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Joshua 1:10–18 — Joshua Takes Charge. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

Joshua’s first orders to the people were to prepare for the passage of Jordan within three days. We may compare this event, in its relation to Joshua, with the giving of the law from Sinai to Moses. Both were preceded by a three days’ notice and a sanctification of the people. Both were means employed by God to establish the leaders whom He had chosen in the position which He designed for them.

Ellicott reads Joshua's first command as a deliberate echo of Sinai — three days' notice marking out the divinely-chosen leader.

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

Officers - The "scribes." (See the Exodus 5:6 note, and Deuteronomy 16:18 .)

Recovers the literal sense of the shoterim — scribes, not military officers.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

The Shoterim , a term derived from the same root as an Arabic word signifying "to write." Different ideas have been entertained of their duties. Keil, Jahn ( Hebrew Commonwealth ), and others believe that they were genealogists; but it seems more probable that their original duties were to keep processes and minutes, and that, like our Indian "writers" and the "Master of the Rolls" at home, they exercised some kind of judicial functions, with which, moreover, active duties were sometimes combined.

Surveys the debate over the shoterim's role and lands on record-keepers with mixed judicial and active duties.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

Joshua first of all directed the officers of the people (shoterim: see at Exodus 5-6 ), whose duty it was, as the keepers of the family registers, to attend not only to the levying of the men who were bound to serve in the army, but also to the circulation of the commands of the general, to issue orders to the people in the camp to provide themselves with food

Defines the officers' double function: keeping the registers and circulating the commander's orders.

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Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people:

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ ’eṯ- way·ṣaw šō·ṭə·rê hā·‘ām lê·mōr

Word by word6 · parsed

יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַyə·hō·wō·šu·a‘Then JoshuaH3091

√ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — Jehoshua (iNounpropermasculine singular

yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ (H3091), "Joshua" — "Yahweh is salvation," the name the Greek renders Iēsous, Jesus. The whole verse begins with his name: the leadership just commissioned (vv. 1–9) now issues its first concrete order.

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

וַיְצַ֣וway·ṣawcommandedH6680

√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular

way·ṣaw (H6680), Piel consecutive imperfect of tsâvâh, "and he commanded." The intensive stem carries binding force; Ellicott titles this "Joshua's First Orders."

שֹׁטְרֵ֥יšō·ṭə·rêthe officersH7860

√ shôṭêr — properly, a scribe, iNounmasculine plural construct

šō·ṭə·rê (H7860), construct plural, "officers / scribes." Cambridge: the word denotes "literally a 'writer,' or 'scribe;' then an overseer... a magistrate, prefect, leader of the people." Their duties were "at once civil and military."

הָעָ֖םhā·‘āmof the peopleH5971

√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)ArticleNounmasculine singular

hā·‘ām (H5971), "the people" — Israel as a single congregated body. The officers are of the people: they belong to the nation they marshal.

לֵאמֹֽר׃lê·mōr. . .H559

√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct

lê·mōr (H559), infinitive construct of ʼâmar, "saying" — the formula that opens the quoted command running into v. 11.

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying:

Where the English smooths the original

וַיְצַ֣ו BSB's plain "commanded" renders way·ṣaw, a Piel of tsâvâh — the intensive stem, "to charge, enjoin, give binding orders." It is the same root that frames the whole book: what Yahweh commanded Moses (v. 7), Moses commanded these tribes (v. 13), and Joshua now commands the officers — a chain of authority, not mere instruction.
שֹׁטְרֵ֥י "Officers" flattens šō·ṭə·rê (H7860, shôṭêr), literally "writers / scribes." Barnes: "The 'scribes.'" These were record-keepers and marshals of the family registers, not military captains — the Pulpit Commentary warns that "captains" "would lead to the idea that they were military officers." English "officer" loses the pen behind the office.
לֵאמֹֽר׃ lê·mōr is the infinitive "to-say," the standard Hebrew quotation-marker that opens direct speech — functioning like a colon. "Saying" is a calque English no longer uses naturally; it simply signals that the order itself follows in the next verse.

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

When there was a difficulty in obtaining other provision, God gave His people manna. Now, when they could easily provide food for themselves, He would not support them in idleness; and perhaps this is the common-sense view of the order given in the text.

Ellicott's economy of grace: manna where there is need, ordinary labor where there is none.

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Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871

Prepare you victuals—not manna, which, though it still fell, would not keep; but corn, sheep, and articles of food procurable in the conquered countries. for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan—that is, the third day, according to Hebrew idiom

Reads the provisions as ordinary food and "three days" as the Hebrew idiom for the third day.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

Prepare you victuals. Literally, game , the term being applied to meat obtained by hunting. Thus it is applied by Isaac to Esau's venison in Genesis 27 . Here it means food of any kind , but especially animal food. It is therefore obvious that the miraculous supply of manna was soon to cease

Recovers the hunting-sense of tsêydâh and reads it as a sign the manna was about to end.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

The expression "in three days," i.e., as we may see from comparing Genesis 40:13 , Genesis 40:19 , with Genesis 40:20 , on the third day from the publication of the command, "will ye go over the Jordan," is not to be regarded as a prediction of the time when the crossing actually took place, but to be taken as the latest time that could be allowed to the people to prepare for crossing

Keil's resolution of the chronology: "three days" is a deadline for readiness, not a forecast of the crossing.

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“Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you will cross the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

‘iḇ·rū bə·qe·reḇ ham·ma·ḥă·neh wə·ṣaw·wū ’eṯ- hā·‘ām lê·mōr hā·ḵî·nū lā·ḵem ṣê·ḏāh kî bə·‘ō·wḏ šə·lō·šeṯ yā·mîm ’at·tem ‘ō·ḇə·rîm ’eṯ- haz·zeh hay·yar·dên lā·ḇō·w lā·re·šeṯ ’eṯ- hā·’ā·reṣ ’ă·šer Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem nō·ṯên lā·ḵem lə·riš·tāh

Word by word29 · parsed

עִבְר֣וּ׀‘iḇ·rūGoH5674

√ ʻâbar — to cross overVerbQalImperativemasculine plural

‘iḇ·rū (H5674), Qal imperative of ‘âbar, "cross over / pass through." The leitwort of the unit — used of the officers crossing the camp, the nation crossing the river, and the warriors crossing ahead of their brothers (v. 14).

בְּקֶ֣רֶבbə·qe·reḇthroughH7130

√ qereb — properly, the nearest part, iPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct

הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֗הham·ma·ḥă·nehthe campH4264

√ machăneh — an encampment (of travellers or troops)ArticleNouncommon singular

וְצַוּ֤וּwə·ṣaw·wūand tellH6680

√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinConjunctive wawVerbPielImperativemasculine plural

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

הָעָם֙hā·‘āmthe peopleH5971

√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)ArticleNounmasculine singular

לֵאמֹ֔רlê·mōr. . .H559

√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct

הָכִ֥ינוּhā·ḵî·nūPrepareH3559

√ kûwn — properly, to be erect (iVerbHifilImperativemasculine plural

hā·ḵî·nū (H3559), Hiphil imperative of kûwn, "prepare / make ready / make firm." Ordinary food must be readied because the manna will soon stop (cf. Joshua 5:12).

לָכֶ֖םlā·ḵemyour

Prepositionsecond person masculine plural

צֵידָ֑הṣê·ḏāhprovisionsH6720

√ tsêydâh — foodNounfeminine singular

ṣê·ḏāh (H6720), "provisions" — originally the hunter's catch. Cambridge: "food got in hunting... food of any kind , especially provisions for a journey."

כִּ֞יkîforH3588

√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction

בְּע֣וֹד׀bə·‘ō·wḏwithinH5750

√ ʻôwd — properly, iteration or continuancePreposition-bAdverb

שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁתšə·lō·šeṯthreeH7969

√ shâlôwsh — threeNumbermasculine singular construct

šə·lō·šeṯ (H7969), "three" — "within three days." The chronology is famously debated (cf. Joshua 2:22; 3:2); most commentators take the order to have been issued, as Barnes puts it, when "the order of time is superseded by the order of thought."

