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Joshua Chapter
Twenty-four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 24
This
chapter gives us an account of another summons of the tribes of Israel by
Joshua, who obeyed it, and presented themselves before the Lord at Shechem, Joshua 24:1; when
Joshua in the name of the Lord rehearsed to them the many great and good things
the Lord had done for them, from the time of their ancestor Abraham to that
day, Joshua 24:2; and
then exhorted them to fear and serve the Lord, and reject idols, Joshua 24:14; and
put them upon making their choice, whether they would serve the true God, or
the gods of the Canaanites; and they choosing the former, he advised them to
abide by their choice, Joshua 24:15; and
made a covenant with them to that purpose, and then dismissed them, Joshua 24:25; and
the chapter is concluded with an account of the death and burial of Joshua and
Eleazar, and of the interment of the bones of Joseph, Joshua 24:29.
Joshua 24:1 Then
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders
of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they
presented themselves before God.
YLT
1And Joshua gathereth all
the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and calleth for the elders of Israel, and for
its heads, and for its judges, and for its authorities, and they station
themselves before God.
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem,.... The nine
tribes and a half; not all the individuals of them, but the chief among them,
their representatives, as afterwards explained, whom he gathered together a
second time, being willing, as long as he was among them, to improve his time
for their spiritual as well as civil good; to impress their minds with a sense
of religion, and to strengthen, enlarge, and enforce the exhortations he had
given them to serve the Lord; and Abarbinel thinks he gathered them together
again because before they returned him no answer, and therefore he determined
now to put such questions to them as would oblige them to give one, as they
did, and which issued in making a covenant with them; the place where they
assembled was Shechem, which some take to be Shiloh, because of what is said Joshua 24:25; that
being as they say in the fields of Shechem; which is not likely, since Shiloh,
as Jerom saysF21De loc. Heb. fol. 94. I. , was ten miles from
Neapolis or Shechem. This place was chosen because nearest to Joshua, who was
now old and infirm, and unfit to travel; and the rather because it was the
place where the Lord first appeared to Abraham, when he brought him into the
land of Canaan, and where he made a promise of giving the land to his seed, and
where Abraham built an altar to him, Genesis 12:6; where
also Jacob pitched his tent when he came from Padanaram, bought a parcel of a
field, and erected an altar to the Lord, Genesis 33:18; and
where Joshua also repeated the law to, and renewed the covenant with the
children of Israel, quickly after their coming into the land of Canaan, for
Ebal and Gerizim were near to Shechem, Joshua 8:30;
and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for
their judges, and for their officers: See Gill on Joshua 23:2;
and they presented themselves before God; Kimchi and
Abarbinel are of opinion that the ark was fetched from the tabernacle at
Shiloh, and brought hither on this occasion, which was the symbol of the divine
Presence; and therefore the place becoming sacred thereby is called the
sanctuary of the Lord, and certain it is that here was the book of the law of
Moses, Joshua 24:26; which
was put on the side of the ark, Deuteronomy 31:26.
Joshua 24:2 2 And Joshua said to all the
people, “Thus says the Lord
God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and
the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River[a] in old
times; and they served other gods.
YLT
2And Joshua saith unto all
the people, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Beyond the River have your
fathers dwelt of old -- Terah father of Abraham and father of Nachor -- and
they serve other gods;
And Joshua said unto all the people,.... Then present, or to
all Israel by their representatives:
thus saith the Lord God of Israel; he spoke to them in the
name of the Lord, as the prophet did, being himself a prophet, and at this time
under a divine impulse, and spirit of prophecy. According to an Arabic writerF23Abulpharag.
Hist. Dynast. p. 35. : the Angel of God appeared in the form of a man, and with
a loud voice delivered the following, though they are expressed by him in a
different manner; perhaps he mean, the Captain of the Lord's host, Joshua 15:13; and
which is not unlikely:
your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time; on the offer
side the, river Euphrates; so the Targum,"beyond Perat;'i.e. Euphrates; in
Mesopotamia and Chaldea; meaning not the remotest of their ancestors, Noah and
Shem, but the more near, and who are expressly named:
even Terah the
father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor; the Israelites sprung
from Terah, in the line of Abraham, on the father's side, and from him in the
line of Nachor on the mother's side, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel, being of
Nachor's family:
and they served other gods; besides the true God,
strange gods, which were no gods: "idols"; the idols of the people,
as the Targum; so did Terah, Abraham, and Nachor; See Gill on Genesis 11:26; See
Gill on Genesis 11:28; See
Gill on Genesis 12:1.
Joshua 24:3 3 Then I took your father
Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of
Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.
