After the death of Moses, Hashem charges Joshua: 'Be strong and of good courage' — the Torah shall not depart out of his mouth; the people pledge their obedience as Israel prepares to pass over the Jordan.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Hashem, that Hashem spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying:
verse value 3562
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3562 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "surely" (מ֥וֹת, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Joshua" (אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 345: Moses, Moses. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "surely" (מ֥וֹת), "juice" (מְשָׁרֵ֥ת). The root משה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·it·was" (root היה, 150x in Joshua); "and·said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua). First appearance of the root היה ("and·it·was") in Joshua. First appearance of the root אחר ("after") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + אַחֲרֵ֛י [after] (219) + מ֥וֹת [surely] (446) + מֹשֶׁ֖ה [Moses] (345) + עֶ֣בֶד [servant·of] (76) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ [to·Joshua] (422) + בִּן־נ֔וּן [son·of·Nun] (158) + מְשָׁרֵ֥ת [juice] (940) + מֹשֶׁ֖ה [Moses] (345) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 3562.
Rashi
And it came to pass after the death of Moses. Connected in the order of the Torah which ends with the death of Moses, and this is connected to it.
Radak
“And it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord.” It is the custom of the language to write in its place a vav, in order not to add and connect one matter to another, such as “And it came to pass on the third day” and “And Abraham lifted up his eyes,” and “These are the sons of Zibeon, Aiah and Anah,” and “And Tamar sat,” and “He fell asleep,” and “Chariot and horse,” and their like. And we have already written in the book *Miklal* which we compiled, that they are to be interpreted as an addition with a slight deficiency, according to the context of each of them, in accordance with the manner of Scripture. And the word *vayehi* you will find at the beginning of matters, and even at the head of books, like this one, and so too “And it came to pass after the death of Joshua,” “And there was a certain man from Ramathaim,” “And it came to pass in the thirtieth year,” “And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged,” “And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus,” and so too other vavs at the heads of books. And if we were to say that the reason is to attach one book to another and this matter to the preceding one, this reason would not suffice for all of them. And the commentators said that this vav is like the soft *fa* in the language of Ishmael. And the grammatical analysis of the word *yehi* I explained in the book *Miklal*, in the section of grammar thereof, that when the word is in the pausal form, they say *yehi* with a segol in the added letter and a chirik in the heh, and so too *yechi* with a segol in the added letter and a chirik in the chet. And it is the reversal of the vowels from *yifan* and *yiqan*, because they desired to conceal the yod, according to their rule of concealing the vowel letters [alef, heh, vav, yod]. And so too the words *yehi*, *tehi*, *yechi*, *techi*, in which they lightened the beginning of the word and reversed the vowels therein, and pointed with a shva the heh of *yihyeh* and the chet of *yichyeh*, in place of the added letter — with a chirik in the added letter of *yihyeh* and *yichyeh*, in place of the heh and the chet.
After. The term is plural, on the pattern of "Ashrei" [Happy is], yet the word "Ashrei" is always plural and never singular. This is not so with the word "acharei" [after], for it can be found in the singular, as in "achar ha-devarim ha-elleh" [after these things] and others. The plurality of the word "Ashrei" is because its meaning involves many good things, for a person will not be made happy by a single good thing found in him or by a single success that happens to him. Therefore, the word is always in the plural. The plurality of the word "acharei" is like the plurality of the word "lifnei" [before], for the back is opposite the face. However, the face is never found in the singular, for those who see it and turn toward it will always find it to be multiple in their eyes, and one cannot see a single organ of the face without its partner, for the organs of the face are in pairs: two eyebrows, two eyes, two nostrils, two cheeks, two rows of teeth, and two lips. This is not so with the nape of the neck, which is behind the face, for it is one, opposite the face. When it is found in the singular, it is because it is one; and when it is found in the plural, it is because it is behind the face, which is multiple. Likewise, the entire form of a person is developed in limbs before, but behind is a uniform body. "Lifnei" and "acharei" are said regarding the human body, and from there they are applied to other matters, such as "wayichan et penei ha-ir" [he encamped before the city], "me'acharei ha-ir" [behind the city], and those who encamped before the Tabernacle and those who encamped behind the Tabernacle, and similar expressions. And it says "lifnei" and "acharei" regarding the precedence of time and its delay, for the face is also called "kodem" [front/preceding], and its back is called "achor" [back/after], as it is stated, "Achor vekedem tzartani" [You have hemmed me in, behind and before]. Therefore, the face is called "kodem" because it is the beginning of recognition in a person and the distinction within him. Therefore, the precedence of time and its delay are expressed using "lifnei" and "acharei": "lifnei" as in "ba yom Hashem" [the day of the Lord comes], "acharei" as in "acharei" and "achar ha-devarim ha-elleh" [after these things], and similar expressions. And from this we derive "acharei mot Moshe" [after the death of Moses], and it does not mean immediately after the death of Moses, but rather after a period of time, as will be explained in the verse "mekitze shloshet yamim" [at the end of three days].
"Servant of the Lord." One who directs all his strength, his intention, and all his attentiveness to the Name of the Blessed One, and even when he is occupied with worldly affairs, he intends [them] for the service of God, the Blessed One—he is called a "servant of the Lord," like Abraham, My servant; David, My servant; [and] My servants the prophets, who are like a servant to a master.
"BEN NUN." [It is read] with a chirik, just as [it would be] with a segol, and he said that in every place "BEN NUN" is read with a chirik, and one does not say in any of them with a segol, as is the custom in most [such cases], because the two words are always joined together, since they are small words and they join together, and when they join, the reading is facilitated with a chirik, and not so with a segol.
The attendant of Moses. And he was in the place of Moses to go out and come in before Israel, and after Moses died, the Holy One, Blessed be He, commanded him to cross the Jordan with Israel.
"Le'emor." Since the word "emor" is used with the letter lamed more than with the other letters of usage, they concealed the aleph together with the lamed, which they did not do with the rest, for they said, "be'emor lahem, am Hashem..." [cf. Ezekiel 36:20, "it was said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD'"], and "vayehi be'emor Yehoshua..." [and it came to pass when Joshua said], with the aleph fully pronounced. And the meaning of "le'emor" is: "to say" to Israel, that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded him to cross the Jordan, for He had promised them, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon..."
