Joshua23

English Standard Version

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¹A , when the Lord had given to from all their , and was and well in ,

² all , its and , its and , and to them, I am now and well in .

³And you have all that the Lord your has to all these for your , it is the Lord your who has for you.

⁴ , I have to you as an for your those that , along with all the that I have already , from the to the in the .

⁵The Lord your will push them you and of your . And you shall their , just as the Lord your you.

⁶Therefore, be to and to all that is in the of the of , aside from it neither to the nor to the ,

⁷that you may with these among you or of the of their or by them or them or bow to them,

⁸but you shall to the Lord your just as you have to this .

⁹For the Lord has you and . And as for you, no has been able to you to this .

¹⁰ of you puts to a , since it is the Lord your who for you, just as he you.

¹¹Be , therefore, to the Lord your .

¹² you turn and to the of these among you and with them, so that you them and they with you,

¹³ for that the Lord your will no these you, but they shall be a and a for you, a on your and in your , from off this that the Lord your has you.

¹⁴And I am to the of all the , and you in your and , of you, that not word has of all the that the Lord your concerning you. All have for you; not of them has .

¹⁵But just as all the that the Lord your concerning you have been for you, so the Lord will upon you all the , until he has you from off this that the Lord your has you,

¹⁶if you the of the Lord your , which he you, and and and bow to them. Then the of the Lord will be against you, and you shall from off the that he has to you.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Joshua 23.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Joshua's exhortation before his death. (1–10). Joshua warns the people of idolatry. (11–16).

vv1-10

Joshua was old and dying, let them observe what he said now. He put them in mind of the great things God had done for them in his days. He exhorted them to be very courageous. Keep with care, do with diligence, and regard with sincerity what is written. Also, very cautiously to endeavour that the heathen idolatry may be forgotten, so that it may never be revived. It is sad that among Christians the names of the heathen gods are so commonly used, and made so familiar as they are. Joshua exhorts them to be very constant. There might be many things amiss among them, but they had not forsaken the Lord their God; the way to make people better, is to make the best of them.

vv11-16

Would we cleave to the Lord, we must always stand upon our guard, for many a soul is lost through carelessness. Love the Lord your God, and you will not leave him. Has God been thus true to you? Be not you false to him. He is faithful that has promised, Heb 10:23. The experience of every Christian witnesses the same truth. Conflicts may have been severe and long, trials great and many; but at the last he will acknowledge that goodness and mercy followed him all the days of his life. Joshua states the fatal consequences of going back; know for a certainty it will be your ruin. The first step would be, friendship with idolaters; the next would be, marrying with them; the end of that would be, serving their gods. Thus the way of sin is down-hill, and those who have fellowship with sinners, cannot avoid having fellowship with sin. He describes the destruction he warns them of. The goodness of the heavenly Canaan, and the free and sure grant God has made of it, will add to the misery of those who shall for ever be shut out from it. Nothing will make them see how wretched they are, so much, as to see how happy they might have been. Let us watch and pray against temptation. Let us trust in God's faithfulness, love, and power; let us plead his promises, and cleave to his commandments, then we shall be happy in life, in death, and for ever.

Key Words

longH7227Hebrew

רַב: abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)

timeH3117Hebrew

יוֹם: 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)

afterwardH310Hebrew

אַחַר: properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)

restH5117Hebrew

נוּחַ: to rest, i.e. settle down; used in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, intransitive, transitive and causative (to dwell, stay, let fall, place, let alone, withdraw, give comfort, etc.)

IsraelH3478Hebrew

יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity

surroundingH5439Hebrew

סָבִיב: (as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition) around

enemiesH341Hebrew

אֹיֵב: hating; an adversary

JoshuaH3091Hebrew

יְהוֹשׁוּעַ: Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader

oldH2204Hebrew

זָקֵן: to be old

advancedH935Hebrew

בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)