and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven out his enemies from before him,
Parallel translations
- KJV And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,
- BSB and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him,
- NKJV and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,
- NASB and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies out from Him,
- NLT and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the Lord has driven out his enemies,
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
Every armed man must cross the Jordan and fight until the LORD drives out His enemies. The conquest is framed as God's own war.
Overview
Moses requires their full military participation until the LORD has dispossessed the Canaanites. Notably, the battle belongs to the LORD; the warriors serve before Him as His instruments. This reframes the conquest as God's righteous judgment carried out through His people, and it reminds readers that ultimate victory rests in God's hand, not human strength.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 32:21 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
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