Bible Reading March 6 
Joshua 22:1--24:33
Context22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 22:2 and told them: “You have carried out all the instructions of Moses the Lord’s servant, and you have obeyed all I have told you. 1 22:3 You have not abandoned your fellow Israelites 2 this entire time, 3 right up to this very day. You have completed the task given you by the Lord your God. 4 22:4 Now the Lord your God has made your fellow Israelites secure, 5 just as he promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes 6 in your own land 7 which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned to you east of the Jordan. 22:5 But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the Lord’s servant gave you. Love 8 the Lord your God, follow all his instructions, 9 obey 10 his commands, be loyal to him, 11 and serve him with all your heart and being!” 12
22:6 Joshua rewarded 13 them and sent them on their way; they returned to their homes. 14 22:7 (Now to one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had assigned land on the west side of the Jordan with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, 15 he rewarded 16 them, 22:8 saying, “Take home 17 great wealth, a lot of cattle, 18 silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a lot of 19 clothing. Divide up the goods captured from your enemies with your brothers.” 22:9 So the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and headed home to their own land in Gilead, 20 which they acquired by the Lord’s command through Moses.
22:10 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built there, near the Jordan, an impressive altar. 21 22:11 The Israelites received this report: 22 “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to 23 the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 22:12 When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to launch an attack against them. 24
22:13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 22:14 He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes, each one a family leader among the Israelite clans. 25 22:15 They went to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: 22:16 “The entire community of the Lord says, ‘Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord. 26 22:17 The sin we committed at Peor was bad enough. To this very day we have not purified ourselves; it even brought a plague on the community of the Lord. 27 22:18 Now today you dare to turn back 28 from following the Lord! You are rebelling today against the Lord; tomorrow he may break out in anger against 29 the entire community of Israel. 22:19 But if your own land 30 is impure, 31 cross over to the Lord’s own land, 32 where the Lord himself lives, 33 and settle down among us. 34 But don’t rebel against the Lord or us 35 by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God. 22:20 When Achan son of Zerah disobeyed the command about the city’s riches, the entire Israelite community was judged, 36 though only one man had sinned. He most certainly died for his sin!’” 37
22:21 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders 38 of the Israelite clans: 22:22 “El, God, the Lord! 39 El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! 40 Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, 41 don’t spare us 42 today! 22:23 If we have built 43 an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the Lord by making 44 burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering 45 tokens of peace 46 on it, the Lord himself will punish us. 47 22:24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that 48 in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? 49 22:25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no right to worship the Lord.’ 50 In this way your descendants might cause our descendants to stop obeying 51 the Lord. 22:26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, 52 and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence 53 with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. 54 Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ 55 22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing 56 to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors 57 made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ 58 22:29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace 59 aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!” 60
22:30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and clan leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, 61 they were satisfied. 62 22:31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, 63 “Today we know that the Lord is among us, because you have not disobeyed the Lord in this. 64 Now 65 you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s judgment.” 66
22:32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders left the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead and reported back to the Israelites in the land of Canaan. 67 22:33 The Israelites were satisfied with their report and gave thanks to God. 68 They said nothing more about launching an attack to destroy the land in which the Reubenites and Gadites lived. 69 22:34 The Reubenites and Gadites named the altar, “Surely it is a Reminder to us 70 that the Lord is God.”
23:1 A long time 71 passed after the Lord made Israel secure from all their enemies, 72 and Joshua was very old. 73 23:2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: “I am very old. 23:3 You saw everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your behalf, for the Lord your God fights for you. 74 23:4 See, I have parceled out to your tribes these remaining nations, 75 from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea 76 in the west, including all the nations I defeated. 77 23:5 The Lord your God will drive them out from before you and remove them, 78 so you can occupy 79 their land as the Lord your God promised 80 you. 23:6 Be very strong! Carefully obey 81 all that is written in the law scroll of Moses so you won’t swerve from it to the right or the left, 23:7 or associate with these nations that remain near 82 you. You must not invoke or make solemn declarations by the names of their gods! 83 You must not worship 84 or bow down to them! 23:8 But you must be loyal to 85 the Lord your God, as you have been 86 to this very day.
23:9 “The Lord drove out from before you great and mighty nations; no one has been able to resist you 87 to this very day. 23:10 One of you makes a thousand run away, 88 for the Lord your God fights for you 89 as he promised you he would. 90 23:11 Watch yourselves carefully! Love the Lord your God! 91 23:12 But if you ever turn away and make alliances with 92 these nations that remain near you, 93 and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them, 94 23:13 know for certain that the Lord our God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; 95 they will be a whip that tears 96 your sides and thorns that blind 97 your eyes until you disappear 98 from this good land the Lord your God gave you.
23:14 “Look, today I am about to die. 99 You know with all your heart and being 100 that not even one of all the faithful promises the Lord your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized – not one promise is unfulfilled! 101 23:15 But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized, 102 it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the Lord will bring on you every judgment 103 until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord your God gave you. 23:16 If you violate the covenantal laws of the Lord your God which he commanded you to keep, 104 and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, 105 the Lord will be very angry with you and you will disappear 106 quickly from the good land which he gave to you.”
