Joshua 3:14-17 - The water from upstream stopped

3:14,15

The people set off in accordance with God’s instructions. So the priests carried the ark and went ahead of everyone else. This occurred at a time when the Jordan was normally in flood. So it was not just a case of the water levels being on the low side! This was a miraculous intervention. Now God may or may not have used “natural” methods to achieve His aims, but the result was the outcome of God’s direct actions.

3:16,17

So as soon as the priests stepped into the Jordan the water stopped flowing from upstream. We are given details of where the water piled up, this was a real event which happened. It was not a poetic remembering of a much more mundane event. They had to pass through the waters to escape the Egyptians, and now had to once again pass through the waters to enter the Promised Land. The priests stopped in the middle of the Jordan while all the people passed through on dry land.