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Joshua Chapter
Twenty-three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 23
Joshua
being old, convenes the states of Israel a little before his death, Joshua 23:1; and in
his address to them observes what God had done for them, and would do, Joshua 23:3; and
exhorts them to keep the commandments of God, and cleave to him, and not to mix
with the Gentiles, and join with them in idolatrous practices, and then it
would be well with them, Joshua 23:6; but
otherwise should they join with them, and depart from the Lord, who had so
faithfully and punctually performed every good thing he had promised them, they
might expect all evils and calamities, utter ruin and destruction, to befall
them, Joshua 23:12.
Joshua 23:1 Now
it came to pass, a long time after the Lord had given rest to Israel
from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age.
YLT
1And it cometh to pass, many
days after that Jehovah hath given rest to Israel from all their enemies round
about, that Joshua is old, entering into days,
And it came to pass a long time after,.... Or
"after many days"F15מימים רבים "post dies multos", Pagninus, Masius,
Tigurine version; "exactis maltis diebus", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. , that is, years:
that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies
round about; the greatest part of the land of Canaan was subdued, the whole
divided by lot to the tribes of Israel, and they quietly settled in the
respective portions assigned them, the Canaanites that remained giving them no
disturbance, in which state of rest and peace they had now been for some years;
and this may be reasonably supposed to be the last year of the life of Joshua,
see Joshua 23:14.
that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age; and became
feeble and decrepit, and greatly declined; for though he was ten years younger
than Moses when he died, yet not so vigorous, strong, and robust as he, but was
pressed and bore down with the infirmities of age.
Joshua 23:2 2 And Joshua called for all
Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their
officers, and said to them: “I am old, advanced in age.
YLT
2and Joshua calleth for all
Israel, for its elders, and for its heads, and for its judges, and for its
authorities, and saith unto them, `I have become old; I have entered into days;
And Joshua called for all Israel,.... Summoned them
together, whether at Timnathserah, his own city, he being old and infirm, and
not able to go elsewhere; or whether at Shechem, where it is plain they were
afterwards convened, Joshua 24:1, or
whether rather at Shiloh, where the tabernacle was, is not certain; and by
"all Israel" cannot be meant the whole body of the people, unless it
can be thought to be at one of the feasts, when all the males in Israel
appeared before the Lord; though this seems to be not a stated convocation, but
occasionally made, and to be understood of the representatives of the people
called together, as explained in the following clause:
and for their elders, and for
their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; the first and
is supplied, and another word or words may be supplied, as "even", or
"that is", or the like, and so explanative of all Israel, namely,
"their elders", both in age and office, especially the latter, the
seventy elders, or who composed what in later times was called the great
sanhedrim; and the "heads" of their tribes, the chief princes of
every tribe; and their "judges" in their several cities, who heard
and tried causes, and administered justice and judgment to the people; and
their "officers", who attended on them to execute the judgment they
pronounced:
and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age; which he
observes as a reason of his calling them together to give them some advice and
instructions before his death, and in order to command greater reverence of
him, and respect to him, and to excite attention to what he had to say to them.
Joshua 23:3 3 You have seen all that the
Lord your God has
done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is
He who has fought for you.
YLT
3and ye -- ye have seen all
that Jehovah your God hath done to all these nations because of you, for
Jehovah your God [is] He who is fighting for you;
And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all
those nations because of you,.... How he had destroyed them, and driven
them out of their habitations to make room for them, meaning the seven nations
of the Canaanites:
for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you; Joshua does
not attribute any of the things that were done to his own valour, nor theirs,
nor so much as mentions himself or them as instruments, but wholly ascribes all
to the Lord, who fought their battles for them, and conquered their enemies,
and subdued them under them; the Targum is,"the Word of the Lord fought
for you;'the Captain of the host of the Lord, Joshua 5:14.
Joshua 23:4 4 See, I have divided to you
by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from
the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea
westward.
YLT
4see, I have caused to fall
to you these nations who are left for an inheritance to your tribes, from the
Jordan, (and all the nations which I cut off), and the great sea, the going in
of the sun.
