Limitless Word
So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the Lord your God says.
Joshua 3:9 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of Yahweh your God.”
  • KJV And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
  • BSB So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.”
  • NKJV So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.”
  • NASB Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.”

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

Joshua calls the people to come and hear the words of Yahweh their God. He directs their attention to God's word before the great act.

Overview

Before the miracle, Joshua gathers Israel to hear from God, emphasizing that His mighty deeds are interpreted by His word. The people are to act not on superstition but on revealed truth. This priority of God's word preparing His people for His works runs throughout Scripture and shapes faithful response to all that God does.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 2

  • Deut 4:1Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that you may live, and go in and possess the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, gives you.
  • Deut 12:8You shall not do after all the things that we do here today, every man whatever is right in his own eyes;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 3:9YouTube · 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 3:9 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.