YLT
3and I take your father
Abraham from beyond the River, and cause him to go through all the land of
Canaan, and multiply his seed, and give to him Isaac.
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood,.... The river
Euphrates, as before: or "your father, to wit, Abraham", as NoldiusF24Concord.
Ebr. Part. p. 119. ; he took him not only in a providential way, and brought
him from the other side of the Euphrates, out of an idolatrous country and
family, but he apprehended him by his grace, and called and converted him by
it, and brought him to a spiritual knowledge of himself, and of the Messiah
that should spring from his seed, and of the Covenant of grace, and of the
blessings of it, and of his interest therein; which was a peculiar and
distinguishing favour:
and led him throughout all the land of Canaan; from the
northern to the southern part of it; he led him as far as Shechem, where Israel
was now assembled, and then to Bethel, and still onward to the south, Genesis 12:6; that
he might have a view of the land his posterity was to inherit, and, by treading
on it and walking through it, take as it were a kind of possession of it:
and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac; he multiplied
his seed by Hagar, by whom he had Ishmael, who begat twelve princes; and by
Keturah, from whose sons several nations sprung; see Genesis 17:20; and
by Sarah, who bore him Isaac in old age, in whom his seed was called; and from
whom, in the line of Jacob, sprung the twelve tribes of Israel, and which seed
may be chiefly meant; and the sense is, that he multiplied his posterity after
he had given him Isaac, and by him a numerous seed; so Vatablus: Ishmael is not
mentioned, because, as Kimchi observes, he was born of an handmaid; but
Abarbinel thinks only such are mentioned, who were born in a miraculous manner,
when their parents were barren, as in this and also in the next instance.
Joshua 24:4 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and
Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his
children went down to Egypt.
YLT
4And I give to Isaac, Jacob
and Esau; and I give to Esau mount Seir, to possess it; and Jacob and his sons
have gone down to Egypt.
And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau,.... When
Rebekah was barren, so that the children appeared the more to be the gift of
God; though Esau perhaps is mentioned, for the sake of what follows:
and I gave unto Esau Mount Seir to possess it; that Jacob
and his posterity alone might inherit Canaan, and Esau and his seed make no
pretension to it:
but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt; where they
continued many years, and great part of the time in bondage and misery, which
is here taken no notice of; and this was in order to their being brought into
the land of Canaan, and that the power and goodness of God might be the more
conspicuous in it.
Joshua 24:5 5 Also I sent Moses and
Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I
brought you out.
YLT
5And I send Moses and Aaron,
and plague Egypt, as I have done in its midst, and afterwards I have brought
you out.
I sent Moses also and Aaron,.... To demand Israel's
dismission of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to be the deliverers of them:
and I plagued Egypt according to that which I did amongst them; inflicting
ten plagues upon them for refusing to let Israel go:
and afterwards I brought you out; that is, out of Egypt,
with an high hand, and outstretched arm.
Joshua 24:6 6 ‘Then I brought your
fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your
fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
YLT
6And I bring out your
fathers from Egypt, and ye go into the sea, and the Egyptians pursue after your
fathers, with chariot and with horsemen, to the Red Sea;
And I brought your fathers out of Egypt,.... Which
more fully expresses the sense of the last clause of Joshua 24:5,
and you came unto the sea; which respects some
senior persons then present; for, besides Caleb and Joshua, there were many at
this time alive who came to and passed through the Red sea, at their coming out
of Egypt; for those whose carcasses fell in the wilderness were such as were
mere than twenty years of age at their coming out from Egypt, and who were the
murmurers in the wilderness; and it may be reasonably supposed, that many of
those who were under twenty years of age at that time were now living:
and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers, with chariots and
horsemen, into the Red sea; of the number of their chariots and
horsemen, see Exodus 14:7; with
these they pursued the Israelites, not only unto, but into the Red sea,
following them into it; the reason of which strange action is given in Joshua 24:7.
Joshua 24:7 7 So they cried out to the Lord; and He put
darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered
them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a
long time.
YLT
7and they cry unto Jehovah,
and He setteth thick darkness between you and the Egyptians, and bringeth on
them the sea, and covereth them, and your eyes see that which I have done in
Egypt; and ye dwell in a wilderness many days.
