Promised Land: unconditional ownership, conditional occupancy

Joshua 1:1–6 (ESV)

1After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant,

2“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.

3Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

4From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

5No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

6Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

In verse six the verb translated “inherit” by the ESV means permanent possession. Note the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament commentary on this word in this verse, “The verb nāḥal basically signifies giving or receiving property which is part of a permanent possession and as a result of succession. Sometimes the idea of succession is absent but the “possessing” carries with it a connotation of permanence (e.g. Ex 34:9; Prov 14:18).” [Coppes, L. J. (1999). 1342 נָחַל. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 569). Chicago: Moody Press]