Ralbag
And it came to pass after the death of Moses. It is fitting that we note first that prophecy arriving to a prophet concerning what will guide the people, whether to spiritual good or bodily good, is for the benefit of that people, and from God's providence over them prophecy comes to the prophet. But prophecy that comes to a prophet concerning his own personal affairs comes from His providence over him. All of this is clear to whoever examined this in natural philosophy, and in our words in the second book of The Wars of God, and in our commentary on the Book of Job. And for this it says, 'there is no divination in Jacob, nor divination in Israel' -- meaning they have no need of soothsayers and fortune-tellers to inform them of future events, for the Lord, by His providence over this people, informs them of these matters completely through a prophet. And for this they do not go to soothsayers and fortune-tellers whose mouth speaks vanity. And for this reason it says, 'May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint [a man over the congregation]' etc., 'who shall take them out and bring them in.' And for this the Lord chose Joshua to be a prophet to Israel after the death of Moses, together with what Moses imparted to him of perfection to prepare him for this, as was explained there. And for this it is clear that in Moses' days Israel did not need Joshua's prophecy. And for this the verse explains that after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, then the Lord spoke to Joshua these words, not before this. And behold He called Joshua son of Nun, Moses' servant, to indicate that the cause of his reaching the level of prophecy was his being Moses' servant, because for this reason he was always with him and learned from his wisdom and his conduct in all his actions, something that is not the way of a disciple who is not a servant to learn from his teacher. And for this it says here about Elisha son of Shafat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. And this is what indicates that service is greater than study, as our Sages of blessed memory explained.
Metzudat David
And it came to pass. The vav comes to add and connect to what the Torah completed in the narrative of the death of Moses, and it states that after this, the Lord said to Joshua, etc.
Metzudat Zion
ben nun. Voweled with a chirik, like ben with a segol; and since they are short attached words, pronunciation with a chirik is easier than with a segol.
Malbim
The Questions: (1) Why does it describe Moses by the title "servant of the Lord," and Joshua by the title "attendant of Moses," here more than in any other place?
"And it came to pass." This means that as long as Moses was alive, it was not possible for Joshua to cross the Jordan for two reasons: 1) It was not possible for Joshua to serve as the commander of the army during Moses' lifetime. 2) The crossing of the Jordan was not possible because of the oath that Moses would not cross the Jordan. However, after Moses' death, these two impediments were removed, and therefore "the Lord said to Joshua." And he explains that Joshua merited both prophecy and the leadership of the people by virtue of having been Moses' attendant, and greater is serving him than learning from him (Berakhot 7b). And he called Moses by the name "servant of the Lord" to indicate that even after his death he is called by the name "servant of the Lord," as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Sotah 13b): "Just as here he stands and serves, so also there he stands and serves." This means that a righteous person who occupies himself only with perfecting himself, his service ceases at the time of his death, but one who occupies himself with the perfection of the generation and future generations, he merits and confers merit on the last generation. And the continuous service that results through his cause, even after his death, is called by his name, as it is stated (Psalms 111:3): "His righteousness endures forever," and this is what is meant by saying that even after Moses' death he was "the servant of the Lord."
’Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, to the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
verse value 5168
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "my·servant" (עַבְדִּ֖י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "died" (מֵ֑ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jordan" (אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 17: this, this. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "rise" (ק֨וּם), "to·the·land" (אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ). The root זה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "to·sons·of" (root בן, 156x in Joshua); "to·the·land" (root איל, 135x in Joshua). First appearance of the root עתה ("now") in Joshua. First appearance of the root קום ("rise") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'died', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 15 words.
Rashi
Moses My servant is dead. And had he been alive, I would still desire him; and our Sages expounded it (Temurah 16a) as referring to the three thousand laws that were forgotten during the days of mourning for Moses. Joshua came and asked [about them], and the Holy One said to him: Moses My servant is dead, and the Torah is called by his name, to tell you it is impossible; go out and battle them in war.
Radak
“Arise, pass over.” “Arise” is a matter of urging; likewise, “Arise, anoint him”; “Arise, and pass over”; “Arise, walk about.”
"to them, etc." – To the children of Israel, as in [the construction] "they shall bring the offering of the LORD" [cf. Exodus 35:5], and "she saw him, the child" [Exodus 2:6].
Ralbag
Moses My servant is dead. It is fitting to understand from this that for the crossing of Israel across this Jordan, the Lord did not consent that it should be during Moses' lifetime, for He decreed upon him not to cross the Jordan for a reason explained in the Torah. And for this this was delayed until Moses' death, for one kingdom does not touch another even by the width of a hair. And perhaps another reason is joined to this, and that is that as was explained in the Book of Judges, Joshua left some of those nations, nations, to test Israel thereby, whether they keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers kept it or not. And it is possible that Israel were not worthy that this success come to them through Moses, just as Moses intended from the beginning of their departure from the land of Egypt. And that is: if these wars were done through Moses, he would bring about for all these nations complete destruction due to the magnitude of his excellence and the power of the wonders performed through him. And for this you will find concerning Sihon and Og, against whom Moses fought, that not a remnant or survivor was left of them. And because Israel were not worthy of such success, as was revealed by the matter of the spies, they did not merit that this war be through Moses; it was through Joshua, and his power was not so great. And for this he became slack in these wars, as will be explained in what is to come, until death separated him from completing those wars. And what will testify that this punishment came to Moses because of Israel's sin is what is said in Deuteronomy, 'The Lord was also angry with me because of you.' And behold the Lord warned Him not to turn from the ways of the Torah to the right or to the left -- meaning He should not add to its words nor subtract from them. And it appears that turning to the right is when one adds to its words, and turning to the left when one subtracts from its words. And He also warned Him not to be lax in studying it, for study leads to action, in its practical part. And for this a person should not cease from studying the practical matters of the Torah and think it sufficient for him to perform the practical commandments, for studying the words of the Torah perfects the action, and this establishes him upon the secret of that commandment and its intended goal. But studying the theoretical part of the Torah that does not lead to action is undoubtedly something a person should not cease from, for it is the most perfect of the internal, guiding the student toward human perfection, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah, for he who walks in the ways of the Torah and studies it as much as possible is under His providence, and his ways will be made smooth at all times. And He commanded Him not to fear fighting against those nations, even if they were very strong, but his heart should be secure in the Lord who promised him that he would surely defeat them.
Metzudat David
"Moses My servant has died." This implies that had he still been alive, you would not have been able to cross the Jordan, for it was decreed that he should not cross.
"And now." Since he is dead, arise, cross over, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Kum (Arise). It is a matter of urgency, like (Deuteronomy 10:11) Arise, go on your journey.
Malbim
The Questions (2): Why did He [God] say to him [Joshua], "Moses My servant is dead," when he surely already knew this? And He repeated it to them, to the Children of Israel — this is an oddity of language.
Moses My servant has died. And if so, the two aforementioned impediments have been removed. A) Initially, the crossing of the Jordan was not possible, and now, arise and cross the Jordan. B) Initially, it was not possible for you to be at the head, and now, arise and cross at the head, and all this people after you (for it is explained that wherever the pronoun is doubled, it is the essential subject of the statement): to the land. The commentator says: Even though you will be the commander of the army, and according to the custom of all conquerors of lands, the conquered land will be called by the name of the commander of the army or the conquering king, and it will be your portion to do with it as you wish, nevertheless, regarding this land, it will not be so; rather, to the land which I am giving to them. And he explains to the Children of Israel that the pronoun which comes doubled before the name indicates specifically to the Children of Israel, not to you.
