So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers. They possessed it, and lived in it.
- KJV And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
- BSB Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it.
- NKJV So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.
- NASB So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and lived in it.
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
Yahweh gave Israel all the land He had sworn to their fathers, and they took possession of it. It declares the fulfillment of God's ancient promise.
Overview
This is one of the great summary statements of the book, marking the fulfillment of the land promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Though much remained to be subdued, the gift was secured and possession had begun. God's covenant faithfulness here foreshadows the greater inheritance secured for believers in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Gen 13:15for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever.
- Gen 28:4and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your offspring with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham.”
- Ps 106:42–45Their enemies also oppressed them. They were brought into subjection under their hand.
- Exod 23:27–31I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
- Ps 44:3For they didn’t get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them.
- Gen 15:13–21He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.
- Gen 26:3–4Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
- Exod 3:8I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
- Deut 11:31For you are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and you shall possess it, and dwell therein.
- Gen 28:13–14Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your offspring.
- Deut 17:14When you have come to the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and possess it, and dwell in it, and say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me”;
- Gen 12:7Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” He built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.
- Deut 34:4Yahweh said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your offspring. ’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”
Resources, by level
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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 21:43 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.