Joshua 1:9

Translations

Modern

Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Traditional

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Literal

Have I not commanded you to be strong and to be of good courage? Do not be afraid nor dismayed, for with you YHWH your God is in every place where you go.”

Latin

Ecce præcipio tibi: confortare, et esto robustus. Noli metuere, et noli timere: quoniam tecum est Dominus Deus tuus in omnibus ad quæcumque perrexeris.

Original

Hebrew

English

Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Notes

Joshua 1:9

As the Israelites entered Canaan, they prepared to fight the worshipers of the gods of the land of Canaan. They feared these gods might help the people who lived in Canaan to win. To encourage Joshua, God used his personal name, the LORD (Hebrew Yahweh; see study note on Exodus 3:15). This was to remind him that the LORD was more powerful than any false gods the Canaanites might ask to help them.
your God is with you: God's constant presence enabled Joshua to follow God's instructions.

Joshua 1:6–9

For emphasis, God told Joshua three times that he would need to be strong and courageous in order to be successful against the Canaanites. There were a lot more Canaanites than Israelites at the time.

The people also needed to obey all the instructions Moses had given them so they could:

settle the land,
establish farms with successful production, and
build homes, villages, and cities.

The land belongs to God, as does the whole earth (Psalm 24:1). God brought Israel into Canaan as tenants, not as owners (Leviticus 25:23).

Joshua 1:1–9

God confirmed Joshua as Israel's leader and the man to succeed Moses. God promised Abraham that those descended from him would possess the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:7; 15:7; 17:8). God repeated this promise to Moses (Exodus 3:6–8; 13:3–5; Deuteronomy 1:6–8; 6:10–19). Now, God was ready to fulfill this promise through Joshua.

Joshua led the army of Israel's first people who settled in the land God promised to give Israel. Joshua had victories against two Canaanite groups. First, he won battles in the south and then in the north. This allowed access to the hill country for settlement by the Israelites.

Theme notes and profiles

Joshua Fearing People Oppression of God’s People The Collapse of Culture

Events

Crossing the Jordan into Canaan

Related verses

Genesis 28:15
Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Jeremiah 1:7–8
But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak.
Psalm 27:1–2
Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
Joshua 1:6–7
Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them.
Deuteronomy 20:1
When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
Psalm 46:7
The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Deuteronomy 31:7–8
Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!
Isaiah 43:5
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west.
Judges 6:14
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”
2 Samuel 13:28
Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”
Acts 4:19
But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.

Joshua 1:9

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