יָמִ֗יםyā·mîmdaysH3117

√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Nounmasculine plural

אַתֶּם֙’at·temyouH859

√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person masculine plural

עֹֽבְרִים֙‘ō·ḇə·rîmwill crossH5674

√ ʻâbar — to cross overVerbQalParticiplemasculine plural

‘ō·ḇə·rîm (H5674), Qal participle, "crossing over" — the present-tense form gives the crossing immediacy; the Jordan is named with the demonstrative "this Jordan," in view of the camp.

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

הַזֶּ֔הhaz·zehtheH2088

√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatArticlePronounmasculine singular

הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ןhay·yar·dênJordanH3383

√ Yardên — Jarden, the principal river of PalestineArticleNounproperfeminine singular

לָבוֹא֙lā·ḇō·wto go inH935

√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct

לָרֶ֣שֶׁתlā·re·šeṯand take possession ofH3423

√ yârash — to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

הָאָ֔רֶץhā·’ā·reṣthe landH776

√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)ArticleNounfeminine singular

אֲשֶׁר֙’ă·šerthatH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

יְהוָ֣הYah·wehthe LORDH3068

√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular

אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵemyour GodH430

√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural

נֹתֵ֥ןnō·ṯênis givingH5414

√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular

nō·ṯên (H5414), Qal participle of nâthan, "is giving" — present and active. The land is being given in the very act of crossing into it, not merely promised for later.

לָכֶ֖םlā·ḵemyou

Prepositionsecond person masculine plural

לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃סlə·riš·tāhto possessH3423

√ yârash — to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular

lə·riš·tāh (H3423), infinitive of yârash with feminine suffix, "to possess it" — the dispossess-and-occupy verb, repeated to close the sentence it opened (word 20).

Literal — word-for-word from the original

Cross over through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare for yourselves provisions, for in three days you are crossing over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess it.

Where the English smooths the original

עִבְר֣וּ BSB's "Go through" softens ‘iḇ·rū, the imperative of ‘âbar, "cross over" — the same verb used four words later of crossing the Jordan, and the root behind "Hebrew" (the one who crosses over). The officers are told to ‘âbar the camp before the nation will ‘âbar the river: the crossing-word runs through the whole charge.
צֵידָ֑ה "Provisions" is correct but bleached. ṣê·ḏāh (H6720) is properly the spoils of the hunt — game, venison. The Pulpit Commentary: "Literally, game , the term being applied to meat obtained by hunting... applied by Isaac to Esau's venison." The word quietly signals that the manna is about to cease and ordinary food resumes.
עֹֽבְרִים֙ BSB's future "you will cross" renders ‘ō·ḇə·rîm, a participle — "you are crossing." The form makes the crossing vivid and imminent, already underway in intent, not a distant scheduled event. The "three days" is then, per Keil & Delitzsch, not a prediction but "the latest time that could be allowed to the people to prepare."
לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ס The verse ends on lə·riš·tāh, a third instance of yârash ("possess") bracketing the sentence — "to possess the land... to possess it." yârash means not gentle settling but to dispossess and occupy in another's place. BSB's "take possession of" and "to possess" mute the repeated, dispossessing force of the verb.

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

The reference to Numbers 32 explains this order. We have only to observe that these two tribes and a half were not forbidden to leave a sufficient number of their fighting men to protect their homes and families.

Roots the address in the bargain of Numbers 32 and notes the tribes kept a home guard.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

Gadites, and the Half-Tribe of Manasseh, on account of their wealth in flocks and herds ( Numbers 32:16 ; Numbers 32:24 ), had received already their possessions in “the forest-land,” “the pastureland” of the country beyond the Jordan, the territory of the conquered kings Sihon and Og.

Explains why these tribes chose the east: pastureland for their flocks and herds.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

We have here a remarkable instance of undesigned agreement between the various books of the Old Testament: one of those signs of the genuineness of the narrative which would be almost impossible to a compiler of fictitious records. We are told in the passage just cited that the reason why these particular tribes desired an inheritance on the other side Jordan was because they were particularly rich in cattle.

Treats the cattle-rich eastern tribes as an undesigned coincidence between Numbers and Joshua.

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh,.... Who were settled on that side Jordan where Israel now were: spake Joshua, saying; as follows.

Notes the simple geography: Joshua addresses the tribes already settled on the side where Israel was camped.

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But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·lā·r·’ū·ḇê·nî wə·lag·gā·ḏî wə·la·ḥă·ṣî šê·ḇeṭ ham·naš·šeh yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ lê·mōr ’ā·mar

Word by word8 · parsed

וְלָרֽאוּבֵנִי֙wə·lā·r·’ū·ḇê·nîBut to the ReubenitesH7206

√ Rᵉʼûwbênîy — a Reubenite or descendant of ReubenConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounpropermasculine singular

wə·lā·r·’ū·ḇê·nî (H7206), "to the Reubenite" — a relatively rare gentilic (17 verses). Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, whose tribe (with Gad) requested land east of the Jordan because they were rich in cattle (Numbers 32).

וְלַגָּדִ֔יwə·lag·gā·ḏîthe GaditesH1425

√ Gâdîy — a Gadite (collectively) or descendants of GadConjunctive waw, Preposition-l, ArticleNounpropermasculine singular

wə·lag·gā·ḏî (H1425), "the Gadite" — also rare (16 verses). Gad and Reuben are the two tribes that settled the eastern pastureland of Sihon and Og.

וְלַחֲצִ֖יwə·la·ḥă·ṣîand the half-tribeH2677

√ chêtsîy — the half or middleConjunctive waw, Preposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine singular construct

wə·la·ḥă·ṣî (H2677), "and the half" — chêtsîy, "half / middle." Only half of Manasseh took the eastern allotment; the other half crossed into Canaan.

שֵׁ֣בֶטšê·ḇeṭ. . .H7626

√ shêbeṭ — a scion, iNounmasculine singular construct

šê·ḇeṭ (H7626), "tribe" — root sense "rod, staff, scepter." The political unit is named for the ruling staff.

הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֑הham·naš·šehof ManassehH4519

√ Mᵉnashsheh — Menashsheh, a grandson of Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its territoryArticleNounpropermasculine singular

ham·naš·šeh (H4519), "Manasseh" — Joseph's elder son; the tribe straddles the Jordan, half east and half west.

יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַyə·hō·wō·šu·a‘JoshuaH3091

√ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — Jehoshua (iNounpropermasculine singular

לֵאמֹֽר׃lê·mōr. . .H559

√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct

אָמַ֥ר’ā·marsaidH559

√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular

’ā·mar (H559), Qal perfect, "said" — the second speech-verb, opening Joshua's formal reminder to the eastern tribes.

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And to the Reubenite and to the Gadite and to half the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, saying:

Where the English smooths the original

וְלָרֽאוּבֵנִי֙ BSB pluralizes to "the Reubenites," but the Hebrew wə·lā·r·’ū·ḇê·nî is grammatically singular — "to the Reubenite," a collective gentilic standing for the whole tribe. The same singular form governs lag·gā·ḏî, "the Gadite." Hebrew names a tribe as one man; English must spread it into a plural.
וְלַחֲצִ֖י "The half-tribe" renders wə·la·ḥă·ṣî šê·ḇeṭ, literally "the half of the rod/scepter" — šê·ḇeṭ (H7626) is a "rod, staff," then by metonymy the "tribe" it leads. The word for a tribe is the word for the ruler's staff; English "tribe" hides the image of the scepter.
אָמַ֥ר The verse oddly carries two speech-verbs: lê·mōr ("saying") and then a separate perfect ’ā·mar ("said"). The doubling is a Hebrew framing device introducing the formal address to the eastern tribes that runs through v. 15; BSB collapses both into a single "Joshua said."

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

Those who condemn the two and a half tribes (or the persons whom they suppose to be spiritually represented by them) for not going far enough, should notice that on both sides of Jordan equally there was the “rest of God.” But this “rest” is only the first stage of several in Israel’s history.

Ellicott defends the eastern tribes and stages Israel's "rests" as halting-places toward the final Sabbatical rest.

