Joshua 4:15-18

THE CROSSING CONCLUDED

"And Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan. And Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of the Jordan. And it came to pass when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah were come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime."

Only at this point was the miraculous crossing achieved and concluded. The mention here of the sudden return of the waters to full flood stage as soon as the crossing had been completed was, as Cook thought, "Mentioned here to stress the absolutely miraculous nature of this entire episode."[3] "Obviously, the writer wants to inculcate the lesson that truly a miracle had occurred."[4]