The Questions (1–2) I have already explained that the plain meaning of the words “Hashem said” indicates that He spoke to Joshua only now. If so, how had Joshua previously selected twelve men on his own initiative? Furthermore, above (3:12) it says “one man for each tribe,” using the prefix lamed, whereas here it says “one man from each tribe,” using the prefix mem. Why this change?

Take for yourselves. In addition to the twelve men whom Joshua had selected above (3:12) to serve as witnesses to the miracle, Hashem commanded him to select twelve men. Joshua had selected one man for each tribe. The use of the prefix lamed indicates that each man would stand in place of his tribe; he therefore had to select the leader of each tribe, as explained above. Hashem, however, said, Take for yourselves from among the people, for these men did not need to be leaders. He required one man from each tribe. The prefix mem indicates only that each man should come from a particular tribe, not that he should represent his entire tribe. (For this reason, above Scripture used the singular “man,” whereas here it uses the plural “men.” The singular form there indicates that they were equal in leadership and prominence, as I have explained frequently in my commentary on the Torah.)

And command them, saying, “Take for yourselves from here.” That is, they were to point out with a finger the precise place from which the stones should be taken, which had to meet two conditions: 1] From the midst of the Jordan, not from the side near its bank. 2] From where the priests’ feet stood—that is, from beneath their feet. He commanded them to carry the stones across the Jordan with them and deposit them at the place where they would lodge.

And Joshua called. Since Joshua had already selected twelve men on his own initiative, he summoned them to perform this commandment as well, for each one was from a different tribe, in accordance with the word of Hashem.

Cross over. Since they were standing at the bank of the Jordan, he told them to cross over into the Jordan, to the far side of the Ark. (He certainly indicated to them that they should take the stones from beneath the place where the priests stood.)

And each of you shall lift up for himself. Hashem’s words, “Take for yourselves twelve stones,” could be understood to mean that they should take all twelve stones together and carry them on poles, which would enable them to carry heavier stones—as stated in Sotah 34a, “It is traditionally known that every load a person lifts upon his shoulders,” etc. Joshua therefore clarified that each man was to lift a separate stone and carry it upon his own shoulder. (See my commentary on the Sifra concerning the verse “You shall bring your offering” in Leviticus 1:2.) He explained the reason: There were to be twelve stones corresponding to the number of the tribes, for each tribe constitutes a distinct entity.

The Questions (6–7) Why does he repeat, “So that this may be a sign among you,” and, “These stones shall be a memorial for the children of Israel forever”? It also appears that the sign was to be “among you,” meaning within that generation, whereas the memorial was to remain forever. Why did Joshua repeat these matters a second time (verses 21–23)? Here he says, “When your children ask tomorrow,” implying that they would question the people of that generation, and likewise, “What do these stones mean to you?” But in verse 21 he says, “When their children ask their fathers,” implying future generations, and does not include the word “to you.” Here he says, “You shall say to them,” whereas in verse 22 he says, “You shall inform them.” Here he says that the waters were cut off before the Ark of Hashem, whereas there he says that Hashem dried them up before you, without mentioning that it occurred because of the Ark. There he recounts the event at length—“Israel crossed on dry ground,” etc.—whereas here he speaks briefly.

So that. He further explains the purpose of taking the stones: they were to serve as a sign. This statement is repeated below (verses 21–22), where it says, When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, “What are these stones?” you shall inform your children, saying, “Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.” These are two distinct statements. Here he says, When your children ask tomorrow, implying that the children of that generation would ask you; likewise, the words What do these stones mean to you? make clear that this passage concerns the question asked by the contemporary generation. Below, however, Scripture discusses the questions of future generations and therefore does not include the word “to you.” The stones served both as a sign and as a memorial. The sign was intended as an indication for that generation, whereas the memorial was intended to preserve the event for the final generation. Since the contemporary generation witnessed the miracle with their own eyes, they did not require a memorial, but they did require a sign—so that they would not imagine that the Jordan had been split through their own power and merit. The stones taken from beneath the feet of the priests carrying the Ark served as a sign that the Jordan was split through the power of the Ark and the holiness of the Tablets of the Covenant contained within it. Thus it says, When your children ask tomorrow, saying, “What do these stones mean to you?” They will ask you why you require a memorial, since you witnessed the event with your own eyes.

