Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Deuteronomy 31:23/ספורנו על דברים ל״א:כ״ג
אוַיְצַו אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ מִנָּה אָז אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לְנָגִיד, כְּמוֹ ״צִוִּיתִי שׁוֹפְטִים״ (שמואל ב ז:יא) וּ״צִוְּךָ לְנָגִיד״ (שמואל א כה:ל) וְדוֹמֵיהֶם.
1ויצו את יהושע, at that time G’d appointed Joshua to be the leader. The expression ויצו used here has been used elsewhere to describe someone’s appointment, such as in Samuel I 25,30 וצוך לנגיד, “He appointed you as leader,” or Samuel II 7,11 צויתי שופטים, “I appointed judges.” There are more such examples in Scripture.