Tanach
Yehoshua 3:9-4:1 יהושע ג׳:ט׳-ד׳:א׳
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל גֹּשׁוּ הֵנָּה וְשִׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
And Yehoshua said to the children of Yisra᾽el, Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.
And Yehoshua said to the children of Yisra᾽el, Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.
Rashi
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּזֹאת תֵּֽדְעוּן כִּי אֵל חַי בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וְהוֹרֵשׁ יוֹרִישׁ מִפְּנֵיכֶם אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְאֶת־הַחִתִּי וְאֶת־הַחִוִּי וְאֶת־הַפְּרִזִּי וְאֶת־הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַיְבוּסִֽי׃
And Yehoshua said, Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Kena῾ani, and the Ḥitti, and the Ḥivvi, and the Perizzi, and Girgashi, and the Emori and the Yevusi.
And Yehoshua said, Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Kena῾ani, and the Ḥitti, and the Ḥivvi, and the Perizzi, and Girgashi, and the Emori and the Yevusi.
Rashi
בזאת תדעון. במה שאתם רואים שכלכם מצומצמין כאן:
With this you will know. By virtue of actually seeing that all of you are compressed here.
הִנֵּה אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית אֲדוֹן כׇּל־הָאָרֶץ עֹבֵר לִפְנֵיכֶם בַּיַּרְדֵּֽן׃
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Yarden.
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Yarden.
Rashi
הברית אדון כל הארץ. ברית של הקדוש ברוך הוא, שהוא אדון כל הארץ, ואל תתמה על הה"א של הברית, שהרבה מקראות מדברים כך, כמו (מלכים ב טז יז): המסגרות המכונות ; (ירמיהו לא לט): העמק הפגרים:
The covenant of the Master of all the earth. The covenant of the Holy One, blessed is He, Who is the Master of all the earth. Do not wonder about the letter ה of the word הַבְּרִית9It should have been written בְּרִית אָדוֹן, without the ה. for there are many Scriptual words that are so constructed, such as: ‘הַמִסְגְּרוֹת הַמְכוֹנוֹת, the borders of the foundation.’10II Malachim 16:17. It should have been written מִסְגְרוֹת הַמְכוֹנוֹת without the ה'. הָעֵמֶק הַפְּגָרִים, the valley of the corpses.11Yirmeyahu 31:39. It should have been written עֵמֶק הַפְגָרִים without the ה.
עובר לפניכם. מקדים לפניכם ליכנס לתוך הירדן:
Will cross over before You. It will go before you to enter into the Jordan.
וְעַתָּה קְחוּ לָכֶם שְׁנֵי עָשָׂר אִישׁ מִשִּׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ־אֶחָד אִישׁ־אֶחָד לַשָּֽׁבֶט׃
Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Yisra᾽el, out of every tribe a man.
Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Yisra᾽el, out of every tribe a man.
Rashi
קחו לכם שני עשר איש. הכינו אותם להיות נכונים למה שאצוה אותם כשתעברו את הירדן:
Take for yourselves twelve men. Prepare them to be available to fulfil that which I will command them when you finally cross the Jordan.
וְהָיָה כְּנוֹחַ כַּפּוֹת רַגְלֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹן יְהֹוָה אֲדוֹן כׇּל־הָאָרֶץ בְּמֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן יִכָּרֵתוּן הַמַּיִם הַיֹּרְדִים מִלְמָעְלָה וְיַעַמְדוּ נֵד אֶחָֽד׃
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Yarden, that the waters of the Yarden shall be cut off, those waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in a heap.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Yarden, that the waters of the Yarden shall be cut off, those waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in a heap.
Rashi
המים היורדים מלמעלה. למטה כדרך כל הנהרות המושכים:
The waters that descend from above. Coming down from the heights which is the way of all flowing rivers.
ויעמדו נד אחד. כשירדו המים עד מקום שנכרתו שם ואינם יורדים משם ולמטה אלא הם מתקבצים ונגדשין ועולין למעלה, כיפין על גבי כיפין:
And will stand in one massive mound. As the water flows down to the place where it will be cut off, it will be unable to flow further downstream, but will be gathered and piled up, and grow higher, layer upon layer.
