The What?

“Moses My servant is dead; so now arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”  Joshua 1:2  NASB

This – There’s something very odd hidden in this verse, something you will never see in translation.  The two nouns, “Jordan” and “people” have attached definite articles which are matched grammatically with definite articles attached to the pronouns.  Literally, the verse reads “cross the Jordan the this, you and all the people the this.”  How utterly strange!  Do you suppose that there were alternatives available, perhaps another Jordan and another people, so that God had to particularly specify this one as opposed to another one?  Not likely.  So what is the purpose of these entirely hidden definite articles?  Are they simply redundant?  No, that’s not likely either.  We’ll have to dig a bit deeper.

In order to get some clue about these unusual articles, we’ll have to clean up a bit of the translation.  First, the verb qûm (arise) is more forceful than it appears.  Rabbinic commentators suggest that it means, “You, Joshua, get up and go before the people.”  In other words, now that Moses is dead, you must take his place and lead them across.  It’s more than just getting out of bed.  “Get going” is the sense of it, and “Get going” means “Go first.”

This sets the tone for the rest of the command (for that’s what it is—a command).  God tells Joshua in emphatic terms that it’s time to go across.  The double definite articles are like saying “this very Jordan” and “this very people.”  In other words, Joshua is not to wait any longer.  He’s not to wait for better weather, for a change in the people’s attitude, for the waters of the Jordan to subside, or for any other reason to hesitate.  And he’s not to wait to see which members of the assembly are ready.  It’s time.  Go now!

Consider how important this is given the historical past.  For forty years, these people have waited.  They’ve grown accustomed to waiting.  They weren’t ready a full generation before and they might still be hesitant now.  In fact, as it turns out, some still aren’t ready.  But God won’t wait any longer.  If you don’t get up and get going, you’re going to be left behind.  The place to cross is right here, right now.  No looking for a better ford, a smoother approach, or a slower current.  This is the spot.  Do it!

In Hebrew the definite articles add exclamation to the command.  They provide the temporal imperative necessary to create expediency.  When we translate this verse without these (as it is virtually impossible to include them in proper English), we end up with a suggestion instead of a shove.  We don’t see God’s impatience.  We read logistics rather than excitement.  And maybe that’s the real problem.  Too often it seems to me, we hear God’s voice as a suggestion rather than a push.  We’re still watching from the shoreline when He’s already on the other side.

Topical Index: this, definite article, temporal imperative, Joshua 1:2