Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Joshua 4 Bible study: What do these stones mean?
The twelve stones came from the very spot where the priests stood in the river, and were set up so that children would ask, "What do these stones mean?" (4:21). The answer uses the Hebrew word Exodus used for Israel walking through the Red Sea on dry land (4:22), and gives two reasons: "that all the peoples of the earth may know" and "that you may fear the LORD your God forever" (4:24).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty, and that you may fear the LORD your God forever.’”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“The twelve stones were taken from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm.”
Is that in Joshua 4, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Stones made to be asked about
The stones are set up to start a conversation. Joshua tells the twelve men to carry them "that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in the future, saying, ‘What do you mean by these stones?’" (4:6), and at Gilgal he says it again: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’" (4:21) (tap ask). The Law had already given a son's question like this for the setting apart of the firstborn (Exodus 13:12-15) and for the commandments (Deuteronomy 6:20): "when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’" (Exodus 13:14), and "When your son asks you in time to come" (Deuteronomy 6:20). In Hebrew those two verses and 4:6 and 4:21 share the verb for ask and the word behind "in time to come" (tap it). Each time, the answer is ready before the question comes: "then you shall tell them" (4:7); "Then you shall let your children know" (4:22).
Where it leads to Jesus
Tell them what the Lord has done
Joshua 4:22leads toMark 5:19
When children ask about the stones, "you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel came over this Jordan on dry land’" (4:22), for "the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you" (4:23). When a man Jesus had freed from demons "begged him that he might be with him" (Mark 5:18), Jesus said, "Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you and how he had mercy on you" (Mark 5:19). Jesus doesn't cite Joshua 4, so setting the two side by side is a reading. Some hear in both the same charge: tell your own people what the Lord has done. Others read Mark 5:19 within its own story, where the man "began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him" (Mark 5:20), and don't look back to Joshua 4.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Joshua 4
That was a taste
The rest of Joshua 4 is waiting in Favor
- Two reasons, and the first comes true at once
- As they feared Moses
- The tenth day of the first month
- Armed, as Moses spoke
- The waters came back
- 9 questions as you read
- 12 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Joshua 4 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
זִכָּרוֹןzikkaronsay zik-ka-RON
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "memorial, remembrance". Strong's: "a memento (or memorable thing, day or writing)". "These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever" (4:7), the word's only use in Joshua. The only other place the Hebrew Bible uses the word of stones is the high priest's two onyx stones (Exodus 28:9) on the shoulder straps of the ephod, "to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel" (Exodus 28:12; also 39:7), and there too the Hebrew has stones, memorial and for the children of Israel. There Aaron bore the names "before the LORD" (Exodus 28:12); here the stones stand where children will see them and ask (4:6-7). The Hebrew Bible first uses the word at the Passover: "This day shall be a memorial for you" (Exodus 12:14).
For your group
Joshua 4 Bible study questions
- 1"What do these stones mean?" (4:21). What reminders of what God has done do you keep, and would anyone around you know to ask about them?
- 2The parents were to have the answer ready: "Then you shall let your children know" (4:22). Who told you what God has done, and who might you tell?
- 3The crossing was "that you may fear the LORD your God forever" (4:24). What helps you keep remembering who God is after the moment has passed?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Joshua 4 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Joshua 4 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Joshua 4 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Joshua 4
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home