One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.
Parallel translations
- WEB One man of you shall chase a thousand; for it is Yahweh your God who fights for you, as he spoke to you.
- KJV One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.
- BSB One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised.
- NASB One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you.
- NLT Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.
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
One Israelite could rout a thousand because Yahweh fought for them. It magnifies God's power on behalf of His people.
Overview
Joshua highlights the lopsided victories God granted, where a single man could chase a thousand. The point is clear: the strength was the Lord's, not Israel's. This assurance of divine help encourages faith and dependence rather than self-reliance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Deut 32:30How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had delivered them up?
- Lev 26:8Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
- Deut 3:22You shall not fear them; for Yahweh your God himself fights for you.”
- Exod 14:14Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still.”
- Ps 35:1By David. Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.
- Deut 20:4for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
- Rom 8:31What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Ps 46:7Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
- Josh 23:3You have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations because of you; for it is Yahweh your God who has fought for you.
- Ps 44:4–5You are my King, God. Command victories for Jacob!
- 1 Sam 14:6Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that Yahweh will work for us; for there is no restraint on Yahweh to save by many or by few.”
- Josh 10:42Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
- Exod 23:27–33I 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.
- Judg 15:15He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, put out his hand, took it, and struck a thousand men with it.
- 2 Sam 23:8These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb Basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.
- Judg 7:19–22So Gideon, and the hundred men who were with him, came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch. Then they blew the trumpets, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.
- Judg 3:31After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. He also saved Israel.
- 1 Sam 14:12–16The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something!” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me; for Yahweh has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 23:10 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.