Joshua24

Joshua gathers all Israel at Shechem, recounting the LORD's faithful acts from Abraham to their settlement in Canaan. He challenges them to choose whom they will serve, declaring his own house will serve the LORD. The people affirm their commitment, leading Joshua to establish a covenant and erect a stone as a witness. The chapter concludes with the deaths of Joshua and Eleazar, and the burial of Joseph's bones.

The Assembly at Shechem

1
Y'hoshua gathered all the tribes of Isra'el to Sh'khem; he summoned the leaders, heads, judges and officials of Isra'el; and they presented themselves before God. ​

God Recounts His Deeds

2
Y'hoshua said to all the people, "This is what ADONAI the God of Isra'el says: 'In antiquity your ancestors lived on the other side of the [Euphrates] River-Terach the father of Avraham and Nachor-and they served other gods. ​
3
I took your ancestor Avraham from beyond the River, led him through all the land of Kena'an, increased his descendants and gave him Yitz'chak.
4
I gave to Yitz'chak Ya'akov and 'Esav. To 'Esav I gave Mount Se'ir as his possession, but Ya'akov and his children went down into Egypt.
5
I sent Moshe and Aharon, I inflicted plagues on Egypt in accordance with what I did among them, and afterwards I brought you out.
6
Yes, I brought your fathers out of Egypt: you arrived at the sea, and the Egyptians were pursuing your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Sea of Suf.
7
But when they cried out to ADONAI, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, overwhelmed them with the sea and drowned them. Your eyes saw what I did in Egypt, and then you lived in the desert for a long time. ​
8
I brought you into the land of the Emori living beyond the Yarden; they fought against you, but I handed them over to you. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them ahead of you.
9
Then Balak the son of Tzippor, king of Mo'av, rose up and fought against Isra'el. He sent and summoned Bil'am the son of B'or to put a curse on you.
10
But I refused to listen to Bil'am, and he actually blessed you. In this way I rescued you from him. ​
11
Next you crossed the Yarden and came to Yericho. The men of Yericho fought against you-the Emori, P'rizi, Kena'ani, Hitti, Girgashi, Hivi and Y'vusi - and I handed them over to you.
12
I sent the hornet ahead of you, driving them out from ahead of you, the two kings of the Emori - it wasn't by your sword or your bow. ​
13
Then I gave you a land where you had not worked and cities you had not built, and you live there. You eat fruit from vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.' ​

Joshua's Challenge: Choose Whom You Will Serve

14
"Therefore fear ADONAI, and serve him truly and sincerely. Put away the gods your ancestors served beyond the [Euphrates]River and in Egypt, and serve ADONAI! ​
15
If it seems bad to you to serve ADONAI, then choose today whom you are going to serve! Will it be the gods your ancestors served beyond the River? or the gods of the Emori, in whose land you are living? As for me and my household, we will serve ADONAI!" ​
16
The people answered, "Far be it from us that we would abandon ADONAI to serve other gods;
17
because it is ADONAI our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery, and did those great signs before our eyes, and preserved us all along the way we traveled and among all the peoples we passed through;
18
and it was ADONAI who drove out from ahead of us all the peoples, the Emori living in the land. Therefore we too will serve ADONAI, for he is our God."

The People's Vow and Joshua's Warning

19
Y'hoshua said to the people, "You can't serve ADONAI; because he is a holy God, a jealous God, and he will not forgive your crimes and sins. ​
20
If you abandon ADONAI and serve foreign gods, he will turn, doing you harm and destroying you after he has done you good."
21
But the people said to Y'hoshua, "No, but we will serve ADONAI."
22
Y'hoshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen ADONAI, to serve him." They answered, "We are witnesses." ​
23
"Now," Y'hoshua urged, "put away the foreign gods you have among you, and turn your hearts to ADONAI, the God of Isra'el."
24
The people answered Y'hoshua, "We will serve ADONAI our God; we will pay attention to what he says."