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spoke to Moses.
verse value 4231
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "in·him" (בּ֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "palm·foot" (כַּֽף־רַגְלְכֶ֛ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "all·standing place" (כׇּל־מָק֗וֹם), "you·shall·tread" (תִּדְרֹ֧ךְ), "palm·foot" (כַּֽף־רַגְלְכֶ֛ם). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "to·Moses" (root איל, 135x in Joshua); "I·gave·it" (root נתן, 86x in Joshua). First appearance of the root מקום ("all·standing place") in Joshua. First appearance of the root דרך ("you·shall·tread") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·gave·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־מָק֗וֹם [all·standing place] (236) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + תִּדְרֹ֧ךְ [you·shall·tread] (624) + כַּֽף־רַגְלְכֶ֛ם [palm·foot] (393) + בּ֖וֹ [in·him] (8) + לָכֶ֣ם [to·you] (90) + נְתַתִּ֑יו [I·gave·it] (866) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי [I·spoke] (616) + אֶל־מֹשֶֽׁה [to·Moses] (376) = 4231.
Rashi
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon. Similarly it was said to Moses and we learned in Sifrei (parshah Eikev): if to teach the boundaries of the Land of Israel, behold it says from the wilderness and this Lebanon; if so, why is it said 'that the sole shall tread'? Even outside the land, after they conquer the land, whatever you conquer outside the land will be holy and will be yours.
Radak
“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon...” – As soon as you cross the Jordan, every place that you tread upon shall be yours; that is to say, I will give you the strength to conquer all of it. He then mentions some of the boundaries. In the midrashic interpretation, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon...” serves to include the lands outside the Land of Israel.
Metzudat David
"On it." It refers to the beginning of the verse, to "every place."
Metzudat Zion
תִּדְרֹךְ (tidrokh). From the word derekh (path), and its meaning is walking and striding.
Malbim
“Every place”: This verse was already mentioned in the chapter of Eikev (Deuteronomy 11:24), and our Sages of blessed memory explained (Sifrei, loc. cit.) that it means that even if you tread in every place that is in the lands of outside the Holy Land to conquer them, they will be yours, and the sanctity of the Land will apply to them. But “from the wilderness and so forth” — there shall be your boundary; there you are commanded to conquer, whereas outside the Holy Land is optional. Moreover, you do not have permission to conquer outside the Holy Land until you have conquered the Land of Israel. And it is already known from the words of our Sages of blessed memory (Sifrei on Deuteronomy, chapter 7) that if Moses had crossed over and conquered, they would not have needed war; rather, in every place, by the mere tread of their feet, the enemies would have fallen before them as corpses. And with this in mind, it said to Moses, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon” — by the mere treading of the feet you will acquire it and conquer it, and it will be yours. However, although the cause of sin arose and they now needed war, the word of God does not return empty. And it says that even now, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon” — I have given it to you, as I spoke to Moses. And only this depends on the condition: “from the wilderness and so forth” shall be your boundary. If you conquer all of the Land of Israel, and this depended on the improvement of their deeds, as it is written (Judges 3:1): “Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test thereby Israel,” meaning that because He saw that their hearts were not complete with God, He left some of the nations to test them. And if their hearts had been complete, so that they would not have needed testing, and then they would have conquered all their boundary, then the matter would have been there as in the days of Moses, so that they would not have needed sword and war.
From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border.
verse value 3592
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "Lebanon" (וְהַלְּבָנ֨וֹן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 291: from·the·wilderness, land. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "from·the·wilderness" (מֵהַמִּדְבָּר֩), "Lebanon" (וְהַלְּבָנ֨וֹן), "and·until·the·river" (וְֽעַד־הַנָּהָ֧ר). The root נהר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 150x in Joshua); "all" (root כל, 96x in Joshua); "land" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua). First appearance of the root מדבר ("from·the·wilderness") in Joshua. First appearance of the root לבנון ("Lebanon") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sun', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 2 words.
Rashi
From the wilderness and this Lebanon. It is the wilderness of Kadesh, the wilderness of Zin by Edom, which was in the southeastern corner and from there they entered the land, as it is said (Numbers 20:16): behold we are in Kadesh, etc.; and whence do we know that it is in the southeastern corner? As it is said (there 34:3): and your south boundary shall be from the wilderness of Zin by Edom.
And unto the great river, the river Euphrates. This is its width, from south to north.
All the land of the Hittites. Included in this.
And unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun. Its length, from east to west.
Radak
“From the wilderness.” It is the Wilderness of Sin, which is the southern boundary.
"And this Lebanon." It is a well-known place in the Land of Israel. He said "this" even though it is beyond the Jordan, because it was visible to them from there. And so Moses said, "this good mountain, and the Lebanon" [Deuteronomy 3:25]. Alternatively, he said "this" to indicate familiarity, like "this is Sinai," "this is the poor man," "this is Leviathan."
"All the land of the Hittites." For in that corner was the Hittite dwelling.
“From the entrance of the sun to the Great Sea.” This refers to the west of the Land of Israel, as it is stated in the Torah: “to the last sea.” And the reason it is called “the Great Sea” is in contrast to the other seas in the Land of Israel, which are small, such as the Dead Sea and the Sea of Kinneret.
Metzudat David
The entrance of the sun. That is, in the direction of the entrance of the sun.
Metzudat Zion
וְהַלְּבָנוֹן (and Lebanon). That is the name of the forest, and perhaps levanah (white poplar) trees grew there. מְבוֹא (m'vo, going-down). An expression for sunset, like (Genesis 28:11) for the sun had set.
Malbim
"Every place": This verse was already mentioned in the chapter Eikev (Deuteronomy 11:24), and our Sages of blessed memory explained (Sifrei, loc. cit.) that it means that even if you walk in any place that is in the lands of the Diaspora to conquer them, they will be yours, and the sanctity of the Land will apply to them. But "from the wilderness..." there shall be your boundary; there you are commanded to conquer, whereas the Diaspora is optional. Moreover, you do not have permission to conquer in the Diaspora until you have conquered the Land of Israel. And it is already known from the words of our Sages of blessed memory (Sifrei on Deuteronomy, chapter 7) that if Moses had crossed over and conquered, they would not have needed war; rather, in every place where the sole of their foot would tread, the enemies would fall dead before them. And with this in mind, it says to Moses, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon," meaning that by the mere treading of feet you will establish it and conquer it, and it will be yours. However, even though the sin caused them to now require war, the word of God does not return empty; and He says that even now, "every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon... I have given it to you, as I spoke to Moses." And this is only contingent upon the condition: "from the wilderness... shall be your boundary"—if you conquer the entire Land of Israel. And this depended on the improvement of their deeds, as it is stated (Judges 3:1), "Now these are the nations which the Lord left to test thereby Israel," meaning that because He saw that their heart was not complete with God, He left some of the nations to test them. And if their heart had been complete, so that they would not need testing, and they would then conquer all their boundaries, then the matter would have been there as in the days of Moses, so that they would not need sword or war.