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Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

Remember his charge to you, and your promise to him, which they were obliged to keep; and Joshua was to see that they did so. Rest i.e. a place of rest, as that word signifies

Poole reads "remember" as binding both the charge and the tribes' answering promise.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

Into this “rest” the disobedient did not enter ( Numbers 14:28-30 ; Psalm 95:7-11 ; Hebrews 3:11-18 ), but the true “Rest,” the complete “Sabbath-keeping,” still remaineth for “the people of God” ( Hebrews 4:9 ).

Cambridge draws the explicit line from Joshua's "rest" to the unentered rest of Hebrews 3–4 — the basis for the rest-thread below.

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

and by this it appears, that the settlement of these tribes, on the other side Jordan, was according to the will of God; he gave it to them.

Gill reads the perfect "He gave" as vindicating the eastern settlement as God's own gift.

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“Remember what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

zā·ḵō·wr ’eṯ- had·dā·ḇār ’ă·šer mō·šeh ‘e·ḇeḏ- Yah·weh ṣiw·wāh ’eṯ·ḵem lê·mōr Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem mê·nî·aḥ lā·ḵem wə·nā·ṯan lā·ḵem ’eṯ- haz·zōṯ hā·’ā·reṣ

Word by word19 · parsed

זָכוֹר֙zā·ḵō·wrRememberH2142

√ zâkar — properly, to mark (so as to be recognized), iVerbQalInfinitive absolute

zā·ḵō·wr (H2142), infinitive absolute of zâkar, "remember" — emphatic. Poole: "Remember his charge to you, and your promise to him, which they were obliged to keep."

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

הַדָּבָ֔רhad·dā·ḇārH1697

√ dâbâr — a wordArticleNounmasculine singular

אֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerwhatH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

מֹשֶׁ֥הmō·šehMosesH4872

√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular

עֶֽבֶד־‘e·ḇeḏ-the servantH5650

√ ʻebed — a servantNounmasculine singular construct

‘e·ḇeḏ (H5650), "servant" — "Moses the servant of Yahweh," the standing honorific (cf. 1:1). The promise carries Moses' full covenantal authority.

יְהוָ֖הYah·wehof the LORDH3068

√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular

צִוָּ֥הṣiw·wāhcommandedH6680

√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular

אֶתְכֶ֛ם’eṯ·ḵemyouH853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markersecond person masculine plural

לֵאמֹ֑רlê·mōrwhen he saidH559

√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct

יְהוָ֤הYah·wehThe LORDH3068

√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular

אֱלֹהֵיכֶם֙’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵemyour GodH430

√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural

מֵנִ֣יחַmê·nî·aḥwill give you restH5117

√ nûwach — to rest, iVerbHifilParticiplemasculine singular

mê·nî·aḥ (H5117), Hiphil participle of nûwach, "giving rest." Ellicott: "this 'rest' is only the first stage of several in Israel's history... The last rest is Sabbatical; the rests that precede it are halting-places on the way." The same rest-word the writer of Hebrews will press toward its final fulfillment (Hebrews 3–4).

לָכֶ֔םlā·ḵem

Prepositionsecond person masculine plural

וְנָתַ֥ןwə·nā·ṯanand He will giveH5414

√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

wə·nā·ṯan (H5414), perfect of nâthan, "and He gives / has given." The eastern land is named as a settled divine gift.

לָכֶ֖םlā·ḵemyou

Prepositionsecond person masculine plural

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

הַזֹּֽאת׃haz·zōṯthisH2063

√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)ArticlePronounfeminine singular

haz·zōṯ (H2063), feminine demonstrative, "this" — "this land," which, Keil notes, "shows that the speaker was still on the other side of the Jordan," east of the river.

הָאָ֥רֶץhā·’ā·reṣlandH776

√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)ArticleNounfeminine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

Remember the word that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, saying, Yahweh your God is giving rest to you, and He gives you this land.

Where the English smooths the original

זָכוֹר֙ BSB's "Remember what Moses... commanded" renders zā·ḵō·wr, an infinitive absolute standing for an emphatic imperative — "Remember indeed!" The form heightens the charge: it is not a casual recollection but a binding summons to act on a prior promise. The object is had·dā·ḇār, "the word," so literally "remember the word" — the spoken covenant, not just the gist.
מֵנִ֣יחַ "Will give you rest" translates mê·nî·aḥ, a Hiphil participle of nûwach — "is giving rest / causing to rest," present, not future. Pulpit prefers "hath caused you to rest - hath permitted you to settle." The rest is not pending but already conferred on the eastern tribes; this is the lower, first stage of the rest the whole book pursues.
וְנָתַ֥ן BSB's "He will give" renders wə·nā·ṯan, a perfect with waw (nâthan) — "and He has given / gives." Pairing "giving rest" with "has given this land," the verse states the eastern settlement as an accomplished fact of God's gift, against any charge that the two-and-a-half tribes settled outside His will. Gill: "the settlement of these tribes... was according to the will of God; he gave it to them."

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Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

Before your brethren; either, 1. In their presence. Or, 2. In the front of all of them; which was but reasonable; partly, because they had the advantage of their brethren, having actually received their portion, which their brethren had only in hope, and therefore were obliged to more service, the rather to prevent the envy of the other tribes; partly, because they were freed from those impediments which the rest were exposed to, their wives, and children, and estates being safely lodged;

Poole explains why the eastern tribes lead the van: already settled, unencumbered, and so the more obligated.

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Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871

all the mighty men of valour—The words are not to be interpreted strictly as meaning the whole, but only the flower or choice of the fighting men

JFB reads "all the mighty men of valour" as the chosen flower of the fighters, not the literal whole — squaring 1:14 with the 40,000 who actually crossed (Joshua 4:13).

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

There seems no authority whatever for the translation armed or harnessed. We must either take it (1) to mean in five divisions , the usual manner of marching under Moses (see Numbers 2 .), "divided into centre, right and left wings, van and rear guard" (Ewald); or (2) fierce, eager, brave , from a Semitic root found also in the Arabic.

Lays out the lexical crux of chamushim: "five divisions" versus "eager / brave," with no warrant for "armed."

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

חיל כּל־גּבּורי, all the mighty men of valour, i.e., the grave warriors (as in Joshua 6:2 ; Joshua 8:3 ; Joshua 10:7 , and very frequently in the later books), is not common to this book and Deuteronomy, as Knobel maintains, but is altogether strange to the Pentateuch.

Keil marks "mighty men of valour" as Joshua's own idiom, foreign to the Pentateuch.

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Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

nə·šê·ḵem ṭap·pə·ḵem ū·miq·nê·ḵem yê·šə·ḇū bā·’ā·reṣ ’ă·šer mō·šeh nā·ṯan lā·ḵem bə·‘ê·ḇer hay·yar·dên wə·’at·tem kōl gib·bō·w·rê ha·ḥa·yil ḥă·mu·šîm ta·‘aḇ·rū lip̄·nê ’ă·ḥê·ḵem wa·‘ă·zar·tem ’ō·w·ṯām

Word by word21 · parsed

נְשֵׁיכֶ֣םnə·šê·ḵemYour wivesH802

√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine plural constructsecond person masculine plural

nə·šê·ḵem (H802), "your wives" — the first of three named dependents (wives, little ones, livestock) who stay east while the warriors cross.

טַפְּכֶם֮ṭap·pə·ḵemyour young childrenH2945

√ ṭaph — a family (mostly used collectively in the singular)Nounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine plural

וּמִקְנֵיכֶם֒ū·miq·nê·ḵemand your livestockH4735

√ miqneh — something bought, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural

יֵשְׁב֕וּyê·šə·ḇūmay remainH3427

√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine plural

בָּאָ֕רֶץbā·’ā·reṣin the landH776

√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Preposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular

אֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerthatH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

מֹשֶׁ֖הmō·šehMosesH4872

√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular

נָתַ֥ןnā·ṯangaveH5414

√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular

לָכֶ֛םlā·ḵemyou

Prepositionsecond person masculine plural

בְּעֵ֣בֶרbə·‘ê·ḇeron this sideH5676

√ ʻêber — properly, a region acrossPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct

bə·‘ê·ḇer (H5676), "on this side / across" — ‘êber, "region across," from the same root ‘âbar ("cross over") that drives the chapter. The land lies across the river that defines the people.

הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ןhay·yar·dênof the JordanH3383

√ Yardên — Jarden, the principal river of PalestineArticleNounproperfeminine singular

וְאַתֶּם֩wə·’at·tem. . .H859

√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youConjunctive wawPronounsecond person masculine plural

כֹּ֚לkōlBut allH3605

√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct

גִּבּוֹרֵ֣יgib·bō·w·rêyour mighty menH1368

√ gibbôwr — powerfulAdjectivemasculine plural construct

gib·bō·w·rê (H1368), "mighty men" — gibbôwr, the heroic warrior. JFB: "not to be interpreted strictly as meaning the whole, but only the flower or choice of the fighting men."

הַחַ֔יִלha·ḥa·yilof valorH2428

√ chayil — probably a force, whether of men, means or other resourcesArticleNounmasculine singular

חֲמֻשִׁ֜יםḥă·mu·šîmmust be armed for battleH2571

√ châmush — staunch, iVerbQalQalPassParticiplemasculine plural

ḥă·mu·šîm (H2571), "arrayed / armed" — a rare word (4 verses) of disputed meaning; possibly "in five divisions" or "battle-ready." Its rarity ties this verse verbally to Exodus 13:18 and Joshua 4:12.

תַּעַבְר֨וּta·‘aḇ·rūto cross overH5674

√ ʻâbar — to cross overVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine plural

ta·‘aḇ·rū (H5674), Qal imperfect of ‘âbar, "you shall cross over" — the warriors cross before (lip̄·nê) their brothers, taking the harder share.

לִפְנֵ֣יlip̄·nêahead ofH6440

√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-lNouncommon plural construct

אֲחֵיכֶ֗ם’ă·ḥê·ḵemyour brothersH251

√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural

וַעֲזַרְתֶּ֖םwa·‘ă·zar·temand help themH5826

√ ʻâzar — to surround, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine plural

wa·‘ă·zar·tem (H5826), perfect of ‘âzar, "and you shall help" — to surround and succor. The duty is active rescue, not mere presence.

אוֹתָֽם׃’ō·w·ṯāmH853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine plural

Literal — word-for-word from the original

Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you across the Jordan; but you yourselves shall cross over arrayed for battle, all the mighty men of valor, before your brothers, and you shall help them,

Where the English smooths the original

טַפְּכֶם֮ "Your young children" renders ṭap·pə·ḵem (H2945), a collective for the whole dependent household — little ones, the not-yet-marching. It is grammatically a singular standing for a group. BSB's "young children" narrows it; the word covers all the non-combatants left behind under protection.
חֲמֻשִׁ֜ים BSB's "armed for battle" renders the much-debated ḥă·mu·šîm (H2571), one of the rarest words in the Hebrew Bible — only 4 occurrences, which the Pulpit Commentary lists precisely: "translated harnessed in Exodus 13:18 , only occurs besides here in Joshua 4:12 , and in Judges 7:11 ." Barnes: "Rather, 'arrayed.'" Pulpit finds "no authority whatever for the translation armed or harnessed," preferring either "in five divisions" (the Mosaic order of march, from a root akin to ḥāmēš, "five") or "fierce, eager, brave." The rarity that makes its sense genuinely uncertain is exactly what makes its recurrence a strong verbal link to Exodus 13:18, Joshua 4:12, and Judges 7:11 — the same battle-array diction across exodus and conquest.
גִּבּוֹרֵ֣י "Mighty men" is gib·bō·w·rê ha·ḥa·yil, "the mighty ones of valor" — gibbôwr (powerful warrior, the word used of Nimrod and of David's heroes) bound to chayil (force, strength, an army). The phrase is, Keil observes, "altogether strange to the Pentateuch" but "very frequently" used in the later books — a marker of Joshua's own military vocabulary.
וַעֲזַרְתֶּ֖ם "And help them" renders wa·‘ă·zar·tem (‘âzar), whose root sense is "to surround, succor, come to the aid of." It is the same help-word at the heart of names like Ezra and Eliezer ("my God is help"). The eastern tribes do not merely accompany; they are bound to actively rescue their brothers in the field.

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

Armed - Rather, "arrayed" (see Exodus 13:18 note). On this side Jordan - Compare Deuteronomy 1:1 , note.

Barnes points across the Jordan toward Deuteronomy 1:1, where the eastern standpoint is fixed.

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it; the countries of Sihon and Og, they were put into the possession of: which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side Jordan, toward the sunrising; the land, given to them lay to the east of Jordan.

Gill names the eastern inheritance concretely: the conquered realms of Sihon and Og, east of Jordan.

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Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599

which Moses the LORD'S servant {i} gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising. (i) By your request, but yet by God's secret appointment, De 33:21.

Geneva holds together human request and divine appointment behind the eastern grant, citing Deuteronomy 33:21.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

On Joshua 1:15 see Deuteronomy 3:18 ; and on the more minute definition of "on this side (lit. beyond) Jordan" by "toward the sun-rising," compare the remarks on Numbers 32:19 .

Keil keys the verse to Deuteronomy 3:18 and explains the "sun-rising" idiom that fixes the land east of Jordan.

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until the LORD gives them rest as He has done for you, and your brothers also possess the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you may return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

‘aḏ ’ă·šer- Yah·weh yā·nî·aḥ la·’ă·ḥê·ḵem kā·ḵem hêm·māh ’eṯ- ḡam- wə·yā·rə·šū hā·’ā·reṣ ’ă·šer- Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem nō·ṯên lā·hem wə·šaḇ·tem lə·’e·reṣ yə·ruš·šaṯ·ḵem wî·riš·tem ’ō·w·ṯāh ’ă·šer mō·šeh ‘e·ḇeḏ Yah·weh nā·ṯan lā·ḵem miz·raḥ haš·šā·meš bə·‘ê·ḇer hay·yar·dên

Word by word31 · parsed

עַ֠ד‘aḏuntilH5704

√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition

אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

יְהוָ֥ה׀Yah·wehthe LORDH3068

√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular

יָנִ֨יחַyā·nî·aḥgives [them] restH5117

√ nûwach — to rest, iVerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular

yā·nî·aḥ (H5117), Hiphil of nûwach, "gives rest" — the keyword of vv. 13–15. The eastern rest is held in suspense until the western brothers receive theirs.

לַֽאֲחֵיכֶם֮la·’ă·ḥê·ḵem. . .H251

√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Preposition-lNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural

כָּכֶם֒kā·ḵemas He has done for you

Prepositionsecond person masculine plural

הֵ֔מָּהhêm·māhand [your brothers]H1992

√ hêm — they (only used when emphatic)Pronounthird person masculine plural

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

גַם־ḡam-alsoH1571

√ gam — properly, assemblageConjunction

וְיָרְשׁ֣וּwə·yā·rə·šūpossessH3423

√ yârash — to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural

wə·yā·rə·šū (H3423), "and they possess" — yârash again; the brothers must dispossess and occupy Canaan as the eastern tribes already have their land.

הָאָ֕רֶץhā·’ā·reṣthe landH776

√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)ArticleNounfeminine singular

אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-thatH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

יְהוָ֥הYah·wehthe LORDH3068

√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular

אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֖ם’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵemyour GodH430

√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural

נֹתֵ֣ןnō·ṯênis givingH5414

√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular

לָהֶ֑םlā·hemthem

Prepositionthird person masculine plural

וְשַׁבְתֶּ֞םwə·šaḇ·temThen you may returnH7725

√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine plural

wə·šaḇ·tem (H7725), perfect of shûwb, "then you shall return" — release to go home, granted only when the shared task is done.

לְאֶ֤רֶץlə·’e·reṣto the landH776

√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Preposition-lNounfeminine singular construct

יְרֻשַּׁתְכֶם֙yə·ruš·šaṯ·ḵemof your inheritanceH3425

√ yᵉrushshâh — something occupiedNounfeminine singular constructsecond person masculine plural

yə·ruš·šaṯ·ḵem (H3425), "your inheritance / possession" — yᵉrushshâh, "something occupied," from the same root yârash; the noun naming what the verb wins.

