יהושע, פרק ד׳, פסוק ט״ז

After the entire nation safely navigates the riverbed, the miraculous crossing of the Jordan reaches its final stage. The priests, still bearing the Ark, remain firmly in their positions within the channel. A direct command from God is now issued to bring them out of the water. This instruction serves to complete the earlier narrative, clarifying exactly how the priests and the Ark conclude their role in the crossing and move ahead of the people [רש"י]. A specific divine order is necessary at this moment because the priests were previously instructed by God to stand inside the river. Having received that initial command, they do not have the authority to leave their posts on their own initiative without a direct instruction to do so [מלבי"ם].

The narrative specifically emphasizes the physical action of climbing out of the deep riverbed onto the bank, rather than simply describing the priests as moving on. There are, however, differing perspectives on the exact direction of this climb. One approach suggests that the priests climb up from the riverbed onto the western bank, stepping fully onto the new land [מלבי"ם]. Another perspective offers a different physical picture, suggesting that they climb back onto the specific bank they were standing near just before the crossing began. According to this view, the priests spend the entire duration of the crossing positioned at the water's edge on the eastern side, waiting patiently until all the Israelites have passed before them [רש"י].