Oct 31 2005
Joshua 1:5-9
לֹֽא־יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב אִישׁ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֣י חַיֶּ֑יךָ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר הָיִ֤יתִי עִם־מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א אַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֥א אֶעֶזְבֶֽךָּ׃ 6 חֲזַ֖ק וֶאֱמָ֑ץ כִּ֣י אַתָּ֗ה תַּנְחִיל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶת־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי לַאֲבוֹתָ֖ם לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם׃ 7 רַק֩ חֲזַ֨ק וֶֽאֱמַ֜ץ מְאֹ֗ד לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ כְּכָל־הַתּוֹרָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוְּךָ֙ מֹשֶׁ֣ה עַבְדִּ֔י אַל־תָּס֥וּר מִמֶּ֖נּוּ יָמִ֣ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול לְמַ֣עַן תַּשְׂכִּ֔יל בְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר תֵּלֵֽךְ׃ 8 לֹֽא־יָמ֡וּשׁ סֵפֶר֩ הַתּוֹרָ֨ה הַזֶּ֜ה מִפִּ֗יךָ וְהָגִ֤יתָ בּוֹ֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה לְמַ֙עַן֙ תִּשְׁמֹ֣ר לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּת֖וּב בּ֑וֹ כִּי־אָ֛ז תַּצְלִ֥יחַ אֶת־דְּרָכֶ֖ךָ וְאָ֥ז תַּשְׂכִּֽיל׃ 9 הֲל֤וֹא צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ חֲזַ֣ק וֶאֱמָ֔ץ אַֽל־תַּעֲרֹ֖ץ וְאַל־תֵּחָ֑ת כִּ֤י עִמְּךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר תֵּלֵֽךְ׃ פ
Vocabulary
Verse 5
יתיצב verb (Hithpael imperfect 3ms): “take one’s stand” (BDB, 426)
חי noun: “life”
רפה verb (Hiphil imperfect 1cs | 2ms suffix): “abandon” (BDB, 951)
עזב verb (Qal imperfect 1cs | 2ms suffix): “forsake”
Syntax & Miscellaneous
- The prepositional phrase, לְפָנֶ֔יךָ, is used idiomatically to mean “against/before you.” The noun, פנים, does not indicate a face, but can be used for presence or the entire person as in this verse.
- The relative clause, הָיִ֤יתִי עִם־מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ, demonstrates the temporal (tense) difference between the perfect and imperfect. The same construction and verb is used with different aspect/tense verbal forms. It juxtaposes the perfect (past), “as I was with Moses,” with the imperfect (non-past), “I will be with you.”
Vocabulary
Verse 6
אמץ verb (Qal imperative ms): “be bold, courageous” (BDB, 54)
נחיל verb (Hiphil): “possess (land)”
שׁבע verb: “swore”
לָתֵ֥ת verb (Qal infinitive construct of נתן): “give”
Verse 7
רק adverb: “only”
שׁמר verb: “guard, be careful”
צוה verb: “command”
סור verb (Qal jussive 3ms): “turn”
ימין “right”
שׂמאול “left”
למען “so that”
שׂכל verb (Hiphil imperfect 2ms): “have success”
Verse 8
מוש verb (Qal imperfect): “depart” (BDB, 559)
הגה verb: “mediate” (BDB, 211)
יומם adverb: “daily, day-by-day”
אז “then”
צלח verb (Hiphil): “make prosperous”
Verse 9
ערץ verb: “tremble” (BDB, 792)
תחת verb: “dismayed”
Syntax & Misc.
Verse 6
- Sometimes a Hiphil (causative) verbal stem takes two objects with the direct object marker: “He will make/cause object 1 to do object 2.” In verse 6, “You will make this people possess the land.”
Verse 7
- The negation, אַל, is used only with modals (i.e. jussives). For those who know Greek it is similar to the constructions with μη; whereas, לֹֽא corresponds to ουκ.
Verse 8
- Intertexuality is the study of semantically similar verses in the Bible. Most people think of this principle as relating to the use of the OT in the NT; however, there are many similar verses within the Hebrew Bible. Consider the relation of Joshua 1:8 to Psalm 1:2, וּֽבְתֹורָתֹ֥ו יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יֹומָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה .
Verse 9
- The he attached to the negation at the beginning of the sentence is the he interrogative. It marks a question in the first clause.
- The final clause is a verbless clause.