King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
Complete Jewish Bible:
So Y'hoshua made a covenant with the people that day, laying down for them laws and rulings there in Sh'khem.
Berean Standard Bible:
On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a statute and ordinance.
American Standard Version:
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
So Joshua{H3091} made{H3772} a covenant{H1285} with the people{H5971} that day{H3117}, and set{H7760} them a statute{H2706} and an ordinance{H4941} in Shechem{H7927}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Exodus 15:25
- And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, [which] when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
2 Chronicles 23:16
- And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD'S people.
2 Kings 11:17
- ¶ And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD'S people; between the king also and the people.
Nehemiah 9:38
- And because of all this we make a sure [covenant], and write [it]; and our princes, Levites, [and] priests, seal [unto it].
Joshua 24:1
- ¶ And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
2 Chronicles 15:12
- And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
Nehemiah 10:28
- And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;
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Commentary for Joshua 24:25
Joshua 24:25 captures a pivotal moment in the history of ancient Israel, reflecting the themes of covenant, law, and national identity. The verse occurs at the end of Joshua's life, after he has led the Israelites in conquering and dividing the land of Canaan, as commanded by God. In the broader chapter, Joshua renews the covenant between God and the people of Israel at Shechem, a city of great significance in the patriarchal narratives, where God had previously appeared to Abraham (Genesis 12:6-7) and where Jacob had settled and purchased land (Genesis 33:18-19).
In verse 24, just prior to the assigned verse, Joshua reaffirms the people's commitment to serve the Lord, and they in turn pledge their loyalty to God, rejecting the worship of other gods. Following this, in verse 25, Joshua formalizes this renewed commitment by making a covenant with the people, which includes establishing a statute and an ordinance. This act symbolizes the legal and moral framework that would govern the Israelite community, ensuring that the people would continue to live by the laws and commands that God had given through Moses.
The "statute and an ordinance" likely refer to the stipulations of the covenant, which would have been derived from the Law of Moses, particularly the Book of Deuteronomy, which emphasizes the importance of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. By setting these laws in Shechem, Joshua is not only solidifying the religious and moral foundation of the nation but also affirming Shechem as a place of historical and spiritual importance for the Israelites.
This event is historically significant as it represents a transition point for the Israelites, moving from a semi-nomadic, tribal society to a more settled, covenanted nation with a defined legal system. It also serves as a precursor to the period of the Judges, where the integrity of this covenant would be tested, and the people's commitment to God's laws would be repeatedly challenged. The covenant renewal at Shechem, therefore, stands as a moment of unity and commitment to God, setting a precedent for the future generations of Israelites to follow the laws and statutes given by God through Moses and now reaffirmed by Joshua.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H3091
There are 199 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְהוֹשׁוּעַ
Transliteration: Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ
Pronunciation: yeh-ho-shoo'-ah
Description: or יְהוֹשֻׁעַ; from יְהֹוָה and יָשַׁע; Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader; Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Joshua. Compare הוֹשֵׁעַ, יֵשׁוּעַ. - Strong's Number: H3772
There are 280 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כָּרַת
Transliteration: kârath
Pronunciation: kaw-rath'
Description: a primitive root; to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces); be chewed, be con-(feder-) ate, covenant, cut (down, off), destroy, fail, feller, be freed, hew (down), make a league (covenant), [idiom] lose, perish, [idiom] utterly, [idiom] want. - Strong's Number: H1285
There are 264 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בְּרִית
Transliteration: bᵉrîyth
Pronunciation: ber-eeth'
Description: from בָּרָה (in the sense of cutting (like בָּרָא)); a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh); confederacy, (con-) feder(-ate), covenant, league. - Strong's Number: H5971
There are 1654 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עַם
Transliteration: ʻam
Pronunciation: am
Description: from עָמַם; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock; folk, men, nation, people. - Strong's Number: H3117
There are 1931 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יוֹם
Transliteration: yôwm
Pronunciation: yome
Description: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb); age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger. - Strong's Number: H7760
There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שׂוּם
Transliteration: sûwm
Pronunciation: soom
Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work. - Strong's Number: H2706
There are 124 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֹק
Transliteration: chôq
Pronunciation: khoke
Description: from חָקַק; an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage); appointed, bound, commandment, convenient, custom, decree(-d), due, law, measure, [idiom] necessary, ordinance(-nary), portion, set time, statute, task. - Strong's Number: H4941
There are 406 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מִשְׁפָּט
Transliteration: mishpâṭ
Pronunciation: mish-pawt'
Description: from שָׁפַט; properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style; [phrase] adversary, ceremony, charge, [idiom] crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly), (manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right, sentence, usest, [idiom] worthy, [phrase] wrong. - Strong's Number: H7927
There are 54 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שְׁכֶם
Transliteration: Shᵉkem
Pronunciation: shek-em'
Description: the same as שְׁכֶם; ridge; Shekem, a place in Palestine; Shechem.