Deuteronomy 31:23

23 and He commandeth Joshua son of Nun, and saith, `Be strong and courageous, for thou dost bring in the sons of Israel unto the land which I have sworn to them, and I -- I am 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 `And it hath been, when many evils and distresses do meet it, that this song hath testified to its face for a witness; for it is not forgotten out of the mouth of its seed, for I have known its imagining which it is doing to-day, before I bring them in unto the land of which I have sworn.'

22 And Moses writeth this song on that day, and doth teach it the sons of Israel,

23 and He commandeth Joshua son of Nun, and saith, `Be strong and courageous, for thou dost bring in the sons of Israel unto the land which I have sworn to them, and I -- I am with thee.'

24 And it cometh to pass, when Moses finisheth to write the words of this law on a book till their completion,

25 that Moses commandeth the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,