24:1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. 24:2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors 107 lived beyond the Euphrates River, 108 including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped 109 other gods, 24:3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates 110 and brought him into 111 the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac, 24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir, 112 while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 24:5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land. 113 Then I brought you out. 24:6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you arrived at the sea. The Egyptians chased your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 24:7 Your fathers 114 cried out for help to the Lord; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark, 115 and then drowned them in the sea. 116 You witnessed with your very own eyes 117 what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time. 118 24:8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conquered 119 their land and I destroyed them from before you. 24:9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack 120 against Israel. He summoned 121 Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment 122 on you. 24:10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept 123 prophesying good things about 124 you, and I rescued you from his power. 125 24:11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. 126 The leaders 127 of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you. 24:12 I sent terror 128 ahead of you to drive out before you the two 129 Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows. 130 24:13 I gave you a land in 131 which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of 132 vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
24:14 Now 133 obey 134 the Lord and worship 135 him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors 136 worshiped 137 beyond the Euphrates 138 and in Egypt and worship 139 the Lord. 24:15 If you have no desire 140 to worship 141 the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, 142 whether it be the gods whom your ancestors 143 worshiped 144 beyond the Euphrates, 145 or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family 146 will worship 147 the Lord!”
24:16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can 148 worship 149 other gods! 24:17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery 150 in the land of Egypt 151 and performed these awesome miracles 152 before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 153 24:18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship 154 the Lord, for he is our God!”
24:19 Joshua warned 155 the people, “You will not keep worshiping 156 the Lord, for 157 he is a holy God. 158 He is a jealous God who will not forgive 159 your rebellion or your sins. 24:20 If 160 you abandon the Lord and worship 161 foreign gods, he will turn against you; 162 he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, 163 though he once treated you well.” 164
24:21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will 165 worship 166 the Lord!” 24:22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” 167 They replied, “We are witnesses!” 168 24:23 Joshua said, 169 “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to 170 the Lord God of Israel.”
24:24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship 171 the Lord our God and obey him.” 172
24:25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement 173 for the people, and he established rules and regulations 174 for them in Shechem. 24:26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s shrine. 24:27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us. 175 It will be a witness against you if 176 you deny your God.” 24:28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land. 177
24:29 After all this 178 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 24:30 They buried him in his allotted territory 179 in Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 24:31 Israel worshiped 180 the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive. 181 These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord had done for Israel. 182
24:32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the part of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money. 183 So it became the inheritance of the tribe of Joseph. 184
24:33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, where his son Phinehas had been assigned land. 185
[22:2] 1 tn Heb “You have kept all which Moses, the
[22:3] 2 tn Heb “your brothers” (also in vv. 4, 7), but this does not refer to siblings or necessarily even to relatives. It refers to the Israelites of the remaining tribes.
[22:3] 3 tn Heb “these many days.”
[22:3] 4 tn Heb “you have kept the charge of the command of the
[22:4] 5 tn Heb “has given rest to your brothers.”
[22:4] 7 tn Heb “the land of your possession.”
[22:5] 8 tn Heb “But be very careful to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the
[22:5] 9 tn Heb “walk in all his paths.”
[22:6] 13 tn Heb “blessed.” However, see v. 8, where rewards are given.
[22:6] 14 tn Heb “and they went to their tents.”
[22:7] 15 tn Heb “to their tents.”
[22:8] 17 tn Heb “return to your tents with.”
[22:8] 18 tn Heb “very many cattle.”
[22:8] 19 tn Heb “very much clothing.”
[22:9] 20 tn Heb “returned and went from the sons of Israel, from Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession.”
[22:10] 21 tn Heb “and they went to Geliloth of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar near the Jordan, an altar great with respect to appearance.”
[22:11] 22 tn Heb “the sons of Israel heard, saying.”
[22:11] 23 tn Heb “toward the front of.”
[22:12] 24 tn Heb “to go up against them for battle.”
[22:14] 25 tn Heb “ten leaders with him, one leader, one leader for a paternal house, for all the tribes of Israel, and each a head of the house of their father, they belong to the clans of Israel.”
[22:16] 26 tn Heb “What is this unfaithfulness with which you have been unfaithful against the God of Israel, turning today from after the
[22:17] 27 tn Heb “Was the sin of Peor too insignificant for us, from which we have not made purification to this day? And there was a plague in the assembly of the
[22:18] 28 tn Heb “you are turning back.”
[22:18] 29 tn Or “he will be angry with.”
[22:19] 30 tn Heb “the land of your possession.”
[22:19] 31 sn The western tribes here imagine a possible motive for the action of the eastern tribes. T. C. Butler explains the significance of the land’s “impurity”: “East Jordan is impure because it is not Yahweh’s possession. Rather it is simply ‘your possession.’ That means it is land where Yahweh does not live, land which his presence has not sanctified