The LORD described the land’s extent from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun Joshua 1:4. The text also mentions “all the land of the Hittites” within that description Joshua 1:4.
Joshua 1:1–4 opens with a leadership transition after Moses’ death. Yahweh speaks directly to Joshua, identifying him as Moses’ assistant, and gives him a clear task: get up, lead the people across the Jordan River, and enter the land Yahweh says he is giving to Israel. These verses function as the book’s opening setup, picking up where the wilderness story leaves off and moving the plot from waiting to action. The narrator briefly notes Moses’ death and Joshua’s role, then shifts to direct speech from Yahweh, which drives the rest of the section.
Joshua 1:1–4 opens with a clear transition: Moses has died, and Israel’s next phase begins. The text presents Yahweh as the one who initiates that change by speaking directly to Joshua, identified as “Moses’ assistant” (explicit textual claim). Leadership does not simply shift by human decision; the narrative frames it as God-directed.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Joshua 1:4, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
4From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even to 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 border.