Deuteronomy 31:23

23 He gave Yehoshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Yisra'el into the land which I swore to them: and I will be with you.

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 It shall happen, when many evils and troubles are come on them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they frame this day, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.

22 So Moshe wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Yisra'el.

23 He gave Yehoshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Yisra'el into the land which I swore to them: and I will be with you.

24 It happened, when Moshe had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

25 that Moshe commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,