Joshua 4:22 tells parents to explain to their children what the stones at Gilgal mean: God brought Israel across the Jordan River on dry ground, just as He had once opened the Red Sea. Joshua speaks these words to the people of Israel, instructing them to pass on the story of this crossing to the next generation so their memory of God’s deliverance will not fade.
Then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
Joshua 4:22 (WEB)
What Joshua 4:22 Means
The verse opens with “Then you shall let your children know,” which is a direct instruction. The word “know” here means more than being aware of a fact. It points toward making the story a part of family life, something told, retold and understood. Joshua expects that the twelve stones standing at Gilgal will raise questions, and he wants the answer ready.
The core statement, “Israel came over this Jordan on dry land,” is a plain historical claim. The people did not swim or build a bridge. They walked across a riverbed that had been made passable. The verse is a reminder that the crossing was an event, something that happened in a specific place at a specific time, and that it belongs to the nation’s memory.
What the verse does not do is explain every detail of how the river was crossed or promise that God will act in the same dramatic way in every season of life. It gives a command to remember and to teach. Its authority rests on the reality of what God did, which the following verses make explicit.
The Context of Joshua 4:22
The book of Joshua is traditionally attributed to Joshua, Moses’ successor, though the account was likely shaped and finalized later. It recounts Israel’s entry into the land of Canaan after the wilderness years. Chapter 4 describes the twelve men, one from each tribe, who carried stones from the middle of the Jordan to the place where the camp was set up. Those stones were a physical marker meant to prompt questions from children in the future.
The verses just before and after make the purpose clear. Verse 21 records that children would ask what the stones mean, and verses 23 and 24 explain that God dried up the Jordan so that all the peoples of the earth would know the Lord’s power and that Israel would fear Him forever. Seen this way, verse 22 is the answer to a future question, and it is designed to lead the listener from a moment of history to a lasting reverence for God.
Key Phrases in Joshua 4:22
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 records the earlier event at the Red Sea, which Joshua 4:23 explicitly connects to the Jordan crossing. Reading it alongside Joshua 4:22 shows that God’s power to open a path through water was a repeated pattern in Israel’s history, which is why the stories were meant to be told together.
Deuteronomy 6:7
And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
(WEB)
This verse gives the broader command to teach God’s words to children in ordinary moments, at home and on the road. It shows that the instruction in Joshua 4:22 was part of a larger commitment to passing faith from one generation to the next through everyday conversation.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 4:22
Lord, You have carried Your people through deep waters before, and You have not forgotten what You did for them. Help me to remember the times You have brought me safely through hard places, and give me the wisdom to speak of them honestly with the people I love. Let my words point the next generation toward Your faithfulness and Your power. Teach me to trust You in the places I cannot yet see the way across. Amen.