וִֽירִשְׁתֶּ֣םwî·riš·temand take possession ofH3423

√ yârash — to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine plural

אוֹתָ֔הּ’ō·w·ṯāhH853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person feminine singular

אֲשֶׁ֣ר׀’ă·šerthat whichH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

מֹשֶׁה֙mō·šehMosesH4872

√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular

עֶ֣בֶד‘e·ḇeḏthe servantH5650

√ ʻebed — a servantNounmasculine singular construct

יְהוָ֔הYah·wehof the LORDH3068

√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular

נָתַ֣ןnā·ṯangaveH5414

√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular

לָכֶ֗םlā·ḵemyou

Prepositionsecond person masculine plural

מִזְרַ֥חmiz·raḥon the eastH4217

√ mizrâch — sunrise, iNounmasculine singular construct

miz·raḥ (H4217), "sunrise / east" — bound to haš·šā·meš ("the sun") in the idiom "toward the rising of the sun," locating the eastern allotment.

הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃haš·šā·meš. . .H8121

√ shemesh — the sunArticleNouncommon singular

בְּעֵ֥בֶרbə·‘ê·ḇersideH5676

√ ʻêber — properly, a region acrossPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct

הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ןhay·yar·dênof the JordanH3383

√ Yardên — Jarden, the principal river of PalestineArticleNounproperfeminine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

until Yahweh gives rest to your brothers as to you, and they also possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving them; then you shall return to the land of your possession and possess it, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you across the Jordan toward the rising of the sun.

Where the English smooths the original

יָנִ֨יחַ The rest promised the western tribes is yā·nî·aḥ (Hiphil imperfect of nûwach) — the same rest-root applied to the eastern tribes in v. 13. The verse makes the eastern rest provisional: it is real, yet it waits for the brothers to share it. LXX and Vulgate render it with the strong "gave rest" (katepausen, requiem), the verb Hebrews will seize on.
וְשַׁבְתֶּ֞ם "Then you may return" renders wə·šaḇ·tem (shûwb, "turn back, return"). The same root means both physical return and repentance; here it is geographic — only after the war is won may the warriors shûwb home. BSB's permissive "may return" softens a perfect-with-waw that reads as a firm consequence: "and you shall return."
מִזְרַ֥ח BSB's "on the east side" renders the vivid Hebrew idiom miz·raḥ haš·šā·meš — literally "the sunrise of the sun," the place where the sun breaks out. Keil notes the phrase defines "'on this side (lit. beyond) Jordan' by 'toward the sun-rising.'" The flat compass-point "east" loses the daily image of the dawning sun.

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Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

This promise of obedience may be taken as the reply of the whole people to Joshua’s orders, not that of the two and a half tribes alone.

Ellicott hears the whole nation answering — and notes they echo back to Joshua God's own charge of v. 6, 9.

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Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s

And they answered — Not the two tribes and a half only, but the officers of all the people, in their name, concurring with the divine appointment, by which Joshua was set over them. Thus must we swear allegiance to our Lord Jesus, as the captain of our salvation.

Benson reads the pledge typologically: allegiance to Joshua foreshadows allegiance to Christ, the captain of salvation.

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Matthew HenryConcise Commentary on the Whole Bible1706

All that thou commandest us to do we will readily do, without murmuring or disputing, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go.

Henry frames the answer as prompt, undisputing obedience — the opposite of the wilderness murmuring.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

We may compare this joyful willingness with the murmurings of the people in the wilderness, and their rebellion after the death of those who led them into the promised land (cf. Joshua 24:31 with Judges 2:10, 11 , etc.). Obedience is easy when all goes well with us, and when it makes no demand upon our faith.

Pulpit tempers the bright pledge with realism: easy obedience before the cost of faith is felt.

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So they answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·ya·‘ă·nū ’eṯ- yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ lê·mōr ’ă·šer- kōl ṣiw·wî·ṯā·nū na·‘ă·śeh wə·’el- kāl- ’ă·šer tiš·lā·ḥê·nū nê·lêḵ

Word by word13 · parsed

וַֽיַּעֲנ֔וּway·ya·‘ă·nūSo they answeredH6030

√ ʻânâh — properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine plural

way·ya·‘ă·nū (H6030), "they answered" — root ‘ânâh, "to respond / testify." Poole limits the speakers to "the Reubenites, &c.... to whom Joshua's discourse is confined," though their answer voices the whole nation's spirit.

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַyə·hō·wō·šu·a‘JoshuaH3091

√ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — Jehoshua (iNounpropermasculine singular

לֵאמֹ֑רlê·mōr. . .H559

√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct

אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

כֹּ֤לkōlEverythingH3605

√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular

kōl (H3605), "all / everything" — the keyword of the pledge, repeated for total, unreserved obedience.

צִוִּיתָ֙נוּ֙ṣiw·wî·ṯā·nūyou have commanded usH6680

√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielPerfectsecond person masculine singularfirst person common plural

נַֽעֲשֶׂ֔הna·‘ă·śehwe will doH6213

√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperfectfirst person common plural

na·‘ă·śeh (H6213), Qal imperfect of ‘âsâh, "we will do." The doing-word; the tribes answer command with action, not merely assent.

וְאֶֽל־wə·’el-and everywhereH413

√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPreposition

כָּל־kāl-. . .H3605

√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct

אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

תִּשְׁלָחֵ֖נוּtiš·lā·ḥê·nūyou send usH7971

√ shâlach — to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singularfirst person common plural

tiš·lā·ḥê·nū (H7971), shâlach, "you send us" — the verb of dispatch; they offer themselves as those at the leader's command to be sent.

נֵלֵֽךְ׃nê·lêḵwe will goH1980

√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbQalImperfectfirst person common plural

nê·lêḵ (H1980), Qal imperfect of hâlak, "we will go" — the matching verb of obedience: wherever sent, they walk.

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And they answered Joshua, saying, All that you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go.

Where the English smooths the original

וַֽיַּעֲנ֔וּ "They answered" renders way·ya·‘ă·nū (‘ânâh), whose root sense is "to respond, to testify, to bear witness." The reply is not mere acknowledgment but a sworn answer — Benson hears in it the people "swear allegiance." The same verb-root underlies legal testimony; the tribes are formally pledging themselves.
כֹּ֤ל The reply opens and turns on kōl — "all / everything" — repeated as "all you command" and "everywhere (lit. all where) you send." The totality is emphatic and deliberate: not selective obedience but unqualified submission. BSB's "Everything... and everywhere" catches the sense; the Hebrew drives it home by repeating the one word kōl.
תִּשְׁלָחֵ֖נוּ "You send us" is tiš·lā·ḥê·nū (shâlach), the verb of commissioning and dispatch (the root behind "apostle" in its Hebrew counterpart). The people place themselves entirely at Joshua's disposal as those who are sent — wherever, on whatever errand.

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

Only the Lord thy God be with thee: this is not a limitation of their obedience, as if they would not obey him any further or longer than he was prosperous or successful; but an additional prayer for him.

Poole guards the "only" against misreading: it is intercession, not a clause that conditions their loyalty.

source ↗

John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses; which is not mentioned as a condition of their obedience to him, but rather as a reason of it, and as an encouraging motive to it;

Gill reads the "only" clause not as a condition but as the ground and encouraging motive of obedience.

source ↗

The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

Calvin remarks that the Israelites did not hearken unto Moses, but replies that, compared with the conduct of their fathers whose bodies lay in the wilderness, the conduct of this generation was obedience itself.

Pulpit faces honestly that Israel's obedience to Moses was imperfect, yet better in this new generation.

source ↗

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

The promise of the Two Tribes and a Half closes with the same call to trust and confidence in the Most High, which God Himself had already addressed to Joshua.

Cambridge notes the people give back to Joshua the very confidence God first gave him.

source ↗

Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ă·šer- niš·ma‘ ’ê·le·ḵā raq mō·šeh kên kə·ḵōl šā·ma‘·nū ’el- Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā yih·yeh ‘im·māḵ ka·’ă·šer hā·yāh ‘im- mō·šeh

Word by word17 · parsed

אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-Just asH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

נִשְׁמַ֣עniš·ma‘we obeyedH8085

√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalImperfectfirst person common plural

niš·ma‘ (H8085), Qal of shâma‘, "we obeyed / hearkened." Pulpit, with Calvin, concedes Israel often did not hearken to Moses — yet "compared with the conduct of their fathers... the conduct of this generation was obedience itself."