And when they cried unto the Lord,.... That is, the
Israelites, being in the utmost distress, the sea before them, Pharaoh's large
host behind them, and the rocks on each side of them; see Exodus 14:10,
he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; the pillar of
cloud, the dark side of which was turned to the Egyptians, and which was the
reason of their following the Israelites into the sea; for not being able to
see their way, knew not where they were; see Exodus 14:20,
and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; or "upon
him, and covered him"F25עליו־ויכסהו
"super eum, et operuit eum", Munster, Vatablus, Pagninus, Montanus. ;
on Pharaoh, as Kimchi; or on Egypt; that is, the Egyptians or on everyone of
them, as Jarchi, none escaped; see Exodus 14:26,
and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt; what signs
and wonders were wrought there, before they were brought out of it, and what he
had done to and upon the Egyptians at the Red sea; some then present had been
eyewitnesses of them:
and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season; forty years,
where they had the law given them, were preserved from many evils and enemies,
were fed with manna, and supplied with the necessaries of life, were led about
and instructed, and at length brought out of it.
Joshua 24:8 8 And I brought you into the
land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they
fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their
land, and I destroyed them from before you.
YLT
8`And I bring you in unto
the land of the Amorite who is dwelling beyond the Jordan, and they fight with
you, and I give them into your hand, and ye possess their land, and I destroy
them out of your presence.
And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on
the other side Jordan,.... The kingdoms of Sihon and Og, and they fought with you; the
two kings of them, and their armies:
and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and which was
now possessed by the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of
Manasseh:
and I destroyed them from before you; the kings,
their forces, and the inhabitants of their countries; the history of which see
in Numbers 21:10.
Joshua 24:9 9 Then Balak the son of
Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called
Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.
YLT
9`And Balak son of Zippor,
king of Moab, riseth and fighteth against Israel, and sendeth and calleth for
Balaam son of Beor, to revile you,
Then Balak the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, arose,.... Being
alarmed with what Israel had done to the two kings of the Amorites, and by
their near approach to the borders of his kingdom:
and warred against Israel; he fully designed it,
and purpose is put for action, as Kimchi observes; he prepared for it,
proclaimed war, and commenced it, though he did not come to a battle, he made
use of stratagems and wiles, and magical arts, to hurt them, and sent for
Balaam to curse them, that they both together might smite the Israelites, and
drive them out of the land, Numbers 22:6; so
his fighting is interpreted by the next clause:
and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you; by which
means he hoped to prevail in battle, and get the victory over them; but not
being able to bring this about, durst not engage in battle with them.
Joshua 24:10 10 But I would not listen to
Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his
hand.
YLT
10and I have not been willing
to hearken to Balaam, and he doth greatly bless you, and I deliver you out of
his hand.
But I would not hearken unto Balaam,.... Who was very
solicitous to get leave of the Lord to curse Israel, which he knew he could not
do without; he had a goodwill to it but could not accomplish it:
therefore he blessed you still; went on blessing Israel
to the last, when Balak hoped every time he would have cursed them; and Balaam
himself was very desirous of doing it; but could not, being overruled by the
Lord, and under his restraint; which shows his power over evil spirits, and
their agents:
so I delivered you out of his hands: both out of the hand of
Balak, who was intimidated from bringing his forces against them, and out of
the hand of Balaam, who was not suffered to curse them.
Joshua 24:11 11 Then you went over the
Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also
the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites,
the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand.
YLT
11`And ye pass over the
Jordan, and come in unto Jericho, and fight against you do the possessors of
Jericho -- the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite,
and the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite -- and I give them into your
hand.
And ye went over Jordan,.... In a miraculous
manner, the waters parting to make way for the host of Israel:
and came unto Jericho; the first city of any
size and strength in the land, which was about seven or eight miles from
Jordan; See Gill on Numbers 22:1,
and the men of Jericho fought against you; by
endeavouring to intercept their spies, and cut them off; by shutting up the
gates of their city against Israel; and it may be throwing darts, arrows, and
stones, from off the walls of it at them. Kimchi thinks that some of the great
men of Jericho went out from thence, to give notice and warning to the kings of
Canaan of the approach of the Israelites, and in the mean time the city was
taken; and that these afterwards joined with the kings in fighting against
Joshua and the people of Israel:
the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the
Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; the seven
nations of Canaan; this they did at different times, and in different places:
and I delivered them into your hand; these nations and their
kings.
Joshua 24:12 12 I sent the hornet before
you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the
Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow.
YLT
12And I send before you the
hornet, and it casteth them out from your presence -- two kings of the Amorite
-- not by thy sword, nor by thy bow.
And I sent the hornet before you,.... Of which See Gill on
Exodus 23:28,
which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of
the Amorites; who were Sihon and Og, and not only them, and the Amorites under
them, but the other nations, Hivites, Hittites, &c.
but not with thy sword, nor
with thy bow; but by insects of the Lord's sending to them, which, as Kimchi
says, so blinded their eyes, that they could not see to fight, and so Israel
came upon them, and slew them; in which the hand of the Lord was manifestly
seen, and to whose power, and not, their own, the destruction of their enemies
was to be ascribed.
