Joshua 4:19-23

What does Joshua 4:19-23 mean?

The mention of "the tenth day of the first month" isn't just a date; it's a deliberate echo of the day forty years earlier when Israel was commanded to set apart the lamb for the first Passover. This timing powerfully highlights that their entrance into the Promised Land is the fulfillment of that foundational act of God's covenant. Their new beginning on this symbolic day underscores that God's faithfulness stretches across generations, bringing His people home.

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. And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,

English Standard Version (ESV)

What Joshua 4:19-23 means

The people have just crossed the Jordan River, a miraculous event mirroring their crossing of the Red Sea years ago. This verse marks their first encampment in the Promised Land at a place called Gilgal, located just east of Jericho. This specific timing, exactly forty years after leaving Egypt and on the same day they were instructed to set apart the Passover lamb, is significant, setting the stage for their observance of the Passover in their new home and the subsequent events that will solidify their identity as God's people in Canaan.

A Divine Appointment in Time

Why is the specific day the Israelites left the Jordan mentioned? It wasn't just a random Tuesday; it was a date packed with meaning.

The text pinpoints the tenth day of the first month. This date is hugely significant because it echoes an event exactly forty years earlier: the selection of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:3-5).

Forty Years of Wandering Complete

On the tenth day of the first month, the Israelites were commanded to set aside a lamb. Four days later, on the fourteenth, they ate the first Passover in Egypt, a meal that marked their imminent liberation.

Entering the Promised Land

Now, forty years later, on that exact same tenth day of the first month, they crossed the Jordan River. This wasn't a coincidence. It was God orchestrating their entrance into the Promised Land to align perfectly with this pivotal moment in their history. It underscores God's faithfulness, bringing them to the place He had promised, completing a journey that began with a meal of liberation and now culminates in a new beginning.

Gilgal: A Place of New Beginnings

They didn't just camp anywhere; they settled in a place that would become central to their new life in the Promised Land.

The encampment at Gilgal marks a crucial transition. Though the name 'Gilgal' (meaning 'a rolling away') isn't officially given until later in Joshua 5:9, the location itself is profoundly significant.