Joshua 1:3
in Joshua 1I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses.
KJV
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
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This verse in Joshua 1
Commentary
12 notes on this verseEvery place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon,.... That is, in the land of Canaan: that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses: See Gill on Deu 11:24; though the Jews extend this to all without the land subdued by them, and even to all the countries they now tread on, and are exiles in; but the limits of what the Lord gave them are fixed in Jos 1:4.
This site's exposition
the sole of your foot
on Joshua 1:3-4
The grant repeats Deuteronomy 11:24 nearly word for word, with the Euphrates in both. Clarke reads the grant as a limit touched later in the monarchy. Henry reads the land still remaining at 13:1 as pointing past the letter to the kingdom of the Messiah.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
What is the special excellence of Joshua? His generalship, and the distribution of the inheritance, and the taking possession of the Holy Land.
What are the places we ascend with the soles of our feet? The letter of the law is placed on the ground and lies down below. On no occasion, then, does the one who follows the letter of the law ascend. But if you are able to rise from the letter to the spirit and also ascend from history to a higher understanding, then truly you have ascended the lofty and high place that you will receive from God as your inheritance.
But let us consider what is promised to us in these words.There are certain diabolical races of powerful adversaries against whom we wage a battle and against whom we struggle in this life. However many of these races we set under our feet, however many we conquer in battle, we shall seize their territories, their provinces and their realms, as Jesus our Lord apportions them to us. For they were once angels; they were glorified in the kingdom of God. Or do we not read that Isaiah says of one of them, "How did Lucifer fall, the one who rose in the morning?" That Lucifer, without a doubt, had a throne in the heavens until he became a fugitive angel. If I should conquer him and set him under my feet, if I should deserve that the Lord Jesus "crush Satan under my feet," I shall be ready as a consequence to receive the place of Lucifer in heaven. Thus we understand the promise to us from our Lord Jesus that "every place we set the soles of our feet" will be ours. But let us not imagine that we may be able to enter into this inheritance yawning and drowsy, through ease and negligence. The wrath of his own race possesses the angel [Lucifer]. Unless you vanquish this [wrath] in yourself and cut off all violent impulses of anger and rage, you will not be able to claim as an inheritance the place that angel once had. For you will not expel him from the land of promise by your slothfulness. In like manner, some angels incite pride, jealousy, greed and lust and instigate these evil things. Unless you gain the mastery over their vices in yourself and exterminate them from your land—which now through the grace of baptism has been sanctified—you will not receive the fullness of the promised inheritance.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
To the patriarchs it was promised, I will give it; but, now that the fourth generation had expired, the iniquity of the Amorites was full, and the time had come for the performance of the promise, it is actually conveyed, and they are put in possession of that which they had long been in expectation of: "I do give it, enter upon it, it is all your own; nay (
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), I have given it; though it be yet unconquered, it is as sure to you as if it were in your hands." Observe, (1.) The persons to whom the conveyance is made: To them, even to the children of Israel (
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5 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
The sole of your foot shalt tread upon - That is, the whole land occupied by the seven Canaanitish nations, and as far as the Euphrates on the east; for this was certainly the utmost of the grant now made to them; and all that was included in what is termed the promised land, the boundaries of which have already been defined. See Deu 34:1-4, and see Jos 1:4 (note) below.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
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;
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UNDER the leadership of Moses the children of Israel had been journeying towards the land of promise. Owing to their waywardness, what might have been done in less than a month occupied many years. They wandered up and down in the wilderness, sometimes close on the border of their inheritance and other times lost in the great desert. Alas, many of God's people are still in this unsatisfactory condition—they have come out of Egypt—the depths have swallowed up their adversaries and they are on the way to the promised heritage. But they have not yet entered into rest.
UNDER the leadership of Moses the children of Israel had been journeying towards the land of promise. Owing to their waywardness, what might have been done in less than a month occupied many years. They wandered up and down in the wilderness, sometimes close on the border of their inheritance and other times lost in the great desert. Alas, many of God's people are still in this unsatisfactory condition—they have come out of Egypt—the depths have swallowed up their adversaries and they are on the way to the promised heritage. But they have not yet entered into rest. They will, we trust, ultimately reach the peace of God which passes all understanding, for they have sufficient faith to prove them to be God's people and therefore, the Lord will surely bring them in. But, assuredly, they make a great deal of marching for very small progress. For lack of faith they go about when, with a step, they might possess the promised Canaan. Today my earnest prayer and desire is that going towards the promised heritage may come to an end with you this day and you may enter into heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus by an immediate act of faith. I want the Lord's people so to persevere in their seeking, by Divine strength, that they may get out of the great and terrible wilderness and come to Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem and enter into their heritage, according to that word, "We which have believed do enter into rest." Our friends have come as far as that first verse of our Lord's invitation, "Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." And they have a measure of that rest which comes of pardoned sin and confidence in Jesus.
Modern Voices1 voice
A commentator
Kenneth Hagin1917–2003
Healing Belongs To Us (excerpt: "Possessing the Promise") (1969)
proposed
God had said He would give them the land, but the people had to possess it.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מָק֗וֹם | makom | place | H4725 → | 401 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| תִּדְרֹ֧ךְ | tidrokh | it will tread | H1869 → | |
| כַּֽף־ | kaf- | [the] sole of | H3709 → | 192 times |
| רַגְלְכֶ֛ם | raglekhem | foot your | H7272 → | 247 times |
| בּ֖וֹ | bo | on <the> it | ||
| לָכֶ֣ם | lakhem | to <the> you | ||
| נְתַתִּ֑יו | netativ | I have given it | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי | dibarti | I spoke | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֹשֶֽׁה׃ | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
מָק֗וֹםplace
makomH4725 →401 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
תִּדְרֹ֧ךְit will tread
tidrokhH1869 →
כַּֽף־[the] sole of
kaf-H3709 →192 times
רַגְלְכֶ֛םfoot your
raglekhemH7272 →247 times
בּ֖וֹon <the> it
bo
לָכֶ֣םto <the> you
lakhem
נְתַתִּ֑יוI have given it
netativH5414 →2011 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
דִּבַּ֖רְתִּיI spoke
dibartiH1696 →1141 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מֹשֶֽׁה׃Moses
moshehH4872 →765 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Titus 1:2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
it leads to
- Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
- 2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
- 1 John 2:25
And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.
- Hebrews 6:17–18
So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.
- 2 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
- Numbers 23:19
Through
Deuteronomy 11:24Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea.
it leads to
- Joshua 14:9
On that day Moses swore to me, saying, ‘Surely the land on which you have set foot will be an inheritance to you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD…
- Genesis 15:18–21
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- Exodus 23:31
And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you…
- Joshua 14:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
About Joshua
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2086: “Taking Possession Of Our Inheritance” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Gregory of Nazianzus, ON BASIL THE GREAT, ORATION 43.72; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Kenneth Hagin, Healing Belongs To Us (excerpt: "Possessing the Promise"); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 2.3 and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 1.6.