Joshua 24:13 13 I have given you a land
for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell
in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
YLT
13`And I give to you a land
for which thou hast not laboured, and cities which ye have not built, and ye
dwell in them; of vineyards and olive-yards which ye have not planted ye are eating.
And I have given you a land for which you did not labour,.... Or, in
whichF26בה "in qua", V. L.
Pagninus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. , by manuring and cultivating it,
by dunging, and ploughing, and sowing:
and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; neither built
the houses in them, nor the walls and fortifications about them; in which now
they dwelt safely, and at ease, and which had been promised them as well as
what follows; see Deuteronomy 6:10,
of the vineyards and oliveyards, which ye planted not, do ye eat; thus far an
account is given of the many mercies they had been and were favoured with, and
thus far are the words of the Lord by Joshua; next follow the use and
improvement Joshua made of them.
Joshua 24:14 14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in
sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the
other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
YLT
14`And now, fear ye Jehovah,
and serve Him, in perfection and in truth, and turn aside the gods which your
fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve ye Jehovah;
Now therefore fear the Lord,.... Since he has done
such great and good things, fear the Lord and his goodness, fear him for his
goodness sake; nothing so influences fear, or a reverential affection for God,
as a sense of his goodness; this engages men sensible of it to fear the Lord,
that is, to worship him both internally and externally in the exercise of every
grace, and in the performance of every duty:
and serve him in sincerity and in truth: in the
uprightness of their souls, without hypocrisy and deceit, and according to the
truth of his word, and of his mind and will revealed in it, without any mixture
of superstition and will worship, or of the commands and inventions of men:
and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side
of the flood, and in Egypt; that is, express an abhorrence of them, and
keep at a distance from them, and show that you are far from giving in to such
idolatries your ancestors were guilty of, when they lived on the other side
Euphrates, in Chaldea, or when they were sojourners in Egypt; for it cannot be
thought that the Israelites were at this time guilty of such gross idolatry, at
least openly, since Joshua had bore such a testimony of them, that they had
cleaved to the Lord unto that day, Joshua 23:8; and
their zeal against the two tribes and a half, on suspicion of idolatry, or of
going into it, is a proof of it also:
and serve ye the Lord: and him only.
Joshua 24:15 15 And if it seems evil to
you to serve the Lord,
choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your
fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of
the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord.”
YLT
15and if wrong in your eyes
to serve Jehovah -- choose for you to-day whom ye do serve; -- whether the gods
whom your fathers served, which [are] beyond the River, or the gods of the
Amorite in whose land ye are dwelling; and I and my house -- we serve Jehovah.'
And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord,.... Irksome
and troublesome, a burden, a weariness, and not a pleasure and delight:
choose you this day whom you will serve; say if you
have found a better master, and whose service will be more pleasant and
profitable:
whether the gods your fathers served, that were on the
other side of the flood; the river Euphrates; these may bid rid rest for antiquity, but
then they were such their fathers had relinquished, and for which undoubtedly
they had good reason; and to take up with the worship of these again was to
impeach their wisdom, judgment, and good sense:
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but then
these were such as could not preserve their worshippers in the land, or the
Israelites had not dwelt in it, and therefore no dependence could be had upon
them for future security. The Amorites are only mentioned, because they were a
principal nation, some of which dwelt on one side Jordan, and some on the
other, and indeed there were of them in the several parts of the land:
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord; be your
choice as it may be: this was the resolution of Joshua, and so far as he knew
the sense of his family, or had influence over it, could and did speak for
them; and which he observes as an example set for the Israelites to follow
after; he full well knowing that the examples of great personages, such as
governors, supreme and subordinate, have great influence over those that are
under them,
Joshua 24:16 16 So the people answered and
said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other
gods;
YLT
16And the people answer and
say, `Far be it from us to forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;
And the people answered and said,.... To Joshua, upon his
proposal to them, the option he gave them to serve the Lord or idols, and which
was only done to try them:
God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; they speak
with the utmost abhorrence of idolatry, as a thing far from their hearts and
thoughts, as the most abominable and execrable that could be thought or spoken
of; to forsake the word, and worship, and ordinances of God, and serve the
idols of the Gentiles, strange gods, whether more ancient or more recent, such
as their fathers worshipped in former times, or the inhabitants of the land
they now dwelt in, for which they were spewed out of it.
Joshua 24:17 17 for the Lord our God is
He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house
of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the
way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.
