Verse 10
10. The priests… stood… until every thing was finished It is not necessary to suppose that the building of the river monument took place after the people had passed, but it could have been built while they were hastening across the dry channel. This would abbreviate the time of the priests standing still and supporting the ark.
According to all that Moses commanded Joshua We do not find in the books of Moses any directions respecting the manner of passing over the Jordan, and of perpetuating the remembrance of that event. The meaning of this passage must be that Joshua obeyed Jehovah as Moses had commanded him, without being enjoined any special duty in this case. Numbers 27:23; Deuteronomy 3:28; Deuteronomy 31:23. In accordance with the precept of his illustrious predecessor, he had been very attentive to the words of God.
And the people hasted There were obvious reasons for their haste. The priests were in a painful attitude, bearing the ark with the tables of stone within. The waters, rising up above, with no visible barrier to keep them from dashing suddenly down upon the people in the channel, would produce a trepidation in the beholders, and quicken their pace. Haste was also necessary in order that the entire nation, with all their possessions, might cross in one day. The supernatural never supersedes the fullest exercise of our natural abilities.
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