And you shall say to them. Here Scripture does not say, “You shall inform them,” as it does below (verse 22), because both they and their children already knew what had occurred. Rather, you shall explain to them that the stones are needed as a sign, so that we may know that the waters of the Jordan were cut off not because of us, but before the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem and through its power. The proof is that when it passed through the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off; this serves as a sign that the waters were cut off because of the Ark. Besides serving as a sign for the present generation, these stones shall also be a memorial for the children of Israel forever. That is, in future generations, whose members did not witness the miracle, they will serve as a memorial to the miracle itself. Joshua explains this second purpose—that the stones should serve as a memorial for later generations—below (verse 21 through the end of the passage), as will be explained there.

The Questions (8) Why does he repeat, “As Joshua commanded,” and “As Hashem had spoken to Joshua”?

And they did so. There was a difference between the wording of Hashem’s command to Joshua and that of Joshua’s command to the people. Hashem’s words did not explicitly state that each man should carry one particular stone, while Joshua’s words did not mention that they should carry the stones with them to their lodging place. Therefore, Scripture says that they acted “as” Joshua had commanded and carried twelve stones—that is, they carried them in the manner Joshua had commanded, each man bearing one stone upon his shoulder. They likewise acted as Hashem had spoken to Joshua, etc., and carried them with them to their lodging place.

And twelve stones. After they removed the stones from beneath the priests’ feet, Joshua set up other stones in their place. These stones also remained as a memorial at the site where the miracle occurred.

And the priests stood. That is, they remained standing at the eastern bank of the Jordan until the entire matter was completed. This appears to refer to what is stated: “Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting,” etc., “And Hashem said to Moses, ‘Behold, you are about to lie with your fathers,’” together with the entire passage that follows (Deuteronomy 31:14 onward). Hashem commanded Joshua to speak these words to the people.

The Questions (11–18) After saying, “The Ark of Hashem and the priests crossed over,” thereby apparently completing the account, why does Scripture return and say that Joshua commanded the priests to come up from the Jordan? Had they not already crossed it? Moreover, the verses indicate that the priests stood at the eastern edge of the Jordan, as it says, “When you reach the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan,” and this is stated explicitly in 3:15. If so, Scripture should have said, “They crossed the Jordan.” “Coming up” denotes ascending from the place where one is standing onto the adjacent bank, whereas “crossing” denotes passing from one bank to the other. [For this reason, our Sages said (Sotah 35a) that Joshua actually commanded them to come up onto the eastern bank. The earlier statement, “The Ark of Hashem crossed over,” occurred afterward, through a miracle in which the Ark and its bearers flew through the air. According to this explanation, however, the events are related out of chronological order, whereas our purpose is to make the crooked straight according to the plain meaning.] After Scripture has stated that all the people crossed together with the Ark, why does it return to relate that the Reubenites and Gadites crossed, when they had marched ahead of the people? Finally, the wording indicates that the words (verse 18), “The soles of the priests’ feet were lifted onto the dry ground,” form the predicate of the sentence—that is, it was then that their feet were lifted. [Otherwise, Scripture should have said, “And it came to pass when they came up,” etc., “that their feet were lifted,” etc., “and the waters of the Jordan returned.”] How, then, is the verse to be understood?

And the Ark of Hashem crossed over. The Ark then crossed from the eastern bank, where it had stood until that point, to the western bank. (The term “crossing” applies to passing from one edge to the other, although they did not leave the Jordan until afterward, as stated in verse 16, “Come up from the Jordan,” referring to their subsequent ascent from the western bank.) The words “before the people” mean “in the sight of the people.”

And they crossed. Until this point, the Reubenites and Gadites had traveled according to the order of the tribal divisions. From this point onward, they began crossing at the head of the people, as Moses had said, “You shall cross over as advance troops before your brothers” (Deuteronomy 3:18). They are called ḥamushim because they customarily divided themselves into units of fifty men, each with a commander of fifty at its head; and they are called ḥalutzim, advance troops, because they separated themselves from the rest of their brothers to go to war. Not all of them went, for the Reubenites and Gadites alone numbered more than eighty-three thousand.

Before Hashem for battle. This too formed part of the condition Moses stipulated with them (in the portion of Mattot): that they cross over before Hashem—that is, for His sake—and not as men relying upon their own strength, as I explained in my commentary.

Hashem made Joshua great. For they saw that the miracle occurred primarily on Joshua’s account, as explained above (3:7).

