Limitless Word
According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
Joshua 1:17 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Just as we listened to Moses in all things, so will we listen to you. Only may Yahweh your God be with you, as he was with Moses.
  • BSB Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.
  • NKJV Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses.
  • NASB Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses.
  • NLT We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The tribes promise to obey Joshua as they obeyed Moses, while praying that God would be with him as He was with Moses. Their loyalty is matched by a desire for God's blessing on their leader.

Overview

Their pledge ties Joshua's authority to Moses' established office, affirming continuity in God's leadership of the nation. Their prayer that God would be with Joshua echoes God's own promise in verse 5, showing the people aligning their hopes with God's word. Faithful followers both obey their leaders and pray for God's presence to rest upon them.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Josh 1:5There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
  • 1 Kgs 1:37As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.
  • Josh 1:9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
  • Matt 21:9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
  • Ps 20:9Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
  • Ps 20:4Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
  • 1 Sam 20:13The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
  • 1 Tim 2:1–2I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
  • Ps 118:25–26Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
  • Ps 20:1The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
  • 1 Chr 28:20And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 1:17YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.

How Joshua 1:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.