Joshua 1:16-18 meaning

Joshua 1:16-18 records the genuine and wholehearted response of the eastern tribes to Joshua. The previous passage describes Joshua summoning the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to war, reminding them to help their fellow Israelites conquer the Promised Land before they could settle in their allocated cities on the eastern side of Jordan (Joshua 1:12-15).

In Moses’s day, the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh claimed their portions east of the Jordan River. Since they had numerous livestock, they thought that region would best meet their needs (Numbers 32:1). Moses was reluctant to grant their request, fearing they would not cross the Jordan to help their fellow Israelites conquer the Promised Land. But when the Reubenites, Gadites, and sons of Manasseh vowed to assist the other tribes, Moses accepted their request. He allowed their women, children, and animals to remain in the eastern region if the warriors would cross the Jordan to fight for their brothers (Deuteronomy 3:18-20). In Joshua 1:12-15, Joshua reminded these eastern tribes of their obligations. They agreed to Joshua’s demand and answered, All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go (v. 16).

The pledge of loyalty of these tribes seems genuine and enthusiastic. They recalled Moses’s agreement with them and reaffirmed their commitment. The people’s answer was an encouragement to the new leader. It showed their willingness to support him and follow his commands. They pledged to do whatever Joshua instructed them to do. They also promised to go wherever he would send them.

The eastern tribes also encouraged Joshua through a comparison: Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you (v. 17). Moses was a great leader and a “servant of the LORD” (Joshua 1:2). He had God’s hand upon his life, and the Israelites witnessed that. Therefore, they respected his leadership and were willing to follow him. Likewise, the people wanted to be loyal to Joshua as their new leader. They promised to live in unity and good discipline. But they put forth one expectation: Only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses.

The covenant people accepted Joshua as their new leader and vowed to submit to his authority with the expectation that God would support Joshua’s leadership. Before his death, Moses had told the people of Israel that Joshua was their new leader, as ordained by the LORD (Deuteronomy 31:3). Likewise, it could be inferred that the tribes were putting it to Joshua to submit to God and follow His commands, so that the LORD your God would be with Joshua as He was with Moses. As their Suzerain/ruler, God promised to bless the Israelites if they were obedient (Deuteronomy 28:1-14), and to curse the Israelites if they failed to uphold their covenant obligations. This declarative hope that God would support Joshua just as He had supported Moses would protect the covenant Israelite community from following a man who would lead them astray, thus precluding their blessings. The Israelites were rightly putting their trust in the LORD, not in the influence of a single man. Only if the LORD was with Joshua would the conquest of Canaan succeed.

The eastern tribes pronounced a curse as part of their pledge of loyalty to Joshua: Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death (v. 18). The verb rebels (“mārâ” in Hebrew) denotes the willful and constant disobedience of someone toward an authority. It occurs in Deuteronomy, where Moses explained to the Israelites how to deal with a stubborn son who continually disobeyed his parents (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Here in the book of Joshua, “mārâ” describes anyone who refused to follow Joshua’s commands. That person deserved the death penalty.

Having pledged to support Joshua in all his undertakings, the eastern tribes urged him to be strong and courageous. This statement occurs four times in this chapter. In the first three instances, it was God’s charge to Joshua. In our passage, these words came from Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They encouraged the new leader to be bold and resolute to achieve victory and lead God’s people to the Promised Land.

Tragically, several centuries after the conquest of Canaan, because they were on the eastern side of the Jordan, Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh would be the first tribes of Israel conquered and exiled by Assyria (1 Chronicles 5:26). The original plan was for them to inherit land on the western side of the Jordan, but they insisted that they wanted land on the eastern side. God allowed their request, knowing it would leave them vulnerable and cut off from their kinsmen.