Bible Strands
Joshua 3:9
So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua addresses the Israelites at the Jordan River immediately after instructing the priests to stand at the water's edge. He speaks to the assembly just before the miraculous crossing and the subsequent conquest of the land.
The words — The Hebrew imperative גֹּשׁוּ (Go.shu) commands "draw near," paired with וְ/שִמְע֕וּ (ve./shim.'U) meaning "and hear." These verbs frame the moment as a summons to physical proximity and auditory attention.
The thread — The call to listen echoes Deuteronomy 4:1, where Moses urges Israel to heed God's statutes to live and possess the land. It stands in direct contrast to Deuteronomy 12:8, which warns against the chaotic pattern of everyone doing what seems right in his own eyes.
Why it lands — The text commands immediate physical and auditory focus on divine instruction before any action occurs. It requires readers to recognize that obedience to spoken words precedes the manifestation of God's presence and victory.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 4:1 Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
- Deuteronomy 12:8 You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes.