Jordan memorial stones, emphasizing the transmission of God's works from one generation to the next, as initiated by the encampment at Gilgal.
Romans 6:3-4This passage connects baptism to Christ's death and resurrection, symbolizing a new beginning and a 'rolling away' of the old life. This resonates with the original meaning of Gilgal (rolling away the reproach) and the spiritual rebirth Israel experienced upon entering the land.
calvinJoshua 4:19-24: "And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho."
- And the people came up, etc Why the day on which they entered the land, and first encamped in it, is marked, we shall see in next chapter. But the name of Gilgal is given to the first station by anticipation, for this new name was afterwards given to it by Joshua on the renewal of circumcision; its etymology will be explained in its own place. Mo…
gillJoshua 4:19: "And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho."
And the people came up out of Jordan,.... The channel of it, to the shore: on the tenth day of the first month; the month Nisan or Abib, which from the time of Israel's coming out of Egypt was appointed the first month of the year, Exodus 12:2; on the fifteenth of which month they came out of Egypt, having kept the passover on the fourteenth at even; so…
This verse highlights the incredible timing of God's faithfulness: the Israelites entered the Promised Land on the tenth day of the first month, the exact same day they were instructed to set apart the Passover lamb forty years earlier. This deliberate echo across time emphasizes that their arrival wasn't just a geographical shift, but the fulfillment of a promise initiated long before.
The Israelites have just finished crossing the Jordan River, a monumental act of God that echoed the parting of the Red Sea decades earlier. This verse marks their first encampment in the Promised Land at a place called Gilgal, located just east of Jericho. This specific timing, on the tenth day of the first month, is significant as it falls exactly forty years to the day after they were instructed to select the Passover lamb, underscoring a new beginning and the fulfillment of God's promises.
The Israelites have just finished crossing the Jordan River, a monumental act of God that echoed the parting of the Red Sea decades earlier. This verse marks their first encampment in the Promised Land at a place called Gilgal, located just east of Jericho. This specific timing, on the tenth day of the first month, is significant as it falls exactly forty years to the day after they were instructed to select the Passover lamb, underscoring a new beginning and the fulfillment of God's promises.
"The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal." — This verse highlights the incredible timing of God's faithfulness: the Israelites entered the Promised Land on the tenth day of the first month, the exact same day they were instructed to set apart t…
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