אֵלֶ֑יךָ’ê·le·ḵā. . .H413

√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionsecond person masculine singular

רַ֠קraq. . .H7535

√ raq — properly, leanness, iAdverb

raq (H7535), "only" — the same restrictive particle God used over Joshua (1:7, "only be strong"). Here it turns the people's vow into a prayer for his success.

מֹשֶׁ֔הmō·šehMosesH4872

√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular

כֵּ֖ןkên. . .H3651

√ kên — properly, set uprightAdverb

כְּכֹ֤לkə·ḵōlin all thingsH3605

√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-kNounmasculine singular

שָׁמַ֙עְנוּ֙šā·ma‘·nūso we will obey youH8085

√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalPerfectfirst person common plural

אֶל־’el-. . .H413

√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition

יְהוָ֤הYah·wehAnd may the LORDH3068

√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular

אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙’ĕ·lō·he·ḵāyour GodH430

√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine singular

יִֽהְיֶ֞הyih·yehbeH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular

yih·yeh (H1961), Qal imperfect of hâyâh, "may He be" — a wish/jussive; the people pray the divine companionship onto their leader.

עִמָּ֔ךְ‘im·māḵwith youH5973

√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPrepositionsecond person feminine singular

‘im·māḵ (H5973), ‘im + suffix, "with you." The keyword of the chapter's promise ("I will be with you," v. 5) is now spoken back to Joshua as benediction.

כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רka·’ă·šerasH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPreposition-kPronounrelative

הָיָ֖הhā·yāhHe wasH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular

עִם־‘im-withH5973

√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPreposition

מֹשֶֽׁה׃mō·šehMosesH4872

√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may Yahweh your God be with you, as He was with Moses.

Where the English smooths the original

נִשְׁמַ֣ע BSB's "obeyed" renders niš·ma‘ (shâma‘), literally "we hearkened / heard." In Hebrew, to truly hear is to obey — hearing and heeding are one verb. The pledge is to listen to Joshua as they listened to Moses; English splits "hear" from "obey," but the Hebrew keeps obedience rooted in attentive hearing.
רַ֠ק The pivot word is raq — "only." It introduces not a condition on their obedience but a prayer-wish: "only may Yahweh be with you." Gill and Poole insist this is "not a limitation of their obedience... but an additional prayer for him." The single particle carries the whole turn from vow to intercession.
עִמָּ֔ךְ "With you" is ‘im·māḵ — and the suffix is, strikingly, second-person feminine singular ("with thee," fem.), an unusual form addressed to Joshua. Whatever its grammatical explanation, the heart of the wish is the Presence-promise of v. 5 returned to Joshua by the people: "as He was with Moses, so may He be with you."

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

In all that thou commandest him, not repugnant to God’s commands; for none can be so foolish to think, that if he had commanded the people to blaspheme God, or worship idols, the people were obliged to obey him therein.

Poole bounds the pledge: obedience to Joshua holds only within obedience to God — never against His commands.

source ↗

John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

only be strong, and of a good courage; which also is not to be understood as a condition of their submission and obedience, but as a hearty wish and prayer for him, that he might have strength and courage necessary to the great work he was engaging in

Gill reads the closing "be strong" as the people's heartfelt prayer for their leader, not a clause.

source ↗

The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

A striking fulfilment of this promise appears in the case of Achan, who was put to death by the act of the whole congregation (see Joshua 7:25 ; and cf. Deuteronomy 17:12 ). Only be strong and of a good courage. The task of a leader in Israel is easy when he is sustained by the prayers of his people, and when their exhortations are an echo of the words of God

Pulpit ties the death-clause forward to Achan and hears the people's closing words as an echo of God's own charge.

source ↗

Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

The expression "rebel against the commandment" is used in Deuteronomy 1:26 , Deuteronomy 1:43 ; Deuteronomy 9:23 ; 1 Samuel 12:14 , to denote resistance to the commandments of the Lord; here it denotes opposition to His representative, the commander chosen by the Lord, which was to be punished with death, according to the law in Deuteronomy 17:12 .

Keil identifies the rebellion-formula and grounds the death-penalty in the law of Deuteronomy 17:12 — the basis for the thread below.

source ↗

Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words, all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kāl- ’îš ’ă·šer- yam·reh ’eṯ- pî·ḵā wə·lō- yiš·ma‘ ’eṯ- də·ḇā·re·ḵā lə·ḵōl ’ă·šer- tə·ṣaw·wen·nū yū·māṯ raq ḥă·zaq we·’ĕ·māṣ

Word by word17 · parsed

כָּל־kāl-AnyoneH3605

√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct

אִ֞ישׁ’îš. . .H376

√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular

אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-whoH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

יַמְרֶ֣הyam·rehrebelsH4784

√ mârâh — to be (causatively, make) bitter (or unpleasant)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular

yam·reh (H4784), Hiphil of mârâh, "rebels / embitters." The death-clause for desertion mirrors the law of Deuteronomy 17:12 against contempt of the appointed authority.

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

פִּ֗יךָpî·ḵāagainst your orderH6310

√ peh — the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech)Nounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular

pî·ḵā (H6310), peh + suffix, "your mouth" — authority figured in the spoken command.

וְלֹֽא־wə·lō-and does notH3808

√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle

יִשְׁמַ֧עyiš·ma‘obeyH8085

√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

דְּבָרֶ֛יךָdə·ḇā·re·ḵāyour wordsH1697

√ dâbâr — a wordNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine singular

לְכֹ֥לlə·ḵōlallH3605

√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-lNounmasculine singular

אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-thatH834

√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative

תְּצַוֶּ֖נּוּtə·ṣaw·wen·nūyou command himH6680

√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielImperfectsecond person masculine singularthird person masculine singular

יוּמָ֑תyū·māṯwill be put to deathH4191

√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbHofalImperfectthird person masculine singular

yū·māṯ (H4191), Hophal of mûwth, "shall be put to death" — the legal capital formula. Pulpit sees "a striking fulfilment of this promise... in the case of Achan" (Joshua 7:25).

רַ֖קraqAbove allH7535

√ raq — properly, leanness, iAdverb

raq (H7535), "only / above all" — the same restrictive particle that opened God's central charge (1:7), here turning the threat into a final word of encouragement.

חֲזַ֥קḥă·zaqbe strongH2388

√ châzaq — to fasten uponVerbQalImperativemasculine singular

ḥă·zaq (H2388), Qal imperative of châzaq, "be strong" — paired with we·’ĕ·māṣ (H553, ’âmats, "be bold"). The people echo the divine commission of vv. 6, 9 back onto Joshua, closing the chapter on its keynote.

וֶאֱמָֽץ׃פwe·’ĕ·māṣand courageousH553

√ ʼâmats — to be alert, physically (on foot) or mentally (in courage)Conjunctive wawVerbQalImperativemasculine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

Any man who rebels against your mouth and does not obey your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!