Behold, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain,.... Who are
unsubdued, not yet conquered, as well as those that are
to be an inheritance for your tribes; to be
possessed by them and their children for ever:
from Jordan, with all the nations I have cut off, even unto the
great sea westward; the phrase, "with all the nations I have cut off", is
to be read in connection with "those nations that remain"; both those
that were cut off by the sword of Joshua, and those that remained unconquered,
being divided by lot to the tribes of Israel; and which reached from Jordan
eastward, where Joshua and Israel entered into the land, to the Mediterranean
sea, called the great sea in comparison of little ones in Canaan, as the Dead
sea, and the sea of Tiberias; and which great sea lay west to the land of
Israel, or where the sun sets, as the phrase in the Hebrew text is.
Joshua 23:5 5 And the Lord your God will
expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall
possess their land, as the Lord your God promised you.
YLT
5`As to Jehovah your God, He
doth thrust them from your presence, and hath dispossessed them from before
you, and ye have possessed their land, as Jehovah your God hath spoken to you,
And the Lord your God he shall expel them from before you,.... That is,
such of them as yet remained among them:
and drive them from out of your sight; the same
thing expressed by different words, for the confirmation of it:
and ye shall possess their land, as the Lord your God hath
promised unto you; all which is to be understood on condition of their good
behaviour towards the Lord, and obedience to his commands; by which tenure they
held the possession of the land when put into it, and for their disobedience
did not possess the whole.
Joshua 23:6 6 Therefore be very
courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of
Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,
YLT
6and ye have been very
strong to keep and to do the whole that is written in the Book of the Law of
Moses, so as not to turn aside from it right or left,
Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is
written in the book of the law of Moses,.... To observe which
required spiritual strength, fortitude of mind, a holy courage, a firm and
fixed resolution, and particularly to destroy the Canaanites required in that
book, and to abstain from all communion and fellowship with them:
that ye turn not aside therefrom, to the right hand or the
left; See Gill on Joshua 1:7.
Joshua 23:7 7 and
lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make
mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them;
you shall not serve them nor bow down to them,
YLT
7so as not to go in among
these nations, these who are left with you; and of the name of their gods ye do
not make mention, nor do ye swear, nor do ye serve them, nor do ye bow
yourselves to them;
That ye come not among these nations, those that remain among you,.... That
remained unsubdued, or that were suffered to dwell among them, being
tributaries to them; with these they were not to converse freely and
familiarly, nor to carry on trade and commerce with them, nor enter into any
alliances or marriages with them, and not even attend any of their feasts, and
especially their idolatrous ones:
neither make mention of the name of their gods; not in common
conversation, and still less in any religious matters; never with any reverence
of them, or in any respectable manner; but always with indignation and
contempt, calling them dunghill gods, and the like, as they often are in
Scripture:
nor cause to swear by them; neither swear by them
themselves, nor cause others to swear by them, as Abarbinel; or a man his
neighbour, as Kimchi; no, not a Gentile, as Ben Melech; so it is said in the
MisnahF16Sanhedrin, c. 7. sect. 6. ,"he that vows in the name
of an idol, and confirms in his name, (which Bartenora interprets, swears by
his name,) transgresses a negative precept.'MaimonidesF17Hilchot
& Obedeth Cochabim, c. 5. sect. 10. also says,"he that vows in the
name of an idol, and swears by it, is to be beaten--he that swears by it
himself, or causes a Gentile to swear by it; for it is forbidden to cause a
Gentile to swear by his fear (or idol), and even to cause him to make mention
of it, though not in the way of an oath, it is forbidden:"
neither serve them; by offering any sacrifice or incense to
them, or by praying to them, or offering them praises on any account, or by
performing any religious service in any instance or form whatever:
nor bow yourselves unto them; give them any adoration
or worship, external or internal.
Joshua 23:8 8 but you shall hold fast to
the Lord
your God, as you have done to this day.
YLT
8but to Jehovah your God ye
do cleave, as ye have done till this day.