And they came up. That is, they ascended from the western bank of the Jordan onto dry land. Therefore, Scripture says, And they came up, rather than “and they crossed.” The reason they required an explicit command was that, after Joshua had told them, “You shall stand in the Jordan,” they were not permitted to leave on their own without authorization.

And it came to pass when they came up. Scripture relates three miracles that occurred here. 1] There is a distinction between ḥaravah and yabbashah. A place may be called ḥaravah in reference to the fact that water had previously been there, even though it has now dried completely. Thus, the statement, “All Israel crossed on ḥaravah,” describes the drying up of the water that had formerly been there, although the Jordan had become completely dry, as stated in verse 22: “Israel crossed this Jordan on yabbashah.” Alternatively, even a place where there had been no water may be called ḥaravah if it is not completely dry but remains damp and muddy. The Jordan, where the miracle occurred, dried completely; but the bank of the Jordan, which is always damp and where no miracle occurred, was merely ḥaravah—damp ground. Thus it says, And it came to pass when the priests came up, etc., that the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted onto the ḥaravah. That is, as they ascended, they moved from the yabbashah—the completely dry ground in the middle of the Jordan—to its bank, which was ḥaravah and still somewhat damp. 2] Immediately when they came up, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place. 3] And they flowed as yesterday and the day before. Since the waters had accumulated in layers, one upon another, they should naturally have surged down all at once when the miracle ended and spread laterally beyond the riverbanks. The miracle was that they descended gradually until they flowed as they ordinarily had before.

And the people. Scripture also relates that this miracle occurred on the tenth of Nisan. The verses describe at length the place and time of the miracle and all its details in order to refute the deniers, who might claim that it occurred when the waters had naturally dried up, or that Joshua knew how to calculate the times when the waters would rise and fall—what is called “ebb and flow.” Scripture therefore specifies that the miracle occurred on the tenth day of the month, when the Jordan ordinarily overflows, and identifies the location, which remained recognizable through the stones even in the prophet’s time. At that place, the waters never dry up, nor do they rise and fall with the waxing and waning of the moon. Scripture further proves the miracle from its precise duration: It began at the exact moment when the soles of the priests’ feet came to rest and ended at that very instant when they departed. Nor can it be said that Joshua calculated how long the priests should remain in the Jordan, for Scripture says, “The people hurried and crossed.” The people therefore completed the crossing earlier than might have been expected, yet everything still coincided at the precise instant. From this they knew that the hand of Hashem had done it.

And they encamped at Gilgal. According to our Sages (Sotah 36a), they traveled sixty mil that day.

The Questions (20–24) The statement that Joshua set them up at Gilgal is unclear, for Scripture already said (verse 8), “They deposited them there.” The other differences between this passage and what Joshua said above (verses 5–7) have already been noted there.

Joshua set them up at Gilgal. Verse 8 relates that those carrying the stones deposited them at the lodging place without arranging them. Here Scripture relates that Joshua set them one upon another, building them upward and forming them into a monument. We have already explained that these stones served both as a sign and as a memorial: a sign for the present generation, who knew of the miracle, and a memorial for future generations, so that they would remember it, as stated in verses 6–7. Those who carried the stones deposited them for the purpose of the sign, while Joshua erected them as a memorial for future generations.

And he said. That is, besides serving as a sign for the present generation, it would serve as a memorial when your children ask in time to come—in future generations.

And you shall inform them. Through this memorial, you shall make known to them that Israel crossed the Jordan. Here, the purpose is not to specify the cause through which the miracle occurred, as in verses 6–7, but to commemorate the miracle itself. Although it occurred through the merit of the Ark, it was nevertheless performed for Israel’s sake.

Who dried up. Just as He dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds before us—meaning before Joshua, who had participated in the Exodus from Egypt—so He dried up the waters of the Jordan before you, the generation entering the land. Both occurred miraculously, and both served two purposes: 1]

So that they may know. The nations should recognize the hand of Hashem and fear Him with the fear of punishment. 2] Israel should recognize His wonders and fear Him with the awe inspired by His exaltedness. He also means that the miracle previously performed at the sea was repeated at the Jordan for two reasons: 1] So that the nations of this land, who had not witnessed the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, would also recognize the hand of Hashem. 2] So that you may fear Him all the days. For this reason, He repeatedly manifests His power and might in every generation. The word yiratem, “you feared,” is unusually vocalized with a kamatz beneath the resh. According to Radak in the Mikhlol, it follows the paʿal conjugation and uses the past tense in place of the future.