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.
Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

The Assembly at Shechem

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. ​

God Recounts His Deeds

2
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. ​
3
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
4
And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5
I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
6
And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
7
And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. ​
8
And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
9
Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
10
But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. ​
11
And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
12
And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. ​
13
And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. ​

Joshua's Challenge: Choose Whom You Will Serve

14
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. ​
15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. ​
16
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
17
For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18
And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

The People's Vow and Joshua's Warning

19
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. ​
20
If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
22
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. ​
23
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
24
And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

The Covenant Is Ratified

25
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. ​
26
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. ​
27
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
28
So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.

The Deaths of Joshua and Eleazar

29
And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. ​
30
And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.
31
And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. ​
32
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. ​
33
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim. ​

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.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Options