And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
The men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords. That river is crossed at several well-known fords. The first and second immediately below the sea of Galilee (Irby and Mangles, pp. 296, 301; Seetzen, p. 351; Buckingham, p. 448; Burckhardt, p. 344; Van de Velde, 2: 477; Stanley, 'Sinai and Palestine,' pp. 322, 335), the third and fourth immediately above and below the pilgrims' bathing-place, opposite Jericho (see all of them alluded to in Judges 3:28; 1 Samuel 13:7; 2 Samuel 2:29; 2 Samuel 10:17; 2 Samuel 17:22; 2 Samuel 19:15).
As soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. This precaution was to ensure the capture of the spies, should they have been lurking in the city.