Where the English smooths the original

יַמְרֶ֣ה "Rebels against your order" renders yam·reh (Hiphil of mârâh), whose root means "to be bitter, to make bitter." Rebellion in Hebrew is figured as embittering — turning defiant and recalcitrant. Keil notes this same phrase elsewhere denotes "resistance to the commandments of the Lord; here it denotes opposition to His representative."
פִּ֗יךָ BSB's "your order" renders pî·ḵā — literally "your mouth." The people swear obedience to Joshua's very mouth, the organ of command. Hebrew locates authority in the spoken word from the mouth; English "order" abstracts away the vivid bodily image of the commander's living voice.
יוּמָ֑ת "Will be put to death" is yū·māṯ, a Hophal (causative-passive) of mûwth — "he shall be caused to die," the formulaic legal sentence of capital judgment. The same construction governs the death-penalty laws of the Torah; the people invoke covenant law itself against any who would desert.
חֲזַ֥ק The pledge ends where God's charge began: ḥă·zaq we·’ĕ·māṣ, "be strong and be bold" — the exact paired imperatives of 1:6, 7, 9, now spoken by the people back to Joshua. Pulpit: their "exhortations are an echo of the words of God." The chapter closes its own loop: the charge God gave the leader, the led now return to him.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The first orders: a written authority sets a people in motion — Joshua 1:10–11

The commission of vv. 1–9 turns instantly to logistics. Joshua's first act is to command — way·ṣaw, the intensive Piel of tsâvâh — the same charge-word that binds Yahweh to Moses and Moses to the tribes, now running through Joshua. Ellicott reads the moment as a deliberate echo of Sinai: "Both were preceded by a three days' notice and a sanctification of the people. Both were means employed by God to establish the leaders whom He had chosen." The men he charges are the shoterim — not soldiers but scribes; Barnes recovers the bare gloss, "The 'scribes,'" and Keil & Delitzsch define their office as "keepers of the family registers... the circulation of the commands of the general." The order itself turns on two crossing-words and a hunting-word: the officers are to ‘âbar ("cross") the camp, the people will soon ‘âbar the Jordan, and all must ready their ṣê·ḏāh — "Literally, game ," notes the Pulpit Commentary, the catch of the hunt, "obvious that the miraculous supply of manna was soon to cease." The vexed "three days" is faced honestly: Keil takes it not "as a prediction of the time when the crossing actually took place, but... the latest time that could be allowed to the people to prepare," reconciling 1:11 with the spy-narrative of chapters 2–3.

ii. The eastern tribes and the bargain of Numbers 32 — Joshua 1:12–15

Joshua turns to the two-and-a-half tribes already settled east of the river — the Reubenite, the Gadite, and half the šê·ḇeṭ ("tribe," literally the ruler's rod) of Manasseh. Cambridge explains their eastern home "on account of their wealth in flocks and herds," the pastureland of "the conquered kings Sihon and Og." The summons opens with the emphatic infinitive absolute zā·ḵō·wr — "Remember!" — recalling, as Poole says, "his charge to you, and your promise to him." The hinge of the appeal is the rest-word nûwach: Yahweh is already giving rest (v. 13) to the eastern tribes, yet that rest is provisional, suspended until "the LORD hath given your brethren rest, as he hath given you" (v. 15). Ellicott stages it precisely: "this 'rest' is only the first stage of several in Israel's history... The last rest is Sabbatical; the rests that precede it are halting-places on the way." The warriors must cross over ḥă·mu·šîm — a word so rare (4 verses) that Barnes renders it "arrayed" and the Pulpit Commentary finds "no authority whatever for the translation armed," preferring "in five divisions" or "eager, brave." That same rare word verbally ties this verse to Exodus 13:18 and Joshua 4:12. Keil notes the realism of the number: of some 110,000 men capable of bearing arms, only 40,000 crossed (Joshua 4:13), "so that 70,000 must have remained behind for the protection of the women and children."

iii. The people's answer: the charge returned to the leader — Joshua 1:16–18

The reply is a sworn one — way·ya·‘ă·nū ("they answered," from ‘ânâh, to respond and testify), turning on the repeated kōl: "all you command... everywhere you send." Ellicott takes it as "the reply of the whole people," and Benson reads it sacramentally: "Thus must we swear allegiance to our Lord Jesus, as the captain of our salvation." Their obedience is rooted in shâma‘ — to hear is to obey: "as we hearkened unto Moses... so will we hearken unto thee." The Pulpit Commentary, with Calvin, keeps this honest — Israel's hearing of Moses was imperfect, yet "compared with the conduct of their fathers... the conduct of this generation was obedience itself." The pivot particle raq ("only") turns the vow into a prayer: "only the LORD thy God be with thee" — which Poole insists is "not a limitation of their obedience... but an additional prayer for him." And the chapter closes its own circle: the death-sentence on any who rebel (yam·reh, "embitter") against Joshua's mouth — grounded by Keil in "the law in Deuteronomy 17:12" — gives way to the people speaking God's own words back to their leader: ḥă·zaq we·’ĕ·māṣ, "be strong and courageous!" The charge God gave Joshua (vv. 6, 9), the led now return to him; their "exhortations," says Pulpit, "are an echo of the words of God."

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

A fallible reading, offered to be tested (Sola Scriptura). Read on its own terms, Joshua 1:10–18 is about a community taking the shape of its commission. Everything God said to Joshua in vv. 1–9 now moves through him and is finally spoken back to him. The verb of God's charge to Moses (tsâvâh, "command") becomes Joshua's verb to the officers (v. 10) and Moses' remembered verb to the tribes (v. 13); the crossing-word ‘âbar that God laid on Joshua in v. 2 now runs through the whole camp (vv. 11, 14); and the very imperatives God pressed on the leader — be strong and courageous — return from the mouths of the people in v. 18. The chapter thus quietly answers a worry it could have raised: is authority safe in one man's hands after Moses? The text locates it elsewhere. Joshua commands only what Moses commanded (v. 13) and only what God commanded Moses; the people obey his "mouth" only "in all that thou commandest him" — which Poole rightly bounds as "not repugnant to God's commands." Authority is real but derivative, chained backward through Moses to God and forward through a written word that outlasts every leader. And the unit's keyword, rest (nûwach), is left deliberately incomplete: the eastern tribes have it, yet may not enjoy it until their brothers share it — a rest that is genuine and yet not-yet, pointing past the land to a rest still future (Hebrews 4:9). If this reading is right, the passage refuses both anarchy and tyranny: a people fully submitted, to a leader fully submitted, to a word above them all. This is the tool's own synthesis and may be wrong; weigh it against the text.

The charge God laid on the leader, the people lay back on him — "be strong" travels full circle. (An interpretive line from the synthesis layer, not a verse of Scripture.)

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The rare "arrayed for war": chamushim across the Exodus and the conquest verbal / quotation — confirmed

Joshua 1:14 sends the eastern warriors over the Jordan ḥă·mu·šîm ("arrayed / battle-ready"). The word châmush (H2571) is one of the rarest in the Hebrew Bible — it occurs in only 4 verses total, and the Verifier confirms all four are linked: Exodus 13:18 (Israel "went up harnessed" out of Egypt), here, the crossing of the Jordan in Joshua 4:12, and Gideon's host in Judges 7:11. The Pulpit Commentary tracks the distribution exactly: "This word, translated harnessed in Exodus 13:18 , only occurs besides here in Joshua 4:12 , and in Judges 7:11 ." That rarity is precisely what makes the meaning debatable ("in five divisions" / "eager" / "armed") and what makes the four-fold recurrence a genuine verbal dependence rather than coincidence: the same battle-array word frames the going-out from Egypt, the going-over into Canaan, and the muster against Midian. Barnes already cross-referenced it: "Rather, 'arrayed' (see Exodus 13:18 note)."

Joshua 1:14 · Exodus 13:18 · Joshua 4:12 · Judges 7:11

basis: shared rare lexeme H2571 châmush (in only 4 vv) — Verifier-computed; the word's near-unique distribution (Exodus 13:18, Joshua 1:14, Joshua 4:12, Judges 7:11) confirms a genuine verbal link, not a quotation but a shared rare diction across exodus and conquest

Provisions for the camp before crossing: the Gideon parallel structural / thematic — confirmed

Joshua 1:11's order — "prepare you provisions... pass over... through the camp" — shares vocabulary with Judges 7:8, where Gideon's chosen band "took victuals... in their hand." The one distinctive shared lexeme is tsêydâh (H6720, "provisions / the hunter's catch"), found in only 9 verses; the other shared words the Verifier returns — machăneh ("camp," H4264, 189 vv), shâlôwsh ("three," H7969), and ʻam ("people," H5971) — are common and carry no weight on their own. Cambridge independently lists Judges 7:8 among the parallels for the word. Honest tiering: a single semi-rare word, with no claim that either text cites the other, is a shared narrative pattern — the readying of provisions for a divinely-directed campaign — not a verbal quotation. We therefore tier it structural / thematic, downgrading from any "verbal" claim the lone freq-9 lexeme might seem to license.