The Covenant Is Ratified

25
So Y'hoshua made a covenant with the people that day, laying down for them laws and rulings there in Sh'khem. ​
26
Y'hoshua wrote these words in the book of the Torah of God. Then he took a big stone and set it up there under the oak next to the sanctuary of ADONAI. ​
27
Y'hoshua said to all the people, "See, this stone will be a witness against us; because it has heard all the words of ADONAI which he said to us; therefore it will be a witness against you, in case you deny your God."
28
Then Y'hoshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

The Deaths of Joshua and Eleazar

29
After this, Y'hoshua the son of Nun, the servant of ADONAI, died; he was 110 years old. ​
30
They buried him on his property in Timnat-Serach, which is in the hills of Efrayim, north of Mount Ga'ash.
31
Isra'el served ADONAI throughout Y'hoshua's lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the leaders who outlived Y'hoshua and had known all the deeds that ADONAI had done on behalf of Isra'el. ​
32
The bones of Yosef, which the people of Isra'el had brought up from Egypt, they buried in Sh'khem, in the parcel of ground which Ya'akov had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Sh'khem for a hundred pieces of silver; and they became a possession of the descendants of Yosef. ​
33
Finally, El'azar the son of Aharon died; and they buried him on the hill belonging to Pinchas his son, which had been given to him in the hills of Efrayim. ​

Study Notes for Joshua 24

Verse 1

Shechem was a historically significant location (where Abraham first built an altar and Jacob settled) and was geographically central, making it an ideal site for the nation's final gathering and covenant renewal. They 'presented themselves before God,' indicating a solemn religious ceremony.

Verse 2

Joshua, speaking for God, begins the historical review (Heilsgeschichte) by reminding Israel that their ancestors, including Abraham’s father Terah, were idolaters 'on the other side of the flood' (the Euphrates River). This stresses God's initiative and grace in choosing Israel.

Verse 7

Joshua reminds the people that they are eyewitnesses to God's greatest saving acts, particularly the deliverance at the Red Sea, establishing the basis for their required exclusive obedience.

Verse 10

The reference to Balaam (Num 22-24) highlights that God protects Israel not only from military threats but also from spiritual and magical curses, reinforcing His total sovereignty over all powers.

Verse 12

The 'hornet' is likely a metaphor for the panic, fear, or divine confusion God instilled in the hearts of the enemy (cf. Exod 23:28), emphasizing that the victory was achieved supernaturally, 'not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.'

Verse 13

This verse summarizes the theological point of the conquest: Israel inherited immense blessings (land, cities, produce) that they did not earn, underscoring God's provision and faithfulness to the Abrahamic covenant.

Verse 14

Joshua demands exclusive devotion. The need to 'put away the gods' indicates that idolatry, both ancestral (Mesopotamian) and Egyptian, was still a pervasive temptation among the tribes.

Verse 15

This is the theological climax, presenting a non-negotiable choice between Yahweh and other deities. Joshua provides his own unambiguous example: 'as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD,' setting the standard for faithful leadership.

Verse 19

Joshua’s statement 'Ye cannot serve the LORD' is not a prohibition but a severe warning and a test of resolve. He emphasizes that Yahweh is a 'holy God' and 'jealous God' who demands exclusive, sincere obedience and will punish covenant disloyalty.

Verse 22

By declaring themselves witnesses, the people acknowledge the seriousness of the covenant commitment and accept the legal consequences if they break it, binding them to their solemn vow.

Verse 25

Joshua formally establishes the covenant, setting forth defined 'statute and an ordinance.' This act concludes the period of conquest and formally establishes Israel’s relationship with Yahweh as a sovereign nation.

Verse 26

Writing these words into the 'book of the law of God' links this renewal directly to the foundational Mosaic covenant. The stone served as a durable, physical witness (a stele) to the treaty, a common practice in the ancient Near East.

Verse 29

This section serves as an appendix, concluding the book of Joshua. Joshua died at 110 years old, the same age as Joseph (Gen 50:26), symbolizing a life fully dedicated to fulfilling God's promise.

Verse 31

This verse provides a positive summary statement, affirming that the generation that witnessed the conquest remained faithful. This sets the stage for the dramatic decline in faithfulness chronicled in the book of Judges.

Verse 32

The burial of Joseph’s bones (fulfilling the oath from Exod 13:19) marks the final fulfillment of the promise of the land to the patriarchs, symbolically bringing closure to the Exodus generation's journey.

Verse 33

The death of Eleazar, the high priest and son of Aaron, signifies the passing of the last major leader of the Exodus generation, officially transitioning leadership to the next era represented by his son, Phinehas.

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