For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

JOSHUA 4:23KJV
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Joshua 4:23 (KJV)

What does Joshua 4:23 mean?

Joshua 4:23 says that the LORD, Israel’s God, dried up the Jordan River so the people could cross safely, just as He had done earlier with the Red Sea. The verse points out that God’s power and help were the same in both events, allowing the Israelites to pass through waters that would have blocked their way.

In this verse, Joshua is speaking to the Israelites after they have crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. He is reminding them—and future generations—of how God intervened for them, drawing a direct line between this miracle and the earlier escape from Egypt. The verse is part of a larger explanation for why they set up memorial stones: so everyone would remember God’s saving acts.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 4:23

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name for Israel’s God, emphasizing a covenant relationship and God’s direct involvement in their history.
  • up (יָבֵשׁ, yabesh): This word means “to dry up.” It highlights the miraculous nature of the event—God didn’t just stop the water, but made the riverbed dry so the people could cross easily.
  • over (עָבַר, avar): This word means “to cross over” or “pass through.” It is used both for the Jordan and the Red Sea, stressing the parallel between the two events and God’s consistent help.

Why Joshua 4:23 matters

  • Joshua 4:23 connects the crossing of the Jordan River to the earlier crossing of the Red Sea, showing that God’s power was not just a one-time event but continued with the next generation.
  • The verse explains the reason for the memorial stones: to help people remember that God acted in history, not just in stories from the past.
  • By repeating the details of both crossings, Joshua 4:23 reassures the Israelites that the same God who delivered their parents from Egypt is still with them as they enter a new land.

Where else these words appear

“Red” Hebrew H5488 · used in 28 verses

  • Exodus 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
  • Numbers 33:10 And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.
  • Nehemiah 9:9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;

“up” Hebrew H3001 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 8:7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
  • Isaiah 19:5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
  • Jeremiah 51:36 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.