Joshua / Question
In Joshua 1, the command to be strong and courageous is repeated three times in God’s charge to Joshua Joshua 1:6, Joshua 1:7, and Joshua 1:9. The repetition frames Joshua’s leadership as he prepares to enter the land Joshua 1:1–9.
In Joshua 1:5–7, God reassures Joshua that no opponent will be able to stop him throughout his leadership, because God will be with him as he was with Moses. On that basis, Joshua is commanded to be strong and courageous. These verses sit at the opening of Joshua, where leadership is transferring from Moses to Joshua after Moses’ death (1:1–4). God’s speech links Joshua’s future to what God did in Moses’ time, so the story’s continuity is emphasized: the same God, the same people, and the same long-promised land.
These verses present a leadership handoff from Moses to Joshua and tie Joshua’s future to God’s past faithfulness. The text explicitly grounds Joshua’s security in God’s presence: God will be with him “as” he was with Moses, and God will not abandon him (verse 5). On that basis, Joshua is told to show strength and courage (verses 6–7).
A common mistake is to treat this as trivia. Names, places, numbers, and sequence details often carry memory, covenant identity, or narrative movement in the biblical story.
Start with Joshua 1:6, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
6Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.