YLT
17for Jehovah our God [is] He
who is bringing us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a house
of servants, and who hath done before our eyes these great signs, and doth keep
us in all the way in which we have gone, and among all the peoples through
whose midst we passed;
For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our
fathers, out of the land of Egypt,.... When Pharaoh, the
king of it, refused to let them go, yet he wrought such wonders in it and
inflicted such plagues on it, as obliged Pharaoh and his people to dismiss
them:
from the house of bondage: where they were held in
the greatest thraldom and slavery, and their lives made bitter and miserable:
and which did those great signs in our sight; meaning the
wonders and marvellous things wrought before Pharaoh and his people, and in the
sight of Israel, Psalm 78:11; though
Abarbinel is of opinion it refers to what had been done in their sight of late
in the land of Canaan, as the dividing of the waters of Jordan, the fall of the
walls of Jericho, the standing still of the sun in Gibeon; but this seems not
so well to agree with what follows:
and preserved us in all the way wherein we went: in the
wilderness from serpents and scorpions, and beasts of prey, and from all
dangers from every quarter:
and among all the people through whom we passed; through whose
borders they passed, as the Edomites, Moabites, and Amorites; though the above
writer seems to understand it of preservation from the dangers of their enemies
in the land of Canaan.
Joshua 24:18 18 And the Lord drove out from
before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also
will serve the Lord,
for He is our God.”
YLT
18and Jehovah casteth out the
whole of the peoples, even the Amorite inhabiting the land, from our presence;
we also do serve Jehovah, for He [is] our God.'
And the Lord drave out from before us all the people,.... The seven
nations of the land of Canaan:
even the Amorites which dwelt in the land; the strongest
and most populous of the nations, Amos 2:9, or
especially the Amorites, so Vatablus; or "with the Amorites", as
others; those that lived on the other side Jordan, over whom Sihon and Og
reigned:
therefore will we also
serve the Lord: as well as Joshua and his house, for the reasons before given,
because he had done such great and good things for them:
for he is our God: that has made and
preserved us, and loaded us with his benefits, and is our covenant God, and
therefore will we fear and serve him.
Joshua 24:19 19 But Joshua said to the
people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy
God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor
your sins.
YLT
19And Joshua saith unto the
people, `Ye are not able to serve Jehovah, for a God most holy He [is]; a
zealous God He [is]; He doth not bear with your transgression and with your
sins.
And Joshua said unto the people,.... To their heads and
representatives now assembled together, and who had returned to him the
preceding answer:
ye cannot serve the Lord; which he said not to
discourage or deter them from serving the Lord, since it was his principal
view, through the whole of this conversation with them, to engage them in it,
but to observe to them their own inability and insufficiency of themselves to
perform service acceptable to God; and therefore it became them to implore
grace and strength from the Lord to assist them in it, and to depend upon that
and not to lean to and trust in their own strength; as also to observe to them,
that they could not serve him perfectly without any defect and failure in their
service, for there is no man that does good and sins not; and therefore when a
man has done all he can, he must not depend upon it for his justification before
God; or consider it as his justifying righteousness, which was what that people
were always prone to; some supply it,"you cannot serve the Lord with your
images,'or along with them, so Vatablus:
for he is an holy God: perfectly holy, so that
the best of men, and the heat of their services, are impure and unholy before
him and will not bear to be compared with him, and therefore by no means to be
trusted in; and it requires much grace and spiritual strength to perform any
service that may be acceptable to him through Christ. In the Hebrew text it is,
"for the Holy Ones are he": which may serve to illustrate and
confirm the doctrine of the trinity of, persons in the unity of the divine
Essence, or of the three divine holy Persons, holy Father, holy Son, holy
Spirit, as the one God, see Isaiah 6:3,
he is a jealous God; of his honour and glory,
and of his worship, in which he will admit of no rival, of no graven images, or
any idols to be worshipped with him, or besides him; nor will he suffer the
idol of men's righteousness to be set up in the room of, or in opposition to,
the righteousness of God, even no services and works of men, be they ever so
good, since they cannot be perfect before him:
he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins; even the
transgressions and sins of such that forsake the worship and service of him,
and fall into idolatry, or who seek for justification by their own services,
these are both abominable to him; otherwise he is a God pardoning the iniquity,
transgression, and sin, of all those who seek unto him and serve him, confess
their sins, and renounce their own righteousness; see Exodus 23:21.
Joshua 24:20 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve
foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has
done you good.”
YLT
20When ye forsake Jehovah,
and have served gods of a stranger, then He hath turned back and done evil to
you, and consumed you, after that He hath done good to you.'
