Commentators emphasize that the call to "be strong and of good courage" is not a command to muster up internal strength. Instead, it is a direct consequence of the promise that follows: "for the LORD thy God...doth go with thee." As John Calvin argues, any exhortation to be brave is "fleeting and ineffective" unless it is founded on simple confidence in God's presence and grace. True courage flows from who is with us, not from who we are.