Joshua 23:10 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Bible Comments

One man of you will chase a thousand, for YHWH your God, he it is who fights for you, as he spoke to you.'

This picturesque phrase cited from Deuteronomy 32:30 means simply that only one of them would be needed to fight a battle unit (a ‘thousand', an eleph), because YHWH would be there with him fighting for him (compare Deuteronomy 1:30). It is the language of exaggeration to bring home a point (compare Leviticus 26:8), saying that when they had YHWH with them every man was worth a battle unit, although Samson for one achieved it (Judges 15:8; Judges 15:15; Judges 16:30. Compare also 1 Samuel 14:12-17).

Joshua 23:10

10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.