Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Laid them down there - i. e. in Gilgal Joshua 4:20. Spoken of as the doers of this, because it was done by the twelve who acted for them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded,.... That is, the twelve men taken out of the twelve tribes of Israel, and who were the representatives of them in this action:

and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; they took the exact number, and out of the very place Joshua was ordered to direct them to do:

and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged: which, as Josephus says^F9Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 4. , was fifty furlongs from Jordan, which was above six miles; so far they carried these stones on their shoulders:

and laid them down there; which afterwards were put in proper order by Joshua, or at least by his direction.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded — that is, it was done by their twelve representatives.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Joshua 4:8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

Ver. 8. And the children of Israel did so,] i.e., The twelve select men, representing the whole people.

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

‘And the children of Israel did so, as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan as YHWH spoke to Joshua, in accordance with the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and set them down there.’

This was what they had been commanded to do and this was what they did. The overall stress is that they were obedient to what YHWH commanded. They took up twelve stones from the bed of the river, one for each of the tribes of Israel, and carried them to the place where they lodged that night.

Notice the stress that all Israel was involved in the act of the twelve men. The men did it as their representatives, but it was all Israel who were doing it. This was stressed by the plural ‘you’ in Joshua 4:2, and now here.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

8.Israel did so — They did so by their twelve representatives, according to the old law-maxim: Qui facit per allure, facit per se — “He who acts through another acts through himself.”

And laid them down — They did not construct them into a monument. This Joshua did afterwards. Joshua 4:20.

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

as = according as.

took up. Four things said of these memorial stones in Joshua 4:8 and Joshua 4:9, (1) taken up; (2) carried over; (3) laid down; (4) set up.

there. See note on Joshua 8:30.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

The children of Israel did so - that is, it was done by their twelve representatives.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

did so as Joshua

2-5; 1:16-18

Reciprocal: Exodus 24:4 - according;  Joshua 4:3 - leave them;  Joshua 4:20 - General;  1 Samuel 15:12 - he set him;  1 Samuel 17:54 - took the head