But cleave unto the Lord your God,.... To his word,
worship, and ordinances; externally, by close adherence to them, and strict
observation of them; and internally, by strong affection to him, hope, trust,
and confidence in him, expectation of all good things from him, and constant
application to him for help in all times of need, and a fixed dependence on
him:
as ye have done unto this day; that is, since they came
into the land of Canaan, and had been under the government of Joshua; for
otherwise, while in the wilderness, they frequently revolted from God, and
murmured against him; and this is to be understood not of individuals, who
doubtless were guilty of various failings and sins, but of the whole body, and
with respect to any notorious offence, particularly idolatry, which they had
not fallen into since they came into the land of Canaan, and had very lately
shown great zeal against it; not only the tribes on this side, but those on the
other side Jordan, as the preceding chapter largely relates.
Joshua 23:9 9 For the Lord has driven out
from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has
been able to stand against you to this day.
YLT
9And Jehovah is
dispossessing from before you nations great and mighty; as for you, none hath
stood in your presence till this day;
For the Lord hath driven out before you great nations and strong,....
Especially as they were reckoned in those times, before any great monarchies
had existed, as did afterwards; and indeed these were, considering the land
they inhabited, very numerous and populous, and were very stout and able bodied
men, and some of a gigantic stature; and all dwelt in strong fortified cities,
and were able to bring out large armies into the field, with chariots of iron,
so that they were very formidable; but notwithstanding all this, the Lord drove
them out of their strong holds, and put Israel into the possession of them, and
of their land:
but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you
unto this day; that is, of those that came out against them, and fought with
them; these were all to a man cut off by them, or fled before them, and became
tributaries to them; otherwise there were many, who as yet were not expelled by
them; this the Lord had promised, and now had fulfilled, Deuteronomy 11:25.
Joshua 23:10 10 One man of you shall chase
a thousand, for the Lord
your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.
YLT
10one man of you doth pursue
a thousand, for Jehovah your God [is] He who is fighting for you, as He hath
spoken to you;
One man of you shall chase a thousand,.... Here
Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, that the future tense is put for the past, and
that the sense is, one of them had chased a thousand in their war with the
Canaanites; but Abarbinel disapproves of this observation, and thinks it refers
to time to come, what they should be able to do if they cleaved unto the Lord;
this was fulfilled in Samson, Judges 15:15; such
a promise was made, Leviticus 26:8,
for the Lord your God he it is that fighteth for you; and no wonder
then that a thousand should be put to flight by one man; the Targum interprets
it of the Word of the Lord, as in Joshua 23:3,
as he hath promised you; see Deuteronomy 1:30.
Joshua 23:11 11 Therefore take careful
heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.
YLT
11and ye have been very
watchful for yourselves to love Jehovah your God.
Take good heed therefore unto yourselves,.... To be
upon their guard, and to be watchful, were very necessary to them, that they
might not be ensnared by the Canaanites, and drawn aside by them into idolatry,
and so apostatize from the Lord and his worship, since their temptations would
be many:
that ye love the Lord your God; which would the most
strongly influence and engage them to serve and worship the Lord, and obey his
commands, and be the best preservative against idolatry and false worship.
Joshua 23:12 12 Or else, if indeed you do
go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among
you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you,
YLT
12`But -- if ye at all turn
back and have cleaved to the remnant of these nations, these who are left with
you, and intermarried with them, and gone in to them, and they to you,
Else if ye do in any wise go back,.... From the Lord and
his worship, from his word and ordinances:
and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even those
that remain among you; in cities not taken, or in several which the Philistines were in
possession of, or lived among them as tributaries to them, if they should take
to them, and be free and familiar with them, which may lead on to nearer
connections in civil and religious matters:
and shall make marriages with them; marry their daughters to
the sons of Canaanites, or admit the daughters of Canaanites to be married to
their sons:
and go in unto them, and they to you; which is
expressive of the consummation of marriage, and of the performance of the
conjugal duty,
Joshua 23:13 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will
no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and
traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you
perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
YLT
13know certainly that Jehovah
your God is not continuing to dispossess these nations from before you, and
they have been to you for a gin, and for a snare, and for a scourge, in your
sides, and for thorns in your eyes, till ye perish from off this good ground
which Jehovah your God hath given to you.
Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out
any of these nations from before you,.... Or, "knowing ye
shall know"F18ידוע תדעו "sciendo scietis", Montanus; "sciendo
scitote", Pagninus, Vatablus. ; or "know ye"; this may be taken
for granted, or the fullest proof, and clearest demonstration, and strongest
assurance will be given of it, that in case of such bad conduct, and
disobedience to the will of God, no more of the nations of the Canaanites will
be driven out of the cities in which they are:
but they shall be snares and traps unto you; who by their
bad examples would draw them both to idolatry and superstitious worship, and
into all irreligion, profaneness, and immorality, as they did, Psalm 106:35,
and scourges in your sides; who either, by ensnaring
them, would get an advantage over them, and distress them in their persons,
families, and estates; or would be the means of the Lord's correcting and
chastising them with the rod and stripes of men, for the iniquities these would
draw them into; the allusion is to scourges and lashes laid on the sides of
men, or to goads with which beasts are pushed on their sides and driven:
and thorns in your eyes; very troublesome and
distressing; for even a mote in the eye is very afflicting: and much more a
thorn; See Gill on Numbers 33:55.
Jarchi interprets this word by camps surrounding them, as shields do the bodies
of men, and which is approved of by GussetiusF19Comment. Ebr. p.
717. :
until ye perish from off this good land, which the Lord your God
hath given you; by sword, famine, pestilence, or captivity, which has been their
case.
Joshua 23:14 14 “Behold, this day I am
going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your
souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke
concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.
YLT
14`And lo, I am going,
to-day, in the way of all the earth, and ye have known -- with all your heart,
and with all your soul -- that there hath not fallen one thing of all the good
things which Jehovah your God hath spoken concerning you; the whole have come
to you; there hath not failed of it one thing.
And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth,.... That is,
about to die; not that precise day, but in a short time, of which the daily
increasing infirmities of old age gave him notice. Death is a journey from this
world to another, a man's going to his long home, a path trodden by all men,
and but onceF20"----Sed omnes una manet nox, Et calcanda semel
via lethi". --Horat. Carmin. l. 1. Ode 28. ; a way in which all men
without exception must and do walk, and even the best as well as the greatest
of men, such as Joshua; no man is exempted from death, be he ever so great or
good, ever so wise and knowing, ever so holy or so useful; see 1 Kings 2:2,
and ye know in all your hearts, and in all your souls; in their
consciences; it was a glaring truth, which none could deny; it had a testimony
in every man's breast:
that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the
Lord your God hath spoken concerning you; particularly concerning
the good land, and the Lord's bringing them into it, removing the old
inhabitants, and settling them in their room, and putting them in possession of
all temporal good things and spiritual privileges, as the word and ordinances:
all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath
failed thereof; see Joshua 21:45.
Joshua 23:15 15 Therefore it shall come to
pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God
promised you, so the Lord
will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this
good land which the Lord
your God has given you.
YLT
15`And it hath been, as there
hath come upon you all the good thing which Jehovah your God hath spoken unto
you, so doth Jehovah bring upon you the whole of the evil thing, till His
destroying you from off this good ground which Jehovah your God hath given to
you;
Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good
things are come upon you which the Lord hath promised you,.... Of which
there was full proof, and it could not be denied:
so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things; calamities
and distresses, by his sore judgments of famine, sword, pestilence, evil
beasts, and captivity, in case of disobedience to his commands:
until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord
your God hath given you; for as he is faithful to his promises, so to his threatenings;
and from his punctual performance of the one may be argued and expected the
sure fulfilment of the other, and which has been abundantly verified in that
people; see Leviticus 26:1 and
the notes there.
Joshua 23:16 16 When you have transgressed
the covenant of the Lord
your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and
bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you,
and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”
YLT
16in your transgressing the
covenant of Jehovah your God which He commanded you, and ye have gone and
served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them, then hath the anger of Jehovah
burned against you, and ye have perished hastily from off the good land which
He hath given to you.'
When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God,
which he commanded you,.... The law, so called,
and the several precepts of it, particularly those which relate to the faith
and worship of the one only true God; see Exodus 24:7;
and have gone and served other gods, and have bowed down
yourselves unto them; been guilty of idolatry, of having and worshipping other gods,
which are no gods, with or besides the God of Israel, see Joshua 23:7,
then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you; nothing being
more provoking to him than idolatry, he being a jealous God of his honour and
worship:
and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath
given unto you; as they did at the time of the Babylonish captivity, and at the
last destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》