There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you, nor forsake you.
verse value 3233
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·will·stand" (לֹא־יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "not·will·stand" (לֹא־יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב), "to·your·face" (לְפָנֶ֔יךָ), "your·life" (חַיֶּ֑יךָ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "I·was" (root היה, 150x in Joshua); "all" (root כל, 96x in Joshua). First appearance of the root איש ("man") in Joshua. First appearance of the root פנים ("to·your·face") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·life', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
He shall not stand. This means: he shall not prevail to stand upright.
"I will not fail you." I will not give you any slackness from Me.
Malbim
“He shall not stand.” He was assured of two matters. 1) “No one shall stand before you” — that is, to seize authority or to utter a word against you. (Know that there is a difference between “stand before you” with a lamed, whose meaning is that the lesser one stands before the greater in a manner of equality, as it says, “Before kings he shall stand” (Proverbs 22:29), and “Who will stand before Him?” (Job 41:42). And between “stand in your face” [b'paneycha], which denotes rising up in rebellion to fight against him.) “No one shall stand in your face” (Deuteronomy 7:24; 11:25) — He assured him that all the days of his life he would be the leader of the people, and no one would raise his head apart from him. 2) Regarding the divine attachment: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you” — to cause My Divine Presence to rest upon you with miracles and wonders, just as with Moses. And He explains: In response to the first [assurance], He said, “I will not forsake you” [lo arpecha], meaning that I will hold you with My right hand to strengthen you constantly. And in response to the second [assurance], He said, “I will not leave you” [lo a'azevacha], so that My Holy Spirit will not depart from you. (For the opposite of physical strength is weakness, as it is stated [Song of Songs 3:4], “I held him and would not let him go.” And the opposite of the flow of spiritual abundance is abandonment.)
Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
verse value 5133
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·I·swore" (אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "you·will·cause·to·inherit" (תַּנְחִיל֙), "that·I·swore" (אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·swore" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "the·land" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua); "to·give" (root נתן, 86x in Joshua). First appearance of the root חזק ("be·strong") in Joshua. First appearance of the root אמץ ("and·be·resolute!") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·be·resolute!', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 10 words. Full calculation: חֲזַ֖ק [be·strong] (115) + וֶאֱמָ֑ץ [and·be·resolute!] (137) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אַתָּ֗ה [you] (406) + תַּנְחִיל֙ [you·will·cause·to·inherit] (498) + אֶת־הָעָ֣ם [the·people] (516) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + אֶת־הָאָ֕רֶץ [the·land] (697) + אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי [that·I·swore] (1333) + לַאֲבוֹתָ֖ם [to·their·fathers] (479) + לָתֵ֥ת [to·give] (830) + לָהֶֽם [to·them] (75) = 5133.
Rashi
Be strong and courageous. In worldly affairs, as he says: for you shall cause them to inherit.
Metzudat David
“Be strong and courageous.” In guiding the people as they ought to be guided.
Metzudat Zion
וְאַמֵּץ (and be strong). It too is a matter of strength, like (Proverbs 24:5) he strengthens his might.
Malbim
Questions (6–9): Why did He repeat and triple His exhortation to strength and courage? And in the second instance, why did He add the word "very"? And what is the intent of the statement, "Have I not commanded you?" Why did He repeat His admonitions regarding the observance of the Torah? And why did He first say, "that you may prosper," and afterward say, "then you shall succeed, and then you shall prosper"?
“Be strong.” Now he explains his words. In response to the first [point], which was said to him, “No man shall stand before you” — regarding this you must strengthen yourself and exert courage (the initial arousal of might is termed in the language of “strengthening” [chizuk], and its maintenance and persistence, which is the fortitude of heart, is termed in the language of “courage” [ematz]. And this is their definition everywhere), because the divine aid will be bestowed according to the human preparation. And he explains that you will cause to inherit, and for this you need strengthening so that no man will stand before you in matters of inheritance, which might be subject to disputes and lawsuits. And he explains that it is fitting that he strengthen himself and not fear for three reasons: A) From your side, because you will be the one causing to inherit, not another. B) From the side of the heir, which is this chosen people. C) From the side of the inheritance, which is the land about which I swore to their fathers. And My oath will not return empty.
Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success whithersoever you go.
verse value 6986
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "my·servant" (עַבְדִּ֔י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "only" (רַק֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·all·the·law" (כְּכׇל־הַתּוֹרָ֔ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "as·all·the·law" (כְּכׇל־הַתּוֹרָ֔ה), "commanded·you" (צִוְּךָ֙), "not·turn·aside" (אַל־תָּס֥וּר). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "not·turn·aside" (root איל, 135x in Joshua); "in·them" (root כל, 96x in Joshua). First appearance of the root רק ("only") in Joshua. First appearance of the root מאד ("very") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·left', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Rashi
Only be strong and very courageous. In Torah, as he says: to observe and do according to all the law.
Thou shalt have good success. You will succeed.
Radak
"Do not turn aside from it." [The pronoun] refers back to Moses, and its meaning is "from his good way"; or its meaning is "from it," referring to the Book of the Torah — and even though the Book [itself] was not mentioned [in this clause], the Torah was indeed mentioned. And in the Masorah, [the word "mimenu"] is marked sevirin [i.e., one might presume it should read "mimenah," feminine, to agree with "Torah" — but that is not how it is read].
"Tashkil." The meaning is: you will succeed. And so did Targum Jonathan translate [it]: "bedil detitzlach" [because you will succeed]; and so did Onkelos translate [the phrase] "lema'an tashkil": "bedil detitzlach."
Metzudat David
"Only, etc." For without this, it would not be of any use in guiding the people properly.
"In order that." On account of keeping the Torah, you will succeed.
Metzudat Zion
תַּשְׂכִּיל (taskil, you shall succeed). Its meaning is success, and likewise (I Samuel 18:14) and David succeeded in all his undertakings, because the one who succeeds appears to others as having acted with wisdom.
Malbim
"Only." Against the second matter of divine cleaving, concerning which it was said, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you," you must also strengthen yourself even more, for the essence of strength is to conquer one's evil inclination. And it also means that physical strength depends on spiritual strength in the observance of the Torah. And it explains that this strength will be: a) to guard oneself from the negative commandments; b) and to perform the positive commandments. And only according to the entire Torah, meaning: do not observe them because of intellectual reasoning, but only because of the Torah's command, and this is what it says, "which Moses My servant commanded you." And it will not suffice if you observe only part of the Torah, for you must observe the entire Torah.
