God’s Word Translation
Joshua 1:4
4Your borders will be the desert ⌞on the south⌟, nearby Lebanon to the Euphrates River (the country of the Hittites) ⌞on the north⌟, and the Mediterranean Sea on the west.
Joshua 1:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
- New International Version (NIV)Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
- English Standard Version (ESV)From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
- New King James Version (NKJV)From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
Context of Joshua 1:4
2“My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people must cross the Jordan River into the land that I am going to give the people of Israel. 3I will give you every place on which you set foot, as I promised Moses. Your borders will be the desert ⌞on the south⌟, nearby Lebanon to the Euphrates River (the country of the Hittites) ⌞on the north⌟, and the Mediterranean Sea on the west. 5No one will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never neglect you or abandon you. 6Be strong and courageous, because you will help these people take possession of the land I swore to give their ancestors.
Read all of Joshua 1Joshua 1:4 word by word
מֵהַמִּדְבָּר֩ וְהַלְּבָנ֨וֹן הַזֶּ֜ה וְֽעַד־הַנָּהָ֧ר הַגָּד֣וֹל נְהַר־פְּרָ֗ת כֹּ֚ל אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽחִתִּ֔ים וְעַד־הַיָּ֥ם הַגָּד֖וֹל מְב֣וֹא הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ יִֽהְיֶ֖ה גְּבוּלְכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- From the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- and this Lebanonלְבָנוֹןlebânôn · LebanonH3844
- even unto the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · Great (Sea)H1419
- riverנָהָרnâhâr · riverH5104
- Euphratesפְּרָתperâth · EuphratesH6578
- all the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- of the Hittitesחִתִּיchittîy · HittiteH2850
- seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
- toward the going downמָבוֹאmâbô' · entranceH3996
- of the sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
- shall be your coastגְּבוּלgebûl gebûl · border: areaH1366
Cross-references for Joshua 1:4
- Genesis 15:18At that time the Lord made a promise to Abram. He said, “I will give this land to your descendants. This is the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.
- Exodus 23:31“I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Sinai Desert to the Euphrates River. I will put the people living in the land under your control, and you will force them out of your way.
- Numbers 34:2“Give the Israelites these instructions. When you enter Canaan, the land that will be given to you as your inheritance has these borders:
- Deuteronomy 1:7Break camp, and get ready! Go to the mountain region of the Amorites, and go to everyone living on the plains, in the mountains, in the foothills, in the Negev, on the whole Mediterranean coast (the land of the Canaanites), and into Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River.
- Deuteronomy 3:25Please let me go over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan River—those beautiful mountains in Lebanon.”
- Deuteronomy 11:24I will give you every place on which you set foot. Your borders will be from the desert to Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.
- 1 Chronicles 5:9Some of them lived eastward as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because they had so much livestock in Gilead.
- 1 Chronicles 18:3When David went to establish his control ⌞over the territory⌟ along the Euphrates River, he defeated King Hadadezer at Hamath.
Commentaries on Joshua 1:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4From the wilderness and this Lebanon - Joshua appears to be standing with his face towards the promised land, and pointing out the different places, or their situation, with his hand, This Lebanon, etc. The utmost of their limits should be from the desert of Arabia Petraea on the South to Lebanon on the North: and from the Euphrates on the East to the Mediterranean Sea on the West. The Israelites did not possess the full extent of this grant till the days…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Lebanon is spoken of as “this Lebanon,” because visible from the neighborhood in which Israel was encamped. (Compare Deuteronomy 3:8-9.) “The wilderness” of the text is the Desert of Arabia, which forms the southern, as Lebanon does the northern, limit of the promised land. The boundaries on the east and west are likewise indicated; and the intervening territory is described generally as “all the land of the Hittites.” The Hittites are properly the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The most southern region where ancient Israel settled was the Negev, near Beersheba (15:28). Israel's most northern tribes settled in parts of the Lebanon mountains, making them neighbors of the Sidonians. The Hittites were one of the subgroups that made up Canaan’s population (see study note on 3:10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-92-9. now therefore arise, go over this Jordan--Joshua's mission was that of a military leader. This passage records his call to begin the work, and the address contains a literal repetition of the promise made to Moses (De 11:24, 25; 31:6-8, 23).Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 1:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Joshua 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries