And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
As soon as the priests carrying the ark of the LORD's covenant came up out of the Jordan River and their feet touched dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their normal flow and overflowed the banks just like before.
The writer is showing that God's miraculous power held back the Jordan River only as long as His presence (through the ark) was in the water - once the priests stepped out, the river immediately returned to normal.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred around 1400 BC when the Israelites were crossing the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land after 40 years in the wilderness. The priests had been standing in the riverbed holding the ark while all of Israel crossed on dry ground. The Jordan was at flood stage during harvest time, making this crossing humanly impossible without divine intervention.
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