נד. כמו (תהלים לג ז): כונס כנד, (ישעיהו יז יא) נד קציר, לשון גובה, וכן חברם מנחם:
Mound. Similar to: ‘He gathers like a mound,’12Tehillim 33:7. ‘a mound of harvest.’13Yeshayahu 17:11. These are expressions of height, and so did Menachem connect them.14Menachem was an authority on Grammar often quoted by Rashi.
וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָעָם מֵאׇהֳלֵיהֶם לַֽעֲבֹר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן וְהַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן הַבְּרִית לִפְנֵי הָעָֽם׃
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Yarden, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Yarden, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
וּכְבוֹא נֹשְׂאֵי הָֽאָרוֹן עַד־הַיַּרְדֵּן וְרַגְלֵי הַכֹּֽהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן נִטְבְּלוּ בִּקְצֵה הַמָּיִם וְהַיַּרְדֵּן מָלֵא עַל־כׇּל־גְּדוֹתָיו כֹּל יְמֵי קָצִֽיר׃
and as they that bore the ark were come to the Yarden. And the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brink of the water, (for the Yarden overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest,)
and as they that bore the ark were come to the Yarden. And the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brink of the water, (for the Yarden overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest,)
Rashi
גדותיו. לשון שפה גבוהה:
Its banks. This is an expression of a high edge.
כל ימי קציר. שימי ניסן ימי קציר הם:
During the entire harvest time. The days of Nissan coincide with the harvest.15The crossing of the Jordan took place during the month of Nissan. Metsudas Dovid says this increase of the flood level of the Jordan naturally increased the magnitude of the miracle of its waters being cut off.
וַיַּֽעַמְדוּ הַמַּיִם הַיֹּרְדִים מִלְמַעְלָה קָמוּ נֵד־אֶחָד הַרְחֵק מְאֹד (באדם) [מֵֽאָדָם] הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר מִצַּד צָֽרְתָן וְהַיֹּרְדִים עַל יָם הָעֲרָבָה יָם־הַמֶּלַח תַּמּוּ נִכְרָתוּ וְהָעָם עָבְרוּ נֶגֶד יְרִיחֽוֹ׃
that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Żaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the ῾Arava, the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over opposite Yeriĥo.
that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Żaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the ῾Arava, the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over opposite Yeriĥo.
Rashi
הרחק מאד. ממקום שעמדו שם נפסקו:
A great distance from the place they stood. There the waters were cut off.
מאדם העיר. כך שמה:
From Odom. [Adom] was the name of the city.
והיורדים. אותם שהיו יורדים משם ולמטה תחלה:
Descended. Those waters that had descended from above that had previously flowed downstream.
תמו נכרתו. עברו כדרך הליכתן ככל הנחלים ההולכים אל הים, עד אשר תמו:
Were completely cut off. They continued flowing on their course16This refers to those waters that had flowed toward the Salt Sea before the cut off of the upper waters. as do all the streams that flow into the sea, which ended their course.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה בֶּחָרָבָה בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן הָכֵן וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹֽבְרִים בֶּחָרָבָה עַד אֲשֶׁר־תַּמּוּ כׇּל־הַגּוֹי לַעֲבֹר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃
And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Yarden, and all Yisra᾽el passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over the Yarden.
And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Yarden, and all Yisra᾽el passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over the Yarden.
Rashi
ויעמדו הכהנים. אצל שפת הירדן:
And the Kohanim remained standing. They remained standing at the edge of the Jordan.
בתוך הירדן. וכל זמן שעמדו לא ירדו המים העליונים למטה, ובתוך כך כל העם עוברים בחרבה:
In the midst of the Jordan. So long as they remained standing, the upper waters did not descend below, and during this time all the people were crossing on dry land.
הכן. מכוונים ונצבים זה כנגד זה:
Firmly They were placed firmly, exactly opposite each other.
וַֽיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר־תַּמּוּ כׇל־הַגּוֹי לַעֲבוֹר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן {פ}
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֵאמֹֽר׃
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over the Yarden, that the Lord spoke to Yehoshua saying,
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over the Yarden, that the Lord spoke to Yehoshua saying,
גשו הנה. צמצם את כולם בין שני בדי ארון, זה אחד מן המקומות שהחזיק מועט את המרובה:
Move closer. He compressed all of them between the two poles of the Ark. This is one of the places where a small space was able to hold8This was obviously a Divine miracle. a large amount [of people.]