Joshua 3:13

13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap."

Joshua 3:13 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 3:13

And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet
of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord
Which they were bid to take up and carry, ( Joshua 3:6 ) ;

the Lord of all the earth;
this shows that not the ark, but the Lord, is called "the Lord of all the earth", (See Gill on Joshua 3:11):

shall rest in the waters of Jordan;
the meaning is, as soon as their feet should touch them, or they should set their feet in them, when they came to the brink of them:

[that] the waters of Jordan shall be cut off [from] the waters that
come down from above;
from above the place where the priests came, and the children of Israel after passed over:

and they shall stand upon an heap;
or one heap; stop and rise up high, as if piled up one upon another, and stand unmoved. This had been made known to Joshua by divine revelation, and is what he hints at, ( Joshua 3:5 ) ; and now plainly speaks out, and foretells before it came to pass; and which must serve to magnify Joshua, as in ( Joshua 3:7 ) ; and give him great credit and honour among the people.

Joshua 3:13 In-Context

11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan.
12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.
13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap."
14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people.
15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water,
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.