Bible verse wall art
Joshua 1: be strong and of a good courage
Joshua 1:9 is the verse many Americans reach for before a deployment, a surgery or a first day somewhere new. It was first spoken to a man stepping into the hardest job in Israel, right after the death of Moses.
Joshua 1 prints
Joshua 1 · King James Version
9 Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
After Moses
The book opens with a funeral already behind it: “Moses my servant is dead.” Joshua, son of Nun, had served as Moses's assistant throughout the wilderness years. He was one of the two spies, with Caleb, who had urged the people to trust God and enter Canaan a generation earlier. Now the whole nation is camped on the east bank of the Jordan, and he must lead them across.
God's first speech to Joshua is a commissioning. It repeats promises made to Moses about the land, and it adds a personal one in verse 5: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
What does Joshua 1:9 mean?
The phrase “be strong and of a good courage” appears three times in God's speech (verses 6, 7 and 9), and the people repeat it back to Joshua in verse 18. Repetition like that is a clue. Joshua was not a fearless man being congratulated; he was a man being told, again and again, not to let fear decide.
Verse 9 gives the reason for the courage. It does not rest on Joshua's talent or the army's strength, but on company: the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. “Dismayed” in older English means broken down, losing heart. The verse is a command, “have not I commanded thee?”, but it is a command that comes with a promise attached.
Verse 8 offers the other half of the plan: the book of the law is not to depart out of Joshua's mouth, and he is to meditate on it day and night. Courage and Scripture belong together in this chapter.
Carried into barracks, hospitals and classrooms
Joshua 1:9 is one of the most requested verses in the United States for military chaplains, first responders, athletes and students. It shows up on dog tags, locker rooms and graduation cards. As a print it fits an office, a teenager's bedroom, a new home or the wall of anyone facing a move, a diagnosis or a new job.
The same words in other places
Moses had already spoken almost the same encouragement to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31, and David uses similar words when he hands the building of the temple to Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28. The promise of verse 5 returns in the New Testament, where Hebrews 13:5 quotes God as saying, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.