Paragraph 1:6-9
God encouraged Joshua to be brave and to be faithful to the law.
1:6a
Be strong and courageous: The phrases Be strong and [be] courageous have a similar meaning. The use of these two synonyms shows emphasis in Hebrew. In some languages it may be unnatural or confusing to use two words that mean the same thing. If this is true in your language, you could use one word and add an intensifier, for example:
be very brave
You could also use two words with the same meaning, one positive and one negative. For example:
be strong and do not be afraid
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
Be determined and confident (Good News Translation)
-or-
Be very courageous
1:6b
for: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason why Joshua must be brave. He must be brave because he was going to lead the Israelites into Canaan.
you shall give these people the inheritance of the land: The clause you shall give these people the inheritance of the land means that Joshua will lead the Israelites to take the land that Yahweh will give them. Usually, a person does not inherit something until someone has died. In the book of Joshua, Yahweh gave the land of Canaan as an inheritance to the Israelites. The word inheritance means that the Israelites took possession of the land. Some languages may not use the word inheritance in this way.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
because you will lead them so that they inherit the land
-or-
You must lead these people so they can take the land (New Century Version)
-or-
because you will help these people take possession of the land (God’s Word)
you: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you is emphatic. In English we might express this as:
it is you who will cause this people to inherit the land
If you have emphatic pronouns in your language, you may be able to use one here.
1:6c
that I swore: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as swore can also be translated as:
vowed
-or-
promised
to their fathers I would give them: The word fathers refers to the ancestors of the Israelites, that is, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yahweh promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would give them the land of Canaan. See, for example, Genesis 13:14-15. These people were also the ancestors of Joshua. In some languages it may be more natural to translate the phrase to their fathers as “to your fathers.”
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
that I promised their/your fathers that I would give them
-or-
which I vowed to give to their/your ancestors
-or-
I promised their fathers that I would give them this land (English Easy-to-Read Version)
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