If you forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods,.... Joshua
knew the proneness of this people to idolatry, and therefore expresses his
jealousy of them, that they would not be able to continue in the service of
God, and would be apt to be carried away after idols; and therefore, to make
them the more cautious and watchful, he represents to them the danger they were
in, and what would befall them should they forsake the Lord they now promised
to serve, and follow after other gods, which their fathers worshipped before
they were called out of their estate of Heathenism, or which the Canaanites, or
Egyptians worshipped, whose examples they were too ready to imitate:
then he will turn and do you hurt; not that there is
properly any change in God, either of his counsel or covenant, or of love and
affection to his people, but of his providential dealings, or outward manner of
acting towards men; or the sense is, he will again do you hurt, bring evils and
calamities upon you again and again, frequently as you revolt from him, such as
the sword, pestilence, famine, and captivity, which these people after
experienced when they fell into idolatry:
and consume you; by these his sore judgments:
after that he hath done you good; by bringing you into
such a good land, and bestowing so many good things upon you, natural, civil,
and religious; and yet, notwithstanding, being disobedient to him, and especially
in the instances mentioned, they are made to expect his resentment, and the
effects of it.
Joshua 24:21 21 And the people said to
Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
YLT
21And the people saith unto
Joshua, `No, but Jehovah we do serve.'
And the people said unto Joshua, nay,.... We will
not serve strange gods:
but we will serve the Lord; according to his
revealed will, and him only.
Joshua 24:22 22 So Joshua said to the
people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for
yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!”
YLT
22And Joshua saith unto the
people, `Witnesses ye are against yourselves, that ye have chosen for you
Jehovah to serve Him (and they say, `Witnesses!')
And Joshua said unto the people,.... In reply to their
answer and resolution:
ye are witnesses against yourselves, that ye have chosen
you the Lord God to serve him; that is, should they, after this choice of
him, which they had so publicly declared, desert his service, and go into
idolatry, their testimony would rise up against them, and they would, be
self-condemned:
and they said, we are witnesses; should we
ever apostatize from the Lord and his worship, we are content to have this our
witness produced against us.
Joshua 24:23 23 “Now therefore,” he
said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline
your heart to the Lord
God of Israel.”
YLT
23and, now, turn aside the
gods of the stranger which [are] in your midst, and incline your heart unto
Jehovah, God of Israel.'
Now therefore put away, said he,.... Which
last words are rightly supplied, for they are the words of Joshua:
the strange gods which are among you; not their
private notions and secret sentiments that some of them had imbibed in favour
of idols, and the worship of them, as Ben Gersom thinks; but, as the Targum
expresses it,"the idols of the Gentiles;'either such as they had brought
out of Egypt, or had found among the plunder of the Canaanites, and had
secretly retained; or, as others think, their "penates", or household
gods, they had privately kept and worshipped, such as those that were in
Jacob's family, which he caused to be delivered to him, and which he hid under
an oak in this place where Israel were now assembled, Genesis 35:2; and
which Joshua by a prophetic discerning spirit perceived were now among them:
and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel; to love,
fear, and serve him; that is, pray that your hearts may be inclined thereunto,
and make use of all means that may tend to direct your hearts to him, and his
service; so the Targum,"to the worship of the Lord God of Israel.'
Joshua 24:24 24 And the people said to
Joshua, “The Lord
our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”
YLT
24And the people say unto
Joshua, `Jehovah our God we serve, and to His voice we hearken.'
And the people said unto Joshua,.... A third time, that
as by the mouth of two or three witnesses everything is confirmed, so by three
testimonies of the same persons:
the Lord our God will we serve; as they had before
declared, and to which they add:
and his voice will we obey; or his word, as the
Targum, not only his word of command, but his essential Word, the Son of God.
Joshua 24:25 25 So Joshua made a covenant
with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in
Shechem.
YLT
25And Joshua maketh a
covenant with the people on that day, and layeth on it a statute and an
ordinance, in Shechem.
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day,.... Proposing
to them what was most eligible, and their duty to do, and they agreeing to it,
this formally constituted a covenant, of which they selves were both parties
and witnesses:
and set statute and an ordinance in Shechem; either made
this covenant to have the nature of a statute and ordinance binding upon them,
or repeated and renewed the laws of Moses, both moral and ceremonial, which had
been delivered at Mount Sinai, and now, upon this repetition in Shechem, might
be called a statute and ordinance there.
Joshua 24:26 26 Then Joshua wrote these
words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up
there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.
