Section 1:1–9 Yahweh spoke to Joshua
In this section Yahweh commanded Joshua to lead the Israelites into the land that he had promised them. He told Joshua that no enemy would be able to oppose him, and that he must obey the law which Yahweh gave to Moses. Joshua told the Israelites to prepare to cross the Jordan River.
Here are some other possible section headings:
Yahweh told Joshua to be strong and courageous
-or-
Yahweh told Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan River
Paragraph 1:1–5
Moses led the Israelite people through the wilderness for forty years. At the end of the book of Deuteronomy the people were almost ready to enter the land of Canaan, and Moses died. Here at the beginning of the book of Joshua, Yahweh put Joshua in command of the Israelites, and told him to lead them into Canaan. Yahweh promised to be with Joshua and to help him.
1:1a
after the death of His servant Moses: The death of…Moses is described in Deuteronomy 34. The book of Joshua follows that story. This sentence is the opening words of a new book. Think about the natural way to begin a new book in your language. In some languages it may be better to begin with a main clause, for example:
Moses had ⌊recently⌋ died
His servant Moses: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant can also be translated as “slave.” It refers to someone who must obey the commands of a master. It is recommended that you use a term that indicates the lowly position of a slave or a servant.
In some languages it may be more natural to place Moses’ title His servant after his name, for example:
Moses, Yahweh’s servant
In some languages it may be more natural to use the verb “serve” instead of the noun servant, for example:
Moses, a man who served Yahweh
General Comment on 1:1a
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
After Moses, Yahweh’s servant, died
-or-
Moses had recently died. He was a man who served Yahweh.
1:1b
the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun: This is the first event of the book. If you used a main clause to translate 1:1a you may want to use a temporal phrase here, such as “at that time.”
Here is another way to translate this clause:
⌊At that time⌋ Yahweh said to Joshua the son of Nun
the LORD: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates LORD is “Yahweh,” the personal name of God. See the notes in the Introduction on how to translate this term.
Joshua son of Nun: In some languages it may be more natural to say:
Joshua whose father was called Nun
Moses’ assistant: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as assistant comes from a verb that means “to be an attendant on” or “to wait on.” It is different from the Hebrew word translated as “servant” in 1:1a. This word was used when Joshua accompanied Moses up Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:13) where the Berean Standard Bible translated it as “attendant.” Joshua’s task was not that of a servant but of an assistant.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the person who helped Moses
-or-
Moses’ aide (New International Version)
-or-
Moses’ helper (Good News Translation)
Here are some ways to translate this part of the verse:
Yahweh said to Joshua, Nun’s son, who had been Moses’ assistant
-or-
Yahweh spoke to Joshua. Joshua was the son of Nun, and he was the person who had helped Moses
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