“Do not turn aside from it” (from the Torah scroll). “To the right” refers to the side of addition; “and to the left” refers to the side of subtraction. And the meaning is: you shall not add to it, nor shall you subtract from it.
“For that you may prosper in all that you go.” He explained that the commandments of the Torah differ from the commandments of human decrees in two respects: 1) That most of the commandments of human decrees lack a rational reason that leads to the desired end; not so are the commandments of the Torah, which are rational commandments that lead to the goal of happiness and perfection, and therefore it says, “For that you may prosper.” 2) That even those human decrees that are rational encompass only the general principles, not all the details of conduct and their subdivisions; not so are the commandments of the Torah, which teach a smooth path in all the ways of human beings; therefore it says, “in all that you go.”
This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then you shall make your ways prosperous, and then you shall have good success.
verse value 6561
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 83 letters. Verse gematria: 6561 = 81². The shortest word is "in·him" (בּוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·all·the·written" (כְּכׇל־הַכָּת֖וּב, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 8: in·him, in·him. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "not·will·depart" (לֹֽא־יָמ֡וּשׁ), "book·of" (סֵ֩פֶר֩), "from·your·mouth" (מִפִּ֗יךָ). The root בו appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "day" (root יום, 79x in Joshua); "for·then" (root כי, 70x in Joshua); "to·do" (root עשה, 59x in Joshua). First appearance of the root ספר ("book·of") in Joshua. First appearance of the root פה ("from·your·mouth") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Rashi
This book of the law. The book of Deuteronomy was before him.
And thou shalt meditate therein. And ponder it; all meditation in Torah is in the heart, as it is said (Psalms 19:15): and the meditation of my heart before Thee; (Isaiah 33:18): thy heart shall meditate on terror.
Radak
"It shall not depart." Our Sages of blessed memory disagreed regarding this verse: some say that it is a commandment for all the days of a person's life, even if he has learned the entire Torah; and there are those who say that it is a blessing. And the apparent view is that it was a commandment specifically for Joshua, and similarly for every person until he has learned the Torah, and only thereafter should he study the wisdoms. And the explanation is:
"And you shall meditate therein day and night." After He said, "It shall not depart," this is a repetition to strengthen the commandment, or it is an explanation: "meditate" means the meditation of the heart, as it is written, "And the meditation of my heart is before You, O Lord." And the phrase "day and night," according to the first explanation, appears to mean that one should meditate upon it during the day and during the night, at any time that he finds leisure from his livelihood pursuits.
"You shall make your way prosperous." The plural yod is missing from the spelling [of "your way"], and similar cases we have written about in the book Mikhlol, in the section on grammar. And he says that "tatzliach" is a transitive verb (po'el yotze), and even though success is not in man's hand — since by his keeping the commandments of the Lord, and through their reward, success will come to him — it is as if he makes his own way prosperous. Or "tatzliach" may be an intransitive verb (po'el omed), in which case "et darkhekha" is like "bidrakhekha" (in your ways).
"And then you shall understand." This is how Jonathan the Targumist translated it: "You shall prosper," because it is close in meaning to "you shall succeed," so as not to duplicate the language, and it is close to the matter of success.
Metzudat David
"This one." The one stated in the preceding verse (verse 7), "which Moses commanded you."
"In order that you keep [it]." For should it depart from your mouth, you might forget it.
"For then. When you keep to do, etc., then you will succeed:"
Metzudat Zion
Yamos. It means "will depart," as in (Isaiah 59:21) "they shall not depart from your mouth."
And you shall meditate. The term "meditate" sometimes denotes speech, as in (Psalms 35:28) "And my tongue shall speak," and sometimes it denotes thought, as in (ibid. 49:4) "The meditation of my heart."
Malbim
"It shall not depart." This teaches that there is another condition besides the deed, namely, contemplation and engagement with the Torah: a) "It shall not depart from your mouth," which refers to the engagement of learning and repeating the laws of the Torah and its commandments; b) "and you shall meditate therein," meaning that one should think and contemplate constantly in the theoretical portion of the Torah, and the ultimate purpose of the contemplation and engagement shall be for the sake of the deed, to guard against negative commandments and to perform positive commandments; and only "according to all that is written therein," for even the matters received in the Oral Torah will be found, after contemplation, written and recorded in the Written Torah, according to the rules of language and according to the hermeneutical principles by which the Torah is expounded.
“For then you will succeed.” There is a difference between success (hatzlacha) and wisdom (hashkala). One who always chooses the good means that lead to the desired end by means of his intellect and understanding is called wise (maskil), whereas one whose fortune stands in his favor, such that he attains the desired end always by chance, is called successful (matzliach). The wise person has a keen and sharp intellect to always choose the path closest to what is sought. And the successful person has a fortunate destiny and a favorable alignment. And it says that through the study of Torah you will succeed, for the Lord will turn your fortune for good always; moreover, you will become wise through intellect to choose what is good, and you will also succeed in worldly matters and become wise in spiritual matters.
Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be you dismayed: for Hashem your God is with you whithersoever you go.’
verse value 3721
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3721 = 61². The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·commanded·you" (צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "not·be·afraid" (אַֽל־תַּעֲרֹ֖ץ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "not·be·afraid" (root איל, 135x in Joshua). First appearance of the root תחת ("and·do·not·be·dismayed") in Joshua. First appearance of the root אלהים ("your·God") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·do·not·be·dismayed', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: הֲל֤וֹא [have·not] (42) + צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ [I·commanded·you] (536) + חֲזַ֣ק [be·strong] (115) + וֶאֱמָ֔ץ [and·be·resolute!] (137) + אַֽל־תַּעֲרֹ֖ץ [not·be·afraid] (791) + וְאַל־תֵּחָ֑ת [and·do·not·be·dismayed] (845) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + עִמְּךָ֙ [with] (130) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ [your·God] (66) + בְּכֹ֖ל [in·them] (52) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + תֵּלֵֽךְ [you·go] (450) = 3721.
Rashi
Haven't I commanded thee? Be strong and courageous. In war, as it is said: be thou not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. And where did He command him? In the days of Moses, as it is said (Deuteronomy 31:23): and he commanded Joshua the son of Nun, etc.
Radak
"Have I not commanded you?" – The word "have I not" is a term of urging. Likewise: "Have you not heard, my daughter?"; "Have I not sent you?"; and similar expressions.
"Because the Lord your God is with you." This is analogous to the verse that states, "And to Moses He said, 'Come up to the Lord'" (Exodus 24:1), as well as to the cases of Jephthah and Samuel.
Metzudat David
"I have commanded you." I command you: be strong in battle against the enemy, and do not fear.
"For the LORD is with you, etc." And it did not say, "For I am with you," even though it was the LORD who was speaking. A similar case is found in (1 Samuel 12:11): "And He sent... and Samuel," where the one speaking was Samuel.