YLT
26And Joshua writeth these
words in the Book of the Law of God, and taketh a great stone, and raiseth it
up there under the oak which [is] in the sanctuary of Jehovah.
And Joshua wrote these words,.... Which had passed
between him and the people:
in the book of the law of God; written by Moses, and
which he ordered to be put in the side of the ark, and that being now present,
the book could be easily taken out, and these words inserted in it, Deuteronomy 31:26,
and took a great stone: on which also might be
inscribed the same words:
and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary
of the Lord; or "in it"F1במקדש
"in sanctuario", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version,
Vatasblus, Junius & Tremellius. ; that is, in the field or place where the
ark was, which made it sacred, and upon which account the place was called a
sanctuary, or an holy place; for there is no need to say that the tabernacle or
sanctuary itself was brought hither, only the ark; and much less can it be
thought that an oak should be in it; though it was not improbable, that had it
been thither brought, it might have been placed under, or by an oak, as we
render it; and it is a tradition of the Jews, which both Jarchi and Kimchi make
mention of, that this was the same oak under which Jacob hid the strange gods
of his family in Shechem, Genesis 35:4; Mr.
MedeF2Discourse 18. p. 66. is of opinion that neither ark nor
tabernacle were here, but that by "sanctuary" is meant a
"proseucha", or place for prayer; such an one as in later times was
near Shechem, as EpiphaniusF3Contr. Haeres. l. 3. tom. 2. Haeres.
80. relates, built by the Samaritans in imitation of the Jews; but it is a
question whether there were any such places so early as the times of Joshua,
nor is it clear that such are ever called sanctuaries.
Joshua 24:27 27 And Joshua said to all the
people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the
words of the Lord
which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny
your God.”
YLT
27And Joshua saith unto all
the people, `Lo, this stone is against us for a witness, for it hath heard all
the sayings of Jehovah which He hath spoken with us, and it hath been against
you for a witness, lest ye lie against your God.'
And Joshua said unto all the people,.... The chief of them
now gathered together, and who represented the whole body:
behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; of the
covenant now made, and the agreement entered into, as the heap of stones were
between Jacob and Laban, Genesis 31:45,
for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us; this is said
by a figure called "prosopopaeia", frequent in Scripture, by which
inanimate creatures are represented as hearing, seeing, and speaking, and may
signify, that should the Israelites break this covenant, and disobey the
commands of the Lord they had promised to keep, they would be as stupid and
senseless as this stone, or more so, which would rise in judgment against them.
NachmanidesF4Apud Masium in loc. a Jewish commentator, interprets
this stone of the Messiah, the same as in Genesis 49:24,
it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God; for a
memorial and testimony to prevent them from going into atheism, a denying of
the true God, or into apostasy from him, and into idolatry and false worship.
The Targum of which is,"behold, this stone shall be to us as the two
tables of stone of the covenant, for we made it for a testimony; for the words
which are written upon it are the sum of all the words of the Lord which he
spake unto us, and it shall be unto you for a memorial, and for a testimony,
lest ye lie before the Lord.'
Joshua 24:28 28 So Joshua let the people
depart, each to his own inheritance.
YLT
28And Joshua sendeth the
people away, each to his inheritance.
So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance. Dismissed
them, and took his final leave and farewell of them, dying soon after; upon
which they returned to the possessions and inheritances assigned by lot to the
several tribes, of which they were the heads and princes.
Joshua 24:29 29 Now it came to pass after
these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being
one hundred and ten years old.
YLT
29And it cometh to pass,
after these things, that Joshua son of Nun, servant of Jehovah, dieth, a son of
a hundred and ten years,
And it came to pass, after these things,.... Some
little time after, very probably the same year:
that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being
an hundred and ten years old; he wanted ten years of Moses his
predecessor, Deuteronomy 34:7,
and just the age of Joseph, Genesis 50:22, from
whom he sprung, being of the tribe of Ephraim, Numbers 13:8.
Joshua 24:30 30 And they buried him within
the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the
mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.
YLT
30and they bury him in the
border of his inheritance, in Timnath-Serah, which [is] in the hill-country of
Ephraim, on the north of the hill of Gaash.
And they buried him in the border of his inheritance,.... In a
field belonging to his estate; for they buried not in towns and cities in those
times. The Greek version adds,"and they put into the tomb, in which he was
buried, the stone knives with which he circumcised the children of Israel at
Gilgal, when he brought them out of Egypt;'and an Arabic writerF5Patricides,
p. 31. apud Hottinger. Smegma, p. 523. affirms the same, but without any
foundation:
in Timnathserah, which is in Mount Ephraim; which was his
city, and where he dwelt; and of which See Gill on Joshua 19:50; and
his grave was near the city; here, they sayF6Cippi Heb. p. 32. , his
father Nun, and Caleb also, were buried:
on the north side of the hill of Gaash; of the brooks
or valleys of Gnash mention is made in 2 Samuel 23:30;
which very probably were at the bottom of this hill.
