Joshua 22:2
And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
Numbers 32:20-32 records Moses' conditional agreement: if the Transjordan tribes fought alongside their brothers until Canaan was subdued, they could possess the eastern territory. Deuteronomy 3:18-20 and Joshua 1:12-18 reiterated this obligation. For approximately seven years, these warriors fought in campaigns across Canaan while their families remained in fortified cities east of the Jordan. This required extraordinary sacrifice—prolonged separation from families, risk of death in battle for land that wasn't their own inheritance, and delayed enjoyment of their granted territory. Ancient Near Eastern warfare was brutal and casualty rates high. That all these troops remained faithful without desertion demonstrates exceptional covenant loyalty.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you respond when obedience to God requires prolonged sacrifice without immediate personal benefit—with faithfulness or with resentment?
- What does it mean to truly 'keep all' God's commands rather than selective obedience in convenient areas while ignoring difficult ones?
- How does the continuity between Moses and Joshua's commands illustrate that God's moral requirements don't change with new leadership or generations?
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Analysis & Commentary
And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
Joshua's commendation addresses both aspects of their obedience: to Moses' original command and to his own ongoing leadership. The phrase "kept all" (shamartem et kol, שְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת כָּל) uses the comprehensive term shamar (שָׁמַר), meaning to guard, observe, or preserve carefully. This wasn't partial obedience but complete fulfillment of covenant obligations. Moses is honored as "the servant of the LORD" (eved Yahweh, עֶבֶד יְהוָה), the highest designation of faithfulness, linking his authority to divine command.
The parallel structure—"kept all that Moses...commanded" and "obeyed my voice in all that I commanded"—establishes continuity between Mosaic and Josuanic leadership. The Transjordan tribes didn't exploit the leadership transition to abandon difficult commitments. "Obeyed my voice" (shema'tem beqoli, שְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקֹלִי) uses shema (שָׁמַע), meaning to hear with the intent to obey—the same word in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4). True hearing produces action, not merely intellectual assent.