Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.
Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying. The words spoken by Joshua are not a literal quotation, but the substance only of what was addressed by Moses (Deuteronomy 3:18-20) to the two tribes and a half, reminding them of their obligation to aid their brethren in the war of invasion.
On this side Jordan - i:e., on the east side. х `eeber (H5676) is rendered sometimes on this, sometimes on the other side Jordan, its proper meaning in any passage being determined by the position of the writer or speaker. It is used in Deuteronomy, and also in Joshua (Joshua 5:1; Joshua 12:7; Joshua 22:7), to describe the western region, obviously on account of the only home as yet possessed by the Hebrews being on the east. But most frequently it denotes the east country, because Canaan proper was always regarded as the principal or central portion of the promised land (see Hengstenberg's 'Contrib.,' 3:, p. 313; also 'Balaam,' p. 27, English translation); and in this book, where it is used as a geographical term, an additional word is sometimes subjoined to give it greater precision and distinctness, as in Joshua 1:15, "toward the sun rising;" or, in the passages referred to above, where it denotes the west, yaamaah (H3220), westward, is added.]
Ye shall pass before your brethren armed, (see the note at Joshua 4:12) х chªmushiym (H2571)] - (see the note at Exodus 13:18 for the various interpretations given of this word). [The Septuagint renders it as: euzoonoi, well girt: cf. Numbers 32:20; Deuteronomy 3:18.]
All the mighty men of valour. The word all is frequently used in a loose or general sense; and here it must be viewed as indefinite; for, considering the numbers of fighting men in the eastern tribes (Numbers 36:7), and the comparatively small levy of soldiers who actually went over to Canaan (see the note at Joshua 4:13), we must conclude that the "all" comprised the flower or choice of their warriors.