Oct 25 2005
Joshua 1:1-4
וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵ֛י מֹ֥ות מֹשֶׁ֖ה עֶ֣בֶד יְהוָ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־יְהֹושֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֔וּן מְשָׁרֵ֥ת מֹשֶׁ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃ 2 מֹשֶׁ֥ה עַבְדִּ֖י מֵ֑ת וְעַתָּה֩ ק֨וּם עֲבֹ֜ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֗ה אַתָּה֙ וְכָל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָהֶ֖ם לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ 3 כָּל־מָקֹ֗ום אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּדְרֹ֧ךְ כַּֽף־רַגְלְכֶ֛ם בֹּ֖ו לָכֶ֣ם נְתַתִּ֑יו כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי אֶל־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ 4 מֵהַמִּדְבָּר֩ וְהַלְּבָנֹ֨ון הַזֶּ֜ה וְֽעַד־הַנָּהָ֧ר הַגָּדֹ֣ול נְהַר־פְּרָ֗ת כֹּ֚ל אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽחִתִּ֔ים וְעַד־הַיָּ֥ם הַגָּדֹ֖ול מְבֹ֣וא הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ יִֽהְיֶ֖ה גְּבוּלְכֶֽם׃
Vocabulary
Verse 1
אחרי noun: "after"
משׁרת noun: "servant" (BDB, 1058)
נון “Nun” (the father of Joshua)
Syntax & Miscellaneous
- Line 1 uses apposition twice. Apposition is found frequently in Hebrew with proper names (in this case with Mosesמשׁה and Joshua יהושׁע ).
- The syntax of the second clause follows the typical Hebrew quotation formula—the verbal form of אמר followed by the infinitive construct of the same verb—that is similar to the English form: He said, “___”.
- Notice how the first introduction of Joshua links directly to the end of the book of Deuteronomy in subject with the death of Moses and in grammar with a waw-consecutive construction. Joshua the book, therefore, is connecting seamlessly the Torah and the Former Prophets.
Vocabulary
Verse 2
קום verb (Qal imperative ms): “stand up”
עבר verb (Qal impv ms): "go through, cross over"
ירדן “Jordan [River]”
אנכי 1 person singular pronoun: “I”
Verse 3
כף “hollow, sole” (BDB, 496)
רגל “foot”
Verse 4 (more advanced students)
מדבר “wilderness”
לבנון “Lebanon”
פרת “Euphrates”
חתים “Hivites”
מבוא participle: "entering" (BDB, 99)
Syntax & Misc.
Verse 2
- Because the first word of verse two is the beginning of the quotation, the regular initial conjunction is absent.
- The second word is in apposition to the moniker, Moses.
- The mark above the demonstrative (זה) is a disjunctive accent (reb [Young, 29]), which indicates the following is a separate phrase from the previous one.
Verse 3
- The feminine form, תדרך, agrees with the feminine noun subject.
- The relative marker, אשׁר, is used very frequently in Biblical Hebrew prose, but is typically absent in poetry.
Verse 4
- Adjectives and demonstratives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and definiteness.
