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And you shall put some of your authority on him, so that all the congregation of the sons of Israel will obey him.
Numbers 27:20 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB You shall give authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey.
  • KJV And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
  • BSB Confer on him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel will obey him.
  • NKJV And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
  • NLT Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him.

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

Moses is to invest Joshua with some of his authority so the whole congregation will obey him.

Overview

Moses confers a measure of his own honor upon Joshua so the people will follow him, ensuring a stable succession. The continuity of God-given authority guarded Israel from chaos, illustrating how the Lord faithfully provides ongoing leadership for the good of His people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • Josh 1:16–18They answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
  • 1 Sam 10:9It was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs happened that day.
  • 1 Sam 10:6Then Yahweh’s Spirit will come mightily on you, and you will prophesy with them, and will be turned into another man.
  • 2 Kgs 2:15When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho over against him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
  • 2 Kgs 2:9–10When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be on me.”
  • 1 Chr 29:23Then Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
  • Num 11:28–29Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, “My lord Moses, forbid them!”
  • 1 Chr 29:25Yahweh magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and gave to him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
  • Num 11:17I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit which is on you, and will put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you not bear it yourself alone.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Numbers videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

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

  • VideoWatch teaching on Numbers 27:20YouTube · 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 NumbersMatthew 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

In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.

How Numbers 27:20 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.