Deuteronomy 31:7

7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all the people of Israel, "Be determined and confident; you are the one who will lead these people to occupy the land that the Lord promised to their ancestors.

Deuteronomy 31:7 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 31:7

And Moses called unto Joshua
Who might be at some distance from him, with the tribe to which he belonged. The Targum of Jonathan adds,

``out of the midst of the people:''

and said unto him, in the sight of all Israel;
now assembled together, and what follows was said in their hearing, to make him the more respectable to them:

be strong and of a good courage;
the same that is said to the people in ( Deuteronomy 31:6 ) , and which was still more necessary in him, who was to be their general, and to go at the head of them, and lead them on to battle; and though Joshua was a man of courage and valour, as well as had military skill, as appears by his fight with Amalek, ( Exodus 17:9-13 ) ; yet such an exhortation was not needless, seeing he had so much work to do, and so many enemies to contend with:

for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath
sworn unto their fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to
inherit it;
the Targum of Jonathan is,

``which the Word of the Lord hath sworn to give;''

the land of Canaan, thither he must go with them; this was the will and determination of God, and he must go alone without him, Moses, which would be a trial of his courage.

Deuteronomy 31:7 In-Context

5 The Lord will give you victory over them, and you are to treat them exactly as I have told you.

6 Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you."

7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all the people of Israel, "Be determined and confident; you are the one who will lead these people to occupy the land that the Lord promised to their ancestors.

8 The Lord himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid."

9 So Moses wrote down God's Law and gave it to the levitical priests, who were in charge of the Lord's Covenant Box, and to the leaders of Israel.