Joshua 1:10-11

"Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it."

"Within three days ..." Here we encounter somewhat of a problem. This is due to the mention of another "three days" in Joshua 3:2 before Joshua gave the order mentioned here. This is rather a complicated problem, and scholars have given conflicting opinions on it for many years. We do not consider it to be of any earth-shaking importance, because of two reasons:

(1) The Hebrew language had no pluperfect tense, and it was therefore impossible in that language to declare that "Joshua had done" certain things. Haley stated that, "Therefore, we should read Joshua 2:1, as `Joshua had sent.'"[15]

(2) Also, the three days mentioned in this verse had already been preceded by the three days mentioned in Joshua 23:2. No discerning student of ancient documents can be upset by a minor difficulty such as this. We see no good reason for not accepting Plummer's explanation:

"Cornelius a Lapide calculated that the spies left the camp of Israel on the 3of Nisan, returned on the 6th; and Joshua gave his order on the 7th, and that on the 10th of Nisan (Joshua 4:19) they crossed the Jordan River."[16]

"Joshua commanded the officers of the people ..." Of very great interest is the Hebrew word from which "officers" is translated. "It is from the same root of an Arabic word meaning `to write.'"[17] The word will actually bear the rendition of "writers" or "scribes," suggesting that these men corresponded to construction foremen in our own day who keep written records of the hours worked, quantities of materials used, the kinds and quantities of products produced, and other pertinent information. What a revealing glimpse we have here of the status of that civilization. Not only was the science of writing well known to the well educated, (indeed, writing had already been known for centuries), but here, we see that literally hundreds of "contact men" for the multi-million Israelites were able to "write," that being a primary function of their duties.

This order by Joshua also reveals that Israel, at this time, was no longer a haphazard and disorganized mob like that which came out of Egypt. "It was a well-disciplined and united army ready to undertake the Lord's battles."[18]

"Prepare victuals ..." In this order is seen the near-approach of the cessation of the manna. Besides that, there is no statement in the O.T. that declares the Israelites to have had no other food except manna. They surely had the great flocks and herds so often mentioned.