Hello, Why did God command Joshua three times in chapter one “be strong and courageous,” in fact one of the times He said, “be strong and very courageous.” What was God trying to tell Joshua, and now to us as we read this passage? Thank you, Nancy from Scarborough, Maine
Except for the “very,” the same original language words appear in each of verses Joshua 1:6, 7 and 9. Nothing appears in Scripture beyond the exhortations to be strong, but it is an easy supposition to conclude that the momentous undertaking passing from the hands of Moses to Joshua was challenging, besides the task of conquering and settling Canaan; anyone assuming such a significant and challenging role could well use the reassurance of the repeated instructive encouragement of Almighty God.
Perhaps antidotal evidence along these lines, I remember reading of instruction sometimes given to police and security guards. When confronting someone to whom it is necessary to give verbal commands, to which the subject does not immediately comply, repeat the command two more times, for a total of three times. Usually, the subject will comply upon the third pronouncement of the command (provided he or she is not conditioned against authority or part of group or mob thinking). Evidently, something about three pronouncements of a command often favorably works on the human psyche.
