“... In order to comfort and encourage Joshua, Moses in 12:6-7 reappraises his own merits, which Joshua had so highly praised in chapter 11. The Lord heeded Moses' prayers, not because Moses was virtuous or strong, but because the Lord is merciful and patient. Answering Joshua's concern, expressed in 11:16-18, Moses assures Joshua that the Amorites (and the other hostile nations) will be defeated under his leadership, notwithstanding the people's sins. To this, one may compare Deut. 9:5-6 (cf. CD VIII 14-15): Not because of your (sc. the people's) righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess the land; but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Know therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because of your righteousness; for you are a stubborn people (trans. RSV). [...] In 12:8, the view that the people would themselves be able to defeat their adversaries, is rejected. If the victory were to depend on the people's piety, the conquest of the land would certainly fail. ...”