Devarim 31:7

7 And Moshe called unto Yehoshua, and said unto him in the sight of kol Yisroel, Chazak! (be strong) and of a good courage; for thou must go with this people unto Ha’Aretz which Hashem hath sworn unto their avot to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. [See Yeshayah 49:8; Yn 14:1-3.]

Devarim 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.

Devarim 31:7 In-Context

5 And Hashem shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto kol hamitzvot which I have commanded you.
6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of their faces; for Hashem Eloheicha, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor abandon thee.
7 And Moshe called unto Yehoshua, and said unto him in the sight of kol Yisroel, Chazak! (be strong) and of a good courage; for thou must go with this people unto Ha’Aretz which Hashem hath sworn unto their avot to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. [See Yeshayah 49:8; Yn 14:1-3.]
8 And Hashem, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither abandon thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
9 And Moshe wrote this torah, and delivered it unto the kohanim, the Bnei Levi, which bore the Aron Brit Hashem and unto kol Ziknei Yisroel.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.