Josue 3:4
And let there be between you and the ark the space of two thousand cubits: that you may see it afar off, and know which way you must go: for you have not gone this way before: and take care you come not near the ark.
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- sitque inter vos et arcam spatium cubitorum duum millium : ut procul videre possitis, et nosse per quam viam ingrediamini : quia prius non ambulastis per eam : et cavete ne appropinquetis ad arcam.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἀλλὰ μακρὰν ἔστω ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ ἐκείνης, ὅσον δισχιλίους πήχεις στήσεσθε· μὴ προσεγγίσητε αὐτῇ· ἵν᾽ ἐπίστησθε τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν πορεύεσθε αὐτήν· οὐ γὰρ πεπόρευσθε τὴν ὁδὸν ἀπ᾽ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτης ἡμέρας.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- אַ֣ךְ רָח֣וֹק יִהְיֶ֗ה בֵּֽינֵיכֶם֙ ובינו כְּאַלְפַּ֥יִם אַמָּ֖ה בַּמִּדָּ֑ה אַֽל תִּקְרְב֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו לְמַ֤עַן אֲשֶׁר תֵּֽדְעוּ֙ אֶת הַדֶּ֨רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּֽלְכוּ בָ֔הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֧א עֲבַרְתֶּ֛ם בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ מִתְּמ֥וֹל שִׁלְשֽׁוֹם
Haydock's commentary
Space of. Hebrew adds, "about...by measure." It was not easy to observe the exact distance in the march. This was prescribed both to keep the people at a respectful distance, and also to enable them to see which way they were to proceed. When the priests stood in the bed of the river, the waters rose up like a firm wall on the north side, while those to the south flowed away into the lake of Sodom, leaving about 16 miles open for the army of Israel to pass on dry land. The soldiers did not approach within 600 paces of the ark.
Before. This insinuated that they would pass over in a miraculous manner; though perhaps Josue did not know by what means God would enable them to cross (Calmet) the overflowing waters. Josephus only seems to intimate that they abated suddenly, so that they might be forded, &c. He also greatly diminishes or destroys the miracle performed at the passage of the Red Sea. Yet here he acknowledges a sort of "prodigy in the waters being restrained," and resuming their usual course as soon as the priests had left the channel of the river.
And take, &c. Hebrew places these words at the beginning of the sentence, after cubits. (Haydock)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.