You are to take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for I have given the land to you to possess it.
- KJV And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
- NKJV you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess.
- NASB and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.
- NLT Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy.
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
Israel is to take possession of and dwell in the land, for God has given it to them. The inheritance rests on God's gift, not Israel's merit.
Overview
The land is granted by divine promise, fulfilling the covenant sworn to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 17:8). Possession is both gift and responsibility, received by faith and held by obedience. This earthly inheritance points beyond itself to the lasting inheritance secured for believers in Christ (1 Peter 1:4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Deut 11:31For you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you. When you take possession of it and settle in it,
- Josh 21:43Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it.
- Deut 32:8When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
- Ps 115:16The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.
- Dan 4:32You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.”
- Dan 4:17This decision is the decree of the watchers, the verdict declared by the holy ones, so that the living will know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes, setting over it the lowliest of men.’
- Ps 24:1–2A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein.
- Jer 27:5–6By My great power and outstretched arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it, and I give it to whom I please.
- Dan 4:25You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.
- Matt 20:15Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
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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 33:53 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.