Deuteronomy 31:23

23 And the Lord commanded to Joshua, the son of Nun, and said, Be thou comforted (Be thou encouraged), and be thou strong; for thou shalt lead the sons of Israel into the land which I promised (them), and I shall be with thee.

Deuteronomy 31:23 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 31:23

And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge
It may be a question who gave this charge, the Lord or Moses; according to the connection of the words with the preceding, it seems to be the latter; for the immediate antecedent to the relative he is Moses, and so the Septuagint interpreters understand it; but then they are obliged to read some following clauses different from the original, as, instead of "I swear", they read "the Lord sware"; and the last clause they read, "and he shall be with thee"; but Aben Ezra gives the same sense without departing from the common and genuine reading, supposing that Moses gave the charge in the name and by the authority of the Lord; his words are,

``he gave charge by the commandment of the Lord, therefore he saith, "which I sware unto them";''

but it seems best to understand this of the Lord himself, since he ordered Moses and Joshua to present themselves before him, that he might give the latter a charge, ( Deuteronomy 31:14 ) ; and the language of the following clauses best agrees with him:

and said, be strong and of a good courage; (See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:6); (See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:7);

for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I
sware unto them; (See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:7);

and I will be with thee; (See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:8); the Targum of Jonathan is,

``my Word shall be thy help.''

Deuteronomy 31:23 In-Context

21 After that many evils and tormentings have found them, this song shall answer to him for (a) witnessing, which song no forgetting shall do away from the mouth of thy seed. For I know the thoughts thereof today, what things it shall do, before that I bring it into the land which I promised to it. (And after that many evils and torments have found them, this song shall speak against them as a witness, which no forgetting shall do away from the mouths of their descendants. For I know their thoughts today, and what things they shall do, before that I bring them into the land which I promised them.)

22 Therefore Moses wrote the song, and he taught it to the sons of Israel. (And so Moses wrote down this song, and he taught it to the Israelites.)

23 And the Lord commanded to Joshua, the son of Nun, and said, Be thou comforted (Be thou encouraged), and be thou strong; for thou shalt lead the sons of Israel into the land which I promised (them), and I shall be with thee.

24 Therefore after that Moses had written the words of this law in a book, and fulfilled them (and finished them),

25 he commanded to the Levites that bare the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord, and said, (he commanded to the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and said,)