The words meditation and meditate are a different kind of Vertiwords because they are translated from several Hebrew words. The first-time meditation or meditate appears in Scripture is in Genesis 24:63, where Isaac went out in the early evening to walk in the field. The word walk is translated from the Hebrew word suwach, a primitive root meaning “to muse pensively.” To muse, or to engage in musing, means to think deeply.
The next appearance of this translated word is in Joshua 1:8, as the Lord God prepared Joshua to succeed Moses. Joshua had faithfully served Moses throughout the wilderness wanderings (Exodus 24:13). Through that season, he became a strong leader marked by faith and courage—not confidence in his own ability but believed and trusted in what God would do.
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant: “Moses my servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.
“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:1-9 (CSB)
This encouragement came as Joshua stepped into the difficult responsibility of succeeding Moses. In the middle of that transition, God repeatedly told him to “be strong and courageous,” then gave him the foundation for living that out: meditate on the book of instruction day and night and carefully observe everything written in it. The word then marks the result that follows obedience. Joshua’s prosperity and success were connected to the prior action of meditating on God’s Word. In other words, God instructed Joshua to meditate so that his life and leadership would be shaped by what God had spoken.
Meditation is like a hallway that leads to a closed and locked door. Believing is the key that unlocks that door, then opening the way to the promises God has prepared, just as He instructed Joshua. The smallest word can make the biggest difference; then carries great significance; it’s like the bridge between the mindful effort to the manifested reward.
THEN = Transition Happens Effect Next
The hallway of meditation on God’s Word points us toward the future, it’s like walking a timeline. Then, as faith responds to what God has spoken, as the key unlocks, the door begins to open. That transition produces the effect of what comes next. This was not only the process the Lord God showed Joshua; it is also a framework for every person who believes God’s promises.
Strong’s Concordance #7881, 7879, 7878 (OT) – 3191 (NT)
How I love your instruction. It is my meditation all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers because your decrees are my meditation.
Psalm 119:97-99 (CSB)
Meditation is often understood today as emptying the mind, focusing on self-awareness, or practicing concentration. While those practices may reduce stress and calm anxiety, they differ greatly from biblical meditation. Biblical meditation is mindful musing on the Word of the Creator—reflecting on His instructions, studying His truth, and turning our thoughts toward Him rather than inward toward ourselves. What the Lord God has spoken and completed provides a pattern for every generation to follow; our part is believe it. Attending to His Word and absorbing it is a repeated practice, much like a cow chewing its cud. A cow grazes, swallows, stores the food, and later brings it back up to chew again and again until the nutrients are drawn out and then nourishment sustains life. In the same way, we read God’s Word, store it in our hearts, return to it throughout the day, think on it, ask God to reveal His truth, commit it to memory, and then receive deeper understanding that strengthens and sustains us and prepares us for what lies ahead — the future.
It is striking to observe how a cow begins this life-sustaining process as it grazes. Its head is lowered and stretched forward, a posture that closely resembles the humility of a person bowing low. It is also a vulnerable position—a gesture of submission, with little awareness of what may be behind or around it. This brings to mind Exodus 34:1–9, when Moses received the “book of instructions” and the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai a second time. In verse 9, Moses immediately knelt low to the ground and worshiped before asking the Lord to “please go with us—even though this is a stiff-necked people—forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as Your own possession.” The Lord answered by giving instructions in the verses that followed.
Moses’ heart was compliant, humble, and reverent as he petitioned the Lord on behalf of the disobedient children of Israel. Unlike the cow, which grazes by instinct and hunger, Moses displayed a deeper kind of hunger—the same hunger Jesus later described in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). From the cow grazing in the field, to Moses on Mount Sinai, to Jesus teaching His Sermon on the Mount, one theme remains: hunger reveals the posture of someone who knows they need something beyond themselves. Those who acknowledge their spiritual need are the ones the Lord God fills—another example of His top-down influence. Humility precedes receiving; receiving leads to meditation on what God has already given; and meditation produces transformation—the then. Now that alone will reduce stress and anxiety.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:33-34 (CSB)
Most references to meditation are found in the book of Psalms, whose Hebrew title means “Book of Praises.” The English title comes from the Greek word psalmoi (5568 NT), meaning “pious songs” or “music of stringed instruments.” Music often accompanies meditation, providing a gentle rhythm that draws the heart toward God. Sacred songs, hymns, and worship music quiet distractions and help prepare the mind to dwell on God’s Word with greater focus and reverence. They create an atmosphere of stillness and receptivity. The Psalms themselves were written as songs, showing that God intended His truth not only to be studied, but also sung, remembered, and deeply experienced. As melodies linger in the mind, they can carry the truths of Scripture long after the music fades—much like “chewing the cud,” returning again and again to what nourishes the soul.
How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction. and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted besides flowing streams that bears it fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3 (CSB)
“Search the Scriptures”
Take a few moments to explore how this word is used throughout cross referencing Scripture. Let these passages guide your own study and reflection.
M: Philippians 4:8
E: Job 10:1-12, Psalm 63:6-8
D: Psalm 119:15
I: Psalm 143:5
T: Psalm 19:14, Psalm 77:10-12
A: Psalm 104:33-34
T: 1 Timothy 4:11-15 E: Colossians 3:2
