Deuteronomy 31:7

7 And Moses called Joshua, and said to him before all the multitude of the sons of Israel, Be thou comforted, and be thou strong (Be thou encouraged, and be thou strong); for thou shalt lead this people into the land that the Lord swore that he shall give to their fathers; and thou shalt part it by lot.

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 Therefore when the Lord hath betaken to you also them (And so when the Lord hath also delivered them to you), ye shall do in like manner to them, as I have commanded to you.

6 Do ye manly, and be ye comforted (Be ye strong, and be ye encouraged); do not ye dread in heart, neither dread ye at the sight of them, for thy Lord God himself is thy leader, and he shall not leave thee, neither forsake thee.

7 And Moses called Joshua, and said to him before all the multitude of the sons of Israel, Be thou comforted, and be thou strong (Be thou encouraged, and be thou strong); for thou shalt lead this people into the land that the Lord swore that he shall give to their fathers; and thou shalt part it by lot.

8 And the Lord himself, which is your leader (And the Lord himself, who is your leader), shall be with thee, he shall not leave [thee], neither forsake thee; do not thou dread outward(ly), neither dread thou in heart.

9 Therefore Moses wrote this law, and betook it to the priests, the sons of Levi, that bare the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord, and to all the elder men of Israel. (And so Moses wrote this law, and gave it to the levitical priests, who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.)