Joshua 1:14 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Joshua 1:14
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them;
a woman · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
ones
טַפְּכֶם֮ta.pe.Khem
H2945
a family (mostly used collectively in the singular) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
cattle
וּמִקְנֵיכֶם֒u.mik.nei.Khem
H4735
something bought · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
remain
יֵשְׁב֕וּye.she.Vu
H3427
properly · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
land
בָּאָ֕רֶץba.'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
Moses
מֹשֶׁ֖הmo.Sheh
H4872
Mosheh · proper noun, a man's name
gave
נָתַ֥ןna.Tan
H5414
to give · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
side
בְּעֵ֣בֶרbe.'E.ver
H5676
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
Jordan
הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ןhai.yar.Den
H3383
Jarden · definite article + proper noun, a place name
pass
תַּעַבְר֨וּta.'av.Ru
H5674
to cross over · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural
before
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
brethren
אֲחֵיכֶ֗ם'a.chei.Khem
H251
a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relation… · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
armed
חֲמֻשִׁ֜יםcha.mu.Shim
H2571
staunch · verb, qal passive participle, masculine plural absolute
mighty
גִּבּוֹרֵ֣יgi.bo.Rei
H1368
powerful · noun, common masculine plural construct
valour
הַחַ֔יִלha.Cha.yil
H2428
probably a force · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
help
וַעֲזַרְתֶּ֖םva.'a.zar.Tem
H5826
to surround · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine plural
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Exodus 13:18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land…
Deuteronomy 20:8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and…
Revelation 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Joshua 1:10-15
Joshua, being settled in the government, immediately applies himself to business; not to take state or to take his pleasure, but to further the work of God among, the people over whom God had set him. As he that desires the office of a minister (Ti1 3:1), so he that desires the office of a magistrate, desires a work, a good work; neither is preferred to be idle.
I. He issues out orders to the people to provide for a march; and they had been so long encamped in their present post that it would be a work of some difficulty to decamp. The officers of the people that commanded under Joshua in their respective tribes and families attended him for orders, which they were to transmit to the people.…
ye shall pass . . . armed--that is, officered or marshalled under five leaders in the old and approved caravan order (see on Exo 13:18).
all the mighty men of valour--The words are not to be interpreted strictly as meaning the whole, but only the flower or choice of the fighting men (see on Jos 4:12).
Next: Joshua Chapter 2
Adam Clarke on Joshua 1:14
Your wives, your little ones - And with these it appears, from Num 32:17, were left behind 70,580 effective men to guard them and their property; only 40,000 having passed over Jordan to assist the nine tribes and half to conquer the land. See Jos 4:13.
Armed - חמשים chamushim, by fives; in several lines, five in front, probably the usual method of marching; but it seems to signify arrayed, equipped, accoutred, well-armed, and ready for battle. See the note on Exo 13:18.
John Gill on Joshua 1:14
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan,.... This was what they themselves proposed, agreed unto, and confirmed, Numbers 32:16,
but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed; bearing arms, to fight for them; for none but such that were fit to bear arms were obliged to go; and these were to go "harnessed" (o), as some render the word, or in a military order, in rank and file, by fives, five in a row; not at the front of the army, for the standard of Judah went first, but along with them; for "before them" signifies no other than in the presence of them, and in company with them:
all the mighty men of valour, and he…
The Church Fathers
Nor is rest given to those who receive the inheritance through Moses, that is, who pleased God through the law, before they help their brothers in battle. Only the "women" and the "little ones" receive rest through Moses; but the rest do not rest, but go out to the aid of their brothers. See how today, as I labor in the contest of this life and have a struggle against enemies, that is, against the hostile powers, they come to my aid who before the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ were justified under the law. See how Isaiah furnishes me aid, when he illuminates me with the words of his reading. See Jeremiah coming girded and ready to our aid and, with the javelins of his volume, putting to flight our most fierce enemies, the darkness of my heart. Daniel too is girded for our aid, when he instructs and forewarns us concerning the presence and kingdom of Christ and concerning the future deceit of the Antichrist. Ezekiel too is present, marking for us the heavenly mysteries in the fourfold circuits of the wheels and "enclosing a wheel within a wheel." Hosea too leads the twice-six squadrons of the prophetic host, and they all march out "with their loins girded in the truth" which they preach to the aid of their brothers, so that, instructed by their volumes, we may not be ignorant of the devil's cunning. These, therefore, who are strong men, armed and "girded about the loins with truth," go out to our aid and fight alongside us. But the "little ones" and the "women" do not go out to our battle. And no wonder; for he is called an infant who does not speak. What help, then, could that one have given me who has spoken nothing? in whom I find nothing that I may read? whose word does not instruct me? But the Apostle says that "the woman" is "the weaker vessel." Hence, consequently, "the weaker vessel" does not come to the conflict, lest it be shattered and perish; for so it is said of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels that "he did not break the bruised reed." Since therefore "women" are commanded to be taught at home by their husbands and are placed rather in the person of disciples than of teachers, he does not come to my aid who cannot teach me and in whom I find nothing that I ought to imitate or hold fast.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Manasseh · of the Jordan River — of the Jordan River
Reubenites · Jordan River — Jordan River
War · Weapons used in — Weapons used in
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Joshua 1:10-18
10. Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
10. Tunc praecepit Josue praefectis populi dicendo,
11. Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days you shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God give you to possess it.
11. Transite per medium castrorum et praecipite populo, dicendo, Parate vobis annonam: quia post tres dies transibitis Jordanem hunc, ut intretis et possideatis terram, quam Jehova Deus vester dat vobis possidendam.
12. And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spoke Joshua, saying,
12. Ad Reubenitas vero et Gadit…
Jos 1:10-11
Preparations for Crossing the Jordan. - Jos 1:10-11. For the purpose of carrying out the commands of the Lord, Joshua first of all directed the officers of the people (shoterim: see at Ex 5-6), whose duty it was, as the keepers of the family registers, to attend not only to the levying of the men who were bound to serve in the army, but also to the circulation of the commands of the general, to issue orders to the people in the camp to provide themselves with food, so that they might cross the Jordan within three days, and take the land that was promised them by God. By zedah, provision for a journey (Gen 42:25, etc.), we are not to understand manna, for that had already ceased (…
The warriors of the 2½ tribes had promised to cross the Jordan with the rest of Israel to help them conquer their land (Num 32:16-19). Joshua reminded them of their obligation.
Rashi on Joshua 1:14
All who are mighty warriors among you shall cross over armed [for battle].
