Encouragement of Joshua
1 After the death of Moses a the LORD’S servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, b Moses’s assistant: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. c Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan d to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, e just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon f to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites g—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. ,h 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. i I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. j
6 “Be strong and courageous, k for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. l 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. m Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; n you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. o 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? p Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Prepares the People
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit.’ ” q
12 Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: r 13 “Remember what Moses the LORD’S servant commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’ s 14 Your wives, dependents, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your best soldiers must cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers and help them 15 until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land the LORD your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance t and take possession of what Moses the LORD’S servant u gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”
16 They answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. 17 We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly the LORD your God will be with you, as he was with Moses. v 18 Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous! ” w
1:1. Perhaps to impress on Joshua the new leadership role he now must play, the Lord begins by reminding him of the death of Moses. The rest of the Lord’s speech can be divided roughly into two parts: the first is intended for both Joshua and the Israelites (1:2–4, using “you” plural throughout), while the second is for Joshua alone (1:5–9, switching to “you” singular).
1:2–4. The message to both Joshua and the Israelites consists of a command and a promise: a command to set out from their camp on the plains of Moab and cross the Jordan into Canaan (1:2) and a promise that God will give them all the land within the prescribed boundary on which they have set foot, just as he promised to Moses (1:3–4). That boundary is further specified to be between the desert in the south and Lebanon in the north, and between the Euphrates River in the east and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Note, that the mention of “the land of the Hittites” in 1:4 is a reference to Syria, “the land of the Hatti,” mentioned also in Akkadian inscriptions in the first millennium BC (see the article “The Hethites and the Hittites” in Genesis).
1:5–9. As for the message to Joshua, it consists of two promises (1:5) and three commands (1:6–9). The first promise guarantees success in that no one will be able to stand against him during his lifetime (1:5a). The second, providing the basis for that success, is that the Lord’s presence will be with Joshua just as it was with Moses (1:5b). In light of these two promises, the first command (1:6; repeated in 1:7, 9) is for Joshua to be strong and courageous, essential qualities that will enable him to lead the people against hostile forces to inherit the land. The other two commands, however, are slightly different. Although the earlier promise that no one will be able to stand against Joshua sounds unconditional, the following two commands provide further qualifications. In 1:7 the success previously promised is now tied to the command to obey unswervingly the entire law given by Moses. And to the extent that obedience must come from knowledge, 1:8 further commands Joshua to constantly meditate on that law, so that he may obey it and enjoy success.
1:10–11. Having received the Lord’s commands and promises, Joshua then goes to the leaders of the people to convey to them the Lord’s will. Just as the Lord has commanded in 1:2, Joshua now tells the people to get ready to cross the Jordan in three days to take possession of the land the Lord will give them.
1:12–18. Having spoken to the leaders, Joshua then addresses especially the two and a half Transjordan tribes (1:12). Having asked for and received land east of the Jordan, these two and a half tribes promised Moses that they would send their armed men across the Jordan in solidarity with the other tribes to help them take possession of their land (Nm 32). Now that the Israelites are finally ready to cross the Jordan, Joshua wants to make sure that the promise they previously made will be honored (1:13–15).