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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)