Metzudat Zion
“Halo.” That word serves as a directive to urge and strengthen, as in (Judges 6:14) “Did I not send you?”
"Ta'arotz v'techat." Both terms refer to the concept of fear, as in (Deuteronomy 7:21) "You shall not ta'arotz (be terrified) before them," etc.; and (Deuteronomy 1:21) "Do not techat (be dismayed)."
Malbim
"Halo" – "Behold, He commanded him to be strong in the division of the inheritance and in the observance of the Torah, yet He did not command him here to be strong in matters of war against the enemies." The text responds: "Have I not commanded you?" meaning: Regarding that you should be strong in the matter of war, I have already commanded you, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 31:23): "And He commanded Joshua, saying, 'Be strong and courageous.'" And corresponding to "Be strong," it says "Do not be terrified"; and corresponding to "and courageous," which denotes the persistence of strength in the heart, it says "do not be dismayed," meaning: Do not fall from your level at any time.
"For the Lord your God is with you in all that you go." Even when you go to war against the enemy, the Lord your God is with you to give your enemy into your hand. Therefore, it did not say, "For I am with you," because it refers back to what was said to Moses (Deuteronomy 31:8): "The Lord, He who goes before you, He will be with you," for here it repeats what was spoken through Moses.
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying:
verse value 1809
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "officers·of" (אֶת־שֹׁטְרֵ֥י, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "officers·of" (אֶת־שֹׁטְרֵ֥י). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua); "the·people" (root עם, 58x in Joshua). First appearance of the root יהושע ("Joshua") in Joshua. First appearance of the root שטר ("officers·of") in Joshua. Full calculation: וַיְצַ֣ו [and·he·commanded] (112) + יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ [Joshua] (391) + אֶת־שֹׁטְרֵ֥י [officers·of] (920) + הָעָ֖ם [the·people] (115) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1809.
Rashi
And Joshua commanded. On the day that the days of weeping [and] mourning for Moses ended.
Ralbag
'And Joshua commanded the officers,' etc. I think this matter was after Joshua sent the spies, and the proof of this is that the spies had already hidden for three days, and came -- according to the plain sense of the verses -- on the fourth day; and on the day after the fourth day, Joshua and all Israel rose early and came to the Jordan and lodged there before they crossed. And it is also possible that on that very day on which Joshua commanded the officers of the people, he sent the spies. Now, that day was not counted among the three days that he mentioned, for he said 'in three days more' -- meaning after that day. And at the start of the fifth day from that day these three days were completed; and on that very day the spies came to Rahab's house and lodged there that night. And what she said, 'and you shall hide yourselves there three days,' means until the third day of their journey. And so too the statement 'and they went into the hill country and stayed there three days, until the pursuers returned' means until the third day, with the word 'until' omitted -- and many such cases are found, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah: in its saying 'forty [lashes] shall he strike him,' the intent is 'up to forty.' And so too what is said, 'and the dwelling of the children of Israel, etc.,' the intent is 'up to four hundred and thirty years.' And so too what it says, 'you shall count fifty days,' the intent is 'up to fifty days.'
Metzudat Zion
שֹׁטְרֵי (shot'rei, officers). They are those appointed to announce the ruler's words to the people and enforce their observance, like (Deuteronomy 16:18) judges and officers.
Malbim
"And Joshua commanded" — Now I will explain (in verse 12 and in Chapter 2, verse 1) that before the word of the Lord came to him, Joshua was afraid and spoke with the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, that they should go as an armed vanguard to assist him; and he also sent spies secretly to inquire and investigate, and his intention was to wait until the spies returned. But now, when he heard the word of the Lord, he strengthened himself and did not wish to wait for the spies, but rather commanded that a proclamation be made:
’Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying: Prepare you victuals; for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Hashem your God gives you to possess it.’
verse value 8391
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 108 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֞י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jordan" (אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 108: encampment, and·command. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "prepare" (הָכִ֥ינוּ), "while·still" (בְּע֣וֹד). The root עבר appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "saying" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua). First appearance of the root קרב ("in·midst·of") in Joshua. First appearance of the root מחנה ("encampment") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'provision', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 17 words.
Rashi
Prepare you victuals. Every thing necessary for the journey and weapons for war he told them to prepare. For if you say in food and drink, behold they were satisfied by the manna in their containers until the sixteenth of Nisan, as it is said (below 5:12): and the manna ceased on the morrow (from the words of Rabbi).
Within three days. At the end of three days, while you are here three days and after you shall cross.
Radak
“Prepare for yourselves provisions.” The meaning is various kinds of food, other than bread, for the manna was still descending for them in every place where they traveled, until the day after Passover. And according to what our Sages of blessed memory stated, that on the very day that Moses died, the manna ceased, they too said that on the seventh of Adar, when Moses died, they gathered manna, with which they were sustained until the sixteenth of Nisan.
"In three days." As its Targum [renders it]: "at the end of three days."
Ralbag
Yet three days. The meaning is besides the day on which you are, and after three full days pass after it, it will be so for them. And for this he says after this, 'At the end of three days' -- to indicate that the meaning is after three days have passed. And the matter united until morning in order to make great this wonder known to Israel, and they saw it with their eyes. And he commanded Reubenites and Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh to fulfill the condition that Moses made with them when he gave them the land beyond the Jordan to the east. And he mentioned that they had already agreed to obey his words, in such a way that they would listen to Moses' words, and whoever transgressed his command would be put to death, for so the Torah decreed concerning one who transgresses the words of the prophet, and all the more so Joshua, who was king and prophet.
Metzudat David
"And they commanded, etc." Even though it is stated before the sending of the spies, nevertheless, you must conclude that the command came after this, because on the day the spies set out they lodged overnight in Jericho, and on the mountain they stayed three days, and on their return they lodged in their camp, and the day after that they lodged near the Jordan, and the next day they crossed the Jordan.
"Prepare." Although they were still eating the manna, nevertheless they had in their possession some of the fruit of the land, from what the merchants of the nations had brought them, and this he commanded them to prepare.
Metzudat Zion
צֵידָה (Tzeidah, provision). Food, as in (Joshua 9:5) the bread of their provision.
“Be’od.” Its Targumic translation is: “At the end.”
Malbim
"Prepare for yourselves provisions for the journey." For on the second day, in the morning, they set out from Shittim (Joshua 3:1). And the preparation of the provisions was to grind the manna with millstones and to pound it in a mortar.