Joshua 1:11 · Judges 7:8

basis: one semi-rare shared lexeme H6720 tsêydâh (in 9 vv) plus common H4264 machăneh + H7969 shâlôwsh + H5971 ʻam — Verifier-computed; a single distinctive word with no quotation claim is a shared campaign-preparation pattern, deliberately downgraded from "verbal" to thematic

Half the tribe of Manasseh: the standing formula for the eastern tribes structural / thematic — confirmed

Joshua 1:12 names "the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh" — a fixed three-part formula for the eastern tribes that recurs across Numbers 32:33, Joshua 4:12, Joshua 12:6, Joshua 13:8, and 22:1. The shared lexemes are the proper-name cluster chêtsîy ("half," H2677), shêbeṭ ("tribe," H7626), and Mᵉnashsheh ("Manasseh," H4519), reinforced by the rare gentilics Gâdîy (16 vv) and Rᵉʼûwbênîy (17 vv). Ellicott grounds the whole address in "the reference to Numbers 32." The connection is structural and onomastic — the same people designated by the same set formula — rather than a quotation; the verbal overlap is in proper names, which recur naturally wherever these tribes are listed.

Joshua 1:12 · Numbers 32:33 · Joshua 4:12 · Joshua 22:1

basis: shared lexemes H2677 chêtsîy + H7626 shêbeṭ + H4519 Mᵉnashsheh (with rare gentilics H1425 Gâdîy, H7206 Rᵉʼûwbênîy) — Verifier-computed; a recurring formulaic tribe-list, onomastic not quotational

Rebellion against the appointed leader: the death-clause of Deuteronomy 17:12 structural / thematic — confirmed

The people decree in Joshua 1:18 that "whosoever rebels (yam·reh) against thy commandment... shall be put to death (yū·māṯ)," and Keil & Delitzsch trace this directly to Mosaic law: the rebellion-formula "here denotes opposition to His representative, the commander chosen by the Lord, which was to be punished with death, according to the law in Deuteronomy 17:12." The Verifier confirms the shared legal vocabulary — mûwth ("die / put to death," H4191), shâmaʻ ("hear / obey," H8085), and ʼîysh ("man," H376). The link is structural: the people apply an existing covenant statute to their new leader, not quoting it but invoking its force.

Joshua 1:18 · Deuteronomy 17:12

basis: shared lexemes H4191 mûwth + H8085 shâmaʻ + H376 ʼîysh — Verifier-computed; the people invoke the Deut 17:12 death-statute, a shared legal pattern rather than a quotation

Rest for the brethren: the Deuteronomic charge to the eastern tribes structural / thematic — confirmed

Joshua 1:13–15 restates, almost in Moses' own words, the condition of Deuteronomy 3:18–20: the eastern tribes have rest, but must cross over armed before their brothers "until the LORD have given your brethren rest." For the Joshua 1:15 ↔ Deuteronomy 3:18 pair the Verifier returns the shared lexemes yârash ("possess," H3423), ʼâch ("brother," H251), and nâthan ("give," H5414) — the possess-the-land, help-your-brothers, God-gives vocabulary that is the substance of the charge; the rest-word nûwach (H5117) anchors the same promise across vv. 13–15 itself. Keil states the dependence plainly: "On Joshua 1:15 see Deuteronomy 3:18," and Cambridge notes Joshua's reminder "is quoted, not literally, but freely according to the sense" of Numbers 32:20–24. This is a structural restatement of a Mosaic charge — the same possess-and-give-rest promise pressed onto the same tribes — not a fresh oracle and not a verbatim citation.

Joshua 1:13 · Joshua 1:15 · Deuteronomy 3:18 · Deuteronomy 3:20

basis: shared lexemes H3423 yârash + H251 ʼâch + H5414 nâthan (Josh 1:15 ↔ Deut 3:18, Verifier-computed); a free restatement of the Deuteronomy 3:18-20 / Numbers 32:20-24 charge, structural not quotational

"There remaineth a rest": Joshua's rest read toward Hebrews 4 flagged — verify source

The keyword nûwach ("give rest") in Joshua 1:13, 15 is the seed the writer of Hebrews develops: the rest Joshua gave was real but not final, so "there remaineth therefore a rest (sabbatismos) to the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9). Cambridge draws the line within its own note: "the true 'Rest,' the complete 'Sabbath-keeping,' still remaineth for 'the people of God' (Hebrews 4:9)," and Ellicott stages Israel's rests as "halting-places on the way" to "the last rest [which] is Sabbatical." But the link is flagged on purpose. This is a cross-Testament pair (Greek New Testament ↔ Hebrew), so by rule it cannot rest on a shared Strong's number — the Verifier finds "no shared original-language lexeme," and any connection is thematic, to be argued rather than asserted. Moreover, Hebrews 4 reasons most directly from Psalm 95 and the figure of Joshua (Greek Iēsous) in 4:8, not from a clean citation of 1:13. The flag keeps a true and precious resonance honest about its provenance.

Joshua 1:13 · Joshua 1:15 · Hebrews 4:9 · Hebrews 4:8

basis: cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): no shared Strong's lexeme possible (Verifier: none found); Hebrews 4 develops the rest-theme from Psalm 95 and Joshua/Iēsous in 4:8, not a clean quotation of Josh 1:13 — flagged on purpose

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

Joshua / Iēsous: the leader who could not give the final rest ancient/widely-held

The man commanding the camp in this unit bears the name yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ — "Yahweh is salvation" — which in Greek is Iēsous, Jesus. The rest he confers (vv. 13–15) is genuine but provisional: the eastern tribes have it, yet may not enjoy it until their brothers share it. The New Testament makes this incompleteness the very hinge of its argument: "For if Joshua had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day" (Hebrews 4:8). The church has long read the first Joshua's bounded, not-yet rest as a figure pointing past himself to the greater Joshua who alone leads His people into the rest that remaineth (Hebrews 4:9). The same word-of-command (tsâvâh) that flows through this Joshua to the people anticipates the One whose word the people will obey absolutely.

Joshua 1:13 · Joshua 1:15 · Hebrews 4:8 · Hebrews 4:9

Allegiance sworn to the captain: the people's vow read of Christ widely-held

When the tribes answer "All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go" (v. 16), and pledge death to any who rebels against the leader's mouth (v. 18), Joseph Benson reads the scene forward: "Thus must we swear allegiance to our Lord Jesus, as the captain of our salvation." Matthew Henry develops the same figure: the believer is "enabled to enlist under the banner of the Captain of our salvation, to be obedient to his commands... for whoever refuses to obey him must be destroyed." The unreserved, sworn submission of Israel to Joshua becomes, in this reading, a pattern of the total allegiance owed to Christ — the title "captain of our salvation" itself drawn from Hebrews 2:10. This is a moral-typological reading offered by the commentators, not a verbal citation; it is held widely in the tradition but should be received as their application, not the text's own claim.

Joshua 1:16 · Joshua 1:18 · Hebrews 2:10

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

This unit (Joshua 1:10–18) is Hebrew throughout; every word-parse is sourced from the Berean/Strong's apparatus and is not contradicted here. Two honesty notes specific to this passage. First, the chronology of "three days" (v. 11) is genuinely contested: the spy-narrative of chapters 2–3 implies more than three days elapsed before the crossing, and the commentators divide — Keil & Delitzsch read "three days" as a preparation deadline, Barnes and others as identical with the "three days" of Joshua 3:2, with the command issued only after the spies returned ("the order of time is superseded by the order of thought"). We have not resolved this; we report the divergence. Second, the word ḥă·mu·šîm (v. 14, "arrayed/armed") is rare (4 verses) and its meaning is uncertain — "in five divisions," "battle-ready," or "eager"; the Pulpit Commentary denies "any authority whatever for the translation armed." Our literal renders it "arrayed for battle" while flagging the doubt. The rarity that makes the word uncertain is also what makes it a strong verbal thread to its only other occurrences — Exodus 13:18, Joshua 4:12, and Judges 7:11. Third, the rest-to-Hebrews-4 thread is deliberately tiered flagged because it is cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): no shared Strong's number can underwrite it, and Hebrews 4 reasons from Psalm 95 and the Joshua/Iēsous figure rather than quoting 1:13 — a real resonance, but one to verify rather than assert. Note: the standing directive's Joshua 1:5 → Hebrews 13:5 flag does not apply to this unit, which spans 1:10–18 and does not contain 1:5.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)