Joshua 4:9 describes a second pile of twelve stones that Joshua set up in the middle of the Jordan River, on the exact spot where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant had stood. The writer adds that these stones were still there when the book was written, serving as a lasting marker of what God had done. The verse is part of the narrator’s account of Israel’s crossing into the promised land, and it records a memorial built by Joshua, the leader who succeeded Moses, for the people who had just crossed over.
Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.
Joshua 4:9 (WEB)
What Joshua 4:9 Means
The verse begins with Joshua setting up twelve stones “in the middle of the Jordan.” This is a second set of stones, separate from the twelve that were carried out of the river and placed on the bank at Gilgal (verse 8). Joshua’s stones marked the riverbed itself, the place where the waters had been held back. The number twelve points to the twelve tribes of Israel, so the monument stood for the whole nation.
The phrase “in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood” ties the memorial to the moment of crossing. The priests had stepped into the water carrying the ark, and the river stopped flowing while everyone passed. The stones therefore mark the spot where God’s presence, represented by the ark, stood firm for the people.
The last clause, “and they are there to this day,” tells you the memorial lasted. The verse does not promise that every believer will receive a lasting sign, nor does it claim that a physical marker is needed for faith. It simply reports that the stones remained as a witness, and it expects that later generations would see them and ask what they meant.
The Context of Joshua 4:9
The book of Joshua recounts Israel’s conquest and settlement of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. Tradition holds that Joshua himself wrote parts of it, though the book as a whole is usually understood to have been shaped by later editors. Its first audience was the Israelite community, and it was written to shape how they remembered their past and understood their identity as God’s people.
Just before verse 9, Joshua tells the people that the stones will serve as “a sign among you,” so that when children ask, parents can explain that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark. Verse 9 then shows Joshua acting on that instruction by setting up the second memorial in the river. Verses 10 through 12 continue the story as the priests stand in the river until the whole nation has crossed. Reading the verse with those surrounding lines makes clear that the stones were meant to be a teaching tool, prompting questions from the next generation.
Key Phrases in Joshua 4:9
Exodus 14:21
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
(WEB)
This verse describes God driving back the sea so Israel could walk through on dry ground. Reading it alongside Joshua 4:9 shows that the Jordan crossing echoes the earlier escape from Egypt, reinforcing the pattern of God making a way where none seemed possible.
Psalm 78:4
We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds that he has done.
(WEB)
This psalm calls parents to tell the next generation of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds. It fits well with Joshua 4:9, since the stones were built precisely so that children would ask questions and receive an answer that carried faith forward.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 4:9
Lord, thank you for the stones of memory you have allowed us to set up in our lives, the moments when you clearly carried us through. Help us not to forget what you have done, and give us the courage to tell those stories to the people who come after us. When we face a new river we cannot cross on our own, remind us that you have been faithful before and will be faithful again. Amen.