And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spoke Joshua, saying:
verse value 2116
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 2116 = 46². The shortest word is "rod" (שֵׁ֣בֶט, 3 letters) and the longest is "Reubenite" (וְלָרֽאוּבֵנִי֙, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "Reubenite" (וְלָרֽאוּבֵנִי֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua); "Manasseh" (root מנשה, 42x in Joshua). First appearance of the root ראובני ("Reubenite") in Joshua. First appearance of the root גדי ("and·to·the·Gadite") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Manasseh', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְלָרֽאוּבֵנִי֙ [Reubenite] (305) + וְלַגָּדִ֔י [and·to·the·Gadite] (53) + וְלַחֲצִ֖י [and·to·half·of] (144) + שֵׁ֣בֶט [rod] (311) + הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה [Manasseh] (400) + אָמַ֥ר [said] (241) + יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ [Joshua] (391) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2116.
Malbim
The Questions (12): Why did the text alter the order of the language and place the noun before the verb? For the manner of narrative is to say, "And He said to Reuben," as this is the rule of the language.
And to the Reubenites. Behold, it is the way of the past tense to employ future verbs with a vav prefixed to them, thereby converting the future into the past, as in vayomer, vayir'eh, vayivadel, vayikra. This applies specifically to statements that follow the manner of narrative, provided they maintain the order of precedence and delay; this is called the ordered past tense. However, when one wishes to relate a matter that began and occurred prior to the matter previously narrated, he employs the verb alone, and always places the noun [i.e., the subject] before the verb; this is called the antecedent past tense. So state the grammarians, and so wrote Rashi (Genesis 4:1) regarding "And the man knew," explaining it as "from long ago," and regarding "And the Lord visited Sarah" (Genesis 21:1), Rashi explained it as "before He healed Abimelech." And we have already discussed this in various places. According to this principle, from the fact that it did not say "And Joshua said to the Reubenites and the Gadites," it is clear that the order was not maintained here; rather, the meaning of "And to the Reubenites" is that he said this earlier. That is to say, before the word of the Lord came to him, Joshua had already contemplated thoughts concerning the conquest of the land. And being afraid of the war, he said to the Reubenites and the Gadites that they should cross as pioneers before their brothers, and he also sent spies. All of this was due to his fear and dread. It turns out that the entire discourse (from here until section 3) preceded the previous matter in which God spoke to him. For when God saw that Joshua's heart was faint, He spoke to him, telling him to cross the Jordan and not to rely on the spies he had sent, and to strengthen and fortify himself and not to trust in the might of the sons of Reuben. Therefore, immediately after the speech, He commanded the people to prepare provisions for themselves, for within three days they would cross the Jordan, even though He did not then know that the spies would return within those days. And with this we have removed the difficulty regarding the calculation of the three days, as will be explained at the beginning of the next chapter.
’Remember the word which Moses the servant of Hashem commanded, you, saying: Hashem your God gives you rest, and will give you this land.
verse value 4662
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4662 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·servant·of·Hashem" (עֶבֶד־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "remember" (זָכוֹר֙), "gives·rest" (מֵנִ֣יחַ), "and·will·give" (וְנָתַ֥ן). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "the·servant·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "saying" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua). First appearance of the root זכר ("remember") in Joshua. First appearance of the root נוח ("gives·rest") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Radak
"Remember." [This is] the infinitive [form].
Metzudat David
"Remember." You must remember:
"He provides." He grants you a place of rest, by giving you this land, which is on this side [of the Jordan]:
Malbim
Questions (13–15): Did not Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him, stipulate with them (in the portion of Mattot) only that they should cross over as vanguard until after the conquest? Why did Joshua add that they should remain until after the inheritance and settlement? And why did He repeat, "The LORD is granting you rest" and "He will give you the land"? And why did He say again, "Which Moses gave you on the other side of the Jordan," which is superfluous? According to the rules of language, it should have been said: "And you shall return to the land of your inheritance, which Moses gave you, and you shall inherit it" (as I explained this rule in my commentary to Sifra, Leviticus 1, on the verse "the entrance of the Tent of Meeting").
"Remember the matter." He alludes to what is written (Deuteronomy 3:18–20): "And I commanded you at that time, saying, 'The Lord your God has given you this land to possess it; armed you shall pass over' etc., 'only your wives and your children' etc., 'until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as to you'" etc. The meaning is that, according to the condition He stipulated with them (Numbers 32:22), He said, "And when the land is subdued before the Lord, then you shall return" (32:22, and similarly there in 32:29), meaning that He did not obligate them to remain only until after the subjugation. But in Deuteronomy, He mentioned that they should remain there until the division of the land, even though He had not stipulated this with them at that earlier time. He said that it is right and just for them to do so. Furthermore, there is another reason for this in what is explained in the commentary on the Torah in the portion of Matot: Moses stipulated with them at that time on several occasions that they should go as vanguard before the Lord, as it is written (Numbers 32:21), "And every armed man shall pass over before the Lord, until the land is subdued before the Lord." For he thought that the subjugation would be by means of a miracle, and in that case they would not need to remain only until the subjugation. But in the portion of Deuteronomy, he saw that the war would be close to natural processes, as indicated by the statement, "And you shall pass over armed before your brothers," without specifying that the passage would be before the Lord. Therefore, they were required to remain until the completion of the division, so that the war would cease entirely. And so Joshua explained here: "The Lord your God is giving you rest," meaning that after this, you have two benefits: A) Rest, for your wives and children will dwell in rest and will no longer be moving about. B) "And He has given you this land which you requested." And he explains his words, for behold:
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but you shall pass over before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and shall help them;
verse value 6691
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 89 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·livestock" (וּמִקְנֵיכֶם֒, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: and·you, them. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "your·wives" (נְשֵׁיכֶ֣ם), "children" (טַפְּכֶם֮), "and·your·livestock" (וּמִקְנֵיכֶם֒). The root עבר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "all" (root כל, 96x in Joshua); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua). First appearance of the root אשה ("your·wives") in Joshua. First appearance of the root מקנה ("and·your·livestock") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jordan', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 10 words.
Rashi
All the men of valor. Those among you shall cross over armed, as the vanguard.
Radak
"Your wives, your children." The word is missing a vav, and its usage is like [the phrases] "sun and moon," "Reuven and Shimon," and similar expressions.
"Armed." Like "chalutzim" [armed, equipped for battle].
Metzudat Zion
חֲמוּשִׁים (khamushim, armed). Equipped with weapons, like (Exodus 13:18) and they went up armed.
Malbim
"Your wives, your children, and your livestock shall remain in the land." And they shall not be disturbed like the wives of your brethren; therefore, it is fitting that you shall pass over armed before your brethren. (And according to what is written in the aforementioned source regarding "before your brethren," this means that the war should be natural; therefore, it states that the warriors of the army shall pass over. Unlike if the passage before the Lord in war were miraculous, in which case the entire people would need to pass over, not specifically only the warriors of the army.)
until Hashem have given your brethren rest, as to you, and they also have possessed the land which Hashem your God gives them; then you shall return to the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of Hashem gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising.’
verse value 9776
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 118 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 9776 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֠ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·he·gives·rest" (אֲשֶׁר־יָנִ֨יחַ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 500: giving, gave. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "that·he·gives·rest" (אֲשֶׁר־יָנִ֨יחַ), "as·you" (כָּכֶם֒), "that·Hashem" (אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·gives·rest" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "the·land" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua). First appearance of the root גם ("also·abundance") in Joshua. First appearance of the root שוב ("and·you·shall·return") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 15 words.
