Yehoshua 4: She Sells Sea Stones by the Sea Shore

In the middle of chapter 3 there is a verse that seems out of place: “Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Yisrael, out of every tribe a man” (verse 12).וְעַתָּה קְחוּ לָכֶם שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אִישׁ מִשִּׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לַשָּׁבֶט(Joshua 3:12) The Navi does not explain what should be done with these twelve people, and the story simply continues. It is not until chapter 4 that their job is revealed. “Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man / and command them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Yarden, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night” (verses 2–3).קְחוּ לָכֶם מִן־הָעָם שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אֲנָשִׁים אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד מִשָּׁבֶט׃וְצַוּוּ אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר שְׂאוּ לָכֶם מִזֶּה מִתּוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן מִמַּצַּב רַגְלֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים הָכִינוּ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אֲבָנִים וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּם אוֹתָם עִמָּכֶם וְהִנַּחְתֶּם אוֹתָם בַּמָּלוֹן אֲשֶׁר תָּלִינוּ בוֹ הַלָּיְלָה(Joshua 4:2–3) The chapter takes a lot of time emphasizing that these stones are to be taken from the actual feet of the Kohanim in the river. What are these twelve stones? At first, they seem like they could be the stones that Moshe commands back in Deuteronomy: “As soon as you have crossed the Jordan into the land that your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones. Coat them with plaster / and inscribe upon them all the words of this Teaching” (Deuteronomy 27:2–3).וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר תַּעַבְרוּ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ וַהֲקֵמֹתָ לְךָ אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת וְשַׂדְתָּ אֹתָם בַּשִּׂיד׃וְכָתַבְתָּ עֲלֵיהֶן אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת בְּעָבְרֶךָ(Deuteronomy 27:2–3)But there are some differences. Yehoshua does not command anything beyond simply taking the stones as a sign. He does not instruct the people to inscribe anything on the stones. The stones also are kept in the camp and not brought to Mt. Ebal or accompanied by a sacrificial ceremony, as they are supposed to be in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy also does not mention twelve stones. Rashi believes Yehoshua is doing exactly what Moshe instructed, it just is not mentioned in the text. The problem with Rashi here is precisely the differences mentioned above. If Yehoshua was doing what Moshe commanded, at the very least the text should have said “as Moshe instructed,” even if the details were not mentioned. The story seems to happen in chapter 8 at Mt. Ebal, but that is well after the people cross the Jordan.It is possible that Yehoshua is simply borrowing the idea from Moshe and using it here as a simple remembrance to the crossing and continuing the theme in chapter 3 of the Cohanim as carriers of the Ark. That is why he instructs each tribe to take stones from the very spot where the priests stood. This Jordan crossing souvenir is meant as a reminder for each tribe that the nation did not do this on their own. God was with them from the very beginning, and God will continue to be with the people in the new land, even if it will not be as obvious all the time as the splitting of the Jordan.