Joshua 24:31 31 Israel served the Lord all the days
of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known
all the works of the Lord
which He had done for Israel.
YLT
31And Israel serveth Jehovah
all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who prolonged days after
Joshua, and who knew all the work of Jehovah which He did to Israel.
And the children of Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua,.... Without
going into idolatrous practices:
and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua; that lived a
few years longer than he; some of them that came young out of Egypt, and were
now elderly men; and some of them doubtless were of the court of the seventy
elders; these could not overlive Joshua a great many years, for, in the times
of Chushanrishathaim, Israel fell into idolatry, Judges 2:6,
and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done
for Israel; in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the wilderness, as well as since
their coming into the land of Canaan.
Joshua 24:32 32 The bones of Joseph, which
the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in
the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of
Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance
of the children of Joseph.
YLT
32And the bones of Joseph,
which the sons of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in
the portion of the field which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor father of
Shechem, with a hundred kesitah; and they are to the sons of Joseph for an
inheritance.
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up
out of Egypt,.... At the request, and by the order of Joseph, Genesis 50:25;
which were punctually observed by the children of Israel under the direction
and command of Moses, and therefore is ascribed to him, as here to them, Exodus 13:19,
buried they in Shechem; not in the city, but in
a field near it, as the next clause shows. The Jews in their Cippi Hebraici sayF7Ut
supra. (Cippi Heb. p. 32.) , that Joseph was buried at a village called Belata,
a sabbath day's journey from Shechem; but Jerom saysF8Quaest. Heb.
in Genesim, fol. 73. C. he was buried in Shechem, and his monument was to be
seen there in his time. Not that they buried him at the same time Joshua was
buried, but very probably as soon as the tribe of Ephraim was in the quiet
possession of this place; though the historian inserts the account of it here,
taking an occasion for it from the interment of Joshua:
in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the
father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver; of which
purchase See Gill on Genesis 33:19,
and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph; and
particularly of the tribe of Ephraim by lot, agreeably to the gift and disposal
of it by Jacob to Joseph; see Gill on Genesis 48:22.
Joshua 24:33 33 And Eleazar the son of
Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son,
which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim.
YLT
33And Eleazar son of Aaron died,
and they bury him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given to him in
the hill-country of Ephraim.
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died,.... Very probably in a
short time after Joshua; and, according to the Samaritan ChronicleF9Apud
Hottinger. p. 524. , he died as Joshua did, gathered the chief men of the
children of Israel a little before his death, and enjoined them strict
obedience to the commands of God, and took his leave of them, and then stripped
himself of his holy garments, and clothed Phinehas his son with them; what his
age was is not said:
and they buried him in a hill that pertaineth to Phinehas
his son; or in the hill of Phinehas; which was so called from him, and
might have the name given it by his father, who might possess it before him,
and what adjoined to it. The Jews in the above treatise sayF11Cippi
Hebraici, ut supra. (p. 32.) , that at Avarta was a school of Phinehas in a
temple of the Gentiles; that Eleazar was buried upon the hill, and Joshua below
the village among the olives, and on this hill is saidF12See
Weemse's Christ. Synagog, l. 1. c. 6. sect. 5. p. 157. to be a school or
village of Phinehas:
which was given him in Mount Ephraim; either to
Eleazar, that he might be near to Shiloh, where the tabernacle then was, as the
cities given to the priests and Levites were chiefly in those tribes that lay
nearest to Jerusalem; though the Jews say, as Jarchi and Kimchi relate, that
Phinehas might come into the possession of that place through his wife, or it
might fall to him as being a devoted field; but it is most likely it was given
to his father by the children of Ephraim, for the reason before observed. The
Talmudists say, that Joshua wrote his own book, which is very probable; yet the
last five verses, Joshua 24:29, must
be written by another hand, even as the last eight verses in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 34:5,
were written by him, as they also say; and therefore this is no more an
objection to his being the writer of this book, than the addition of eight
verses by him to Deuteronomy is to Moses being the writer of that; and the same
TalmudistsF13T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 14. 2. & 15. 1. also
observe, that Joshua 24:29,
"Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died", &c. were
written by Eleazar, and Joshua 24:33,
"and Eleazar, the son of Aaron, died", &c. by Phinehas, which is
not improbable.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)