Rashi
Toward the rising of the sun. The eastern bank of the Jordan.
Metzudat David
"Until He gives them rest." Until the Lord shall give them, too, a place of rest.
"And you shall possess it." This means: Then you will hold it without any challenger, since you have fulfilled the condition.
"The east side of the sun." In the eastern direction:
Malbim
"Until the Lord gives to your brothers rest, as to you." This means that you shall remain here until after the division of the land, so that they too may have rest and inheritance, just as you have. And corresponding to "the Lord your God is granting you rest," it says "until He gives rest"; and corresponding to "and He has given you this land," it says "and they shall inherit it also," etc.
"Which He gave": This means that He gave it to you only on this condition, that you shall inherit it if you do not abandon your brethren.
And they answered Joshua, saying: ‘All that you have commanded us we will do, and whithersoever you send us we will go.
verse value 4225
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 4225 = 65². The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֤ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·you·commanded·us" (אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּיתָ֙נוּ֙, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "that·you·commanded·us" (אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּיתָ֙נוּ֙), "and·to·all·that" (וְאֶֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר), "you·will·send·us" (תִּשְׁלָחֵ֖נוּ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·commanded·us" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "saying" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "all" (root כל, 96x in Joshua). First appearance of the root ענה ("and·answered") in Joshua. First appearance of the root שלח ("you·will·send·us") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַֽיַּעֲנ֔וּ [and·answered] (142) + אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ [Joshua] (792) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [saying] (271) + כֹּ֤ל [all] (50) + אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּיתָ֙נוּ֙ [that·you·commanded·us] (1063) + נַעֲשֶׂ֔ה [we·will·do] (425) + וְאֶֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר [and·to·all·that] (588) + תִּשְׁלָחֵ֖נוּ [you·will·send·us] (794) + נֵלֵֽךְ [we·will·go] (100) = 4225.
Malbim
All. This means: You do not need to remind us of Moses’ commandment, for even your command is sufficient for us to act accordingly. And not only are we obligated to do so on the grounds of propriety, but also to every place to which you send us, we shall go. If:
According as we hearkened to Moses in all things, so will we hearken to you; only Hashem your God be with you, as He was with Moses.
verse value 3552
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֖ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·we·heard" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֙עְנוּ֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 70: as·them, so. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "that·we·heard" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֙עְנוּ֙). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·we·heard" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "it·will·be" (root היה, 150x in Joshua). First appearance of the root כן ("so") in Joshua. First appearance of the root שמע ("is·heard") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: כְּכֹ֤ל [as·them] (70) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֙עְנוּ֙ [that·we·heard] (967) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה [to·Moses] (376) + כֵּ֖ן [so] (70) + נִשְׁמַ֣ע [is·heard] (460) + אֵלֶ֑יךָ [to·you] (61) + רַ֠ק [only] (300) + יִֽהְיֶ֞ה [it·will·be] (30) + יְהֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·God] (66) + עִמָּ֔ךְ [with] (130) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + הָיָ֖ה [was] (20) + עִם־מֹשֶֽׁה [with·Moses] (455) = 3552.
Radak
"Only that the Lord your God be with you." This means that you should walk in the way of Moses, so that the Lord will be with you as He was with Moses.
Metzudat David
"Only, etc." This means to say: We will not heed you except when the Lord is with you, etc., but not otherwise.
Malbim
Only if the Lord will be with you as He was with Moses. Then you will be considered by us as equal to your teacher, and not only this, but also:
Whosoever he be that shall rebel against your commandment, and shall not hearken to your words in all that you command him, he shall be put to death; only be strong and of good courage.’
verse value 4863
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֖ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·you·command·him" (אֲשֶׁר־תְּצַוֶּ֖נּוּ, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "all·man" (כׇּל־אִ֞ישׁ), "that·rebels" (אֲשֶׁר־יַמְרֶ֣ה), "peh" (אֶת־פִּ֗יךָ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·rebels" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "to·them" (root כל, 96x in Joshua); "all·man" (root איש, 68x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'day', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־אִ֞ישׁ [all·man] (361) + אֲשֶׁר־יַמְרֶ֣ה [that·rebels] (756) + אֶת־פִּ֗יךָ [peh] (511) + וְלֹֽא־יִשְׁמַ֧ע [and·not·hearken] (457) + אֶת־דְּבָרֶ֛יךָ [your·words] (637) + לְכֹ֥ל [to·them] (80) + אֲשֶׁר־תְּצַוֶּ֖נּוּ [that·you·command·him] (1053) + יוּמָ֑ת [day] (456) + רַ֖ק [only] (300) + חֲזַ֥ק [be·strong] (115) + וֶאֱמָֽץ [and·be·resolute!] (137) = 4863.
Rashi
Defy. Treats your words with defiance.
Radak
"Only be strong and courageous." Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: [It says] "he shall be put to death" — one might think this applies even [when commanded to do] a matter of transgression — Scripture therefore teaches "rak" [only] — for "akh" and "rak" are [terms of] exclusion.
Ralbag
"Only be strong and courageous." They warned him with this, meaning that he should strengthen himself to conduct himself according to all the words of the Torah, for if he commands them to transgress its words, they shall not obey him, unless this were a temporary [ruling] -- for he and they are obligated to uphold the Torah. Or he means, in saying 'be strong and very courageous,' that he should strengthen and exert himself in guiding the people with diligence and not abandon their guidance, for the people cannot exist without a shepherd, as Moses said, 'Let not the congregation of the Lord be like sheep that have no shepherd.'
Metzudat David
Only be strong. To punish the rebels, and not to forgive for Your honor:
Metzudat Zion
יַמְרֶה (yamreh, shall defy). From the word rebellion and revolt, like (Deuteronomy 21:18) a rebellious and defiant son.
Malbim
"Every man who defies your word shall be put to death." This is in accordance with the law of one who rebels against royal authority. And they said: "Every man who defies" refers to one who acts contrary to what he was commanded, and "who does not listen" refers to one who fails to do what he was commanded, for defiance (meri) pertains to a negative commandment, whereas failure to listen pertains to a positive commandment. And it states, "to all that you shall command us," indicating that even for a minor matter one is liable to death, in accordance with the law of one who rebels against royal authority.
"Only be strong." That is, you must strengthen yourself as befits the leader of the people. And note that the two things which the Lord said to him are also mentioned here: "No man shall stand before you," and "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." And regarding both of these, He said to him, "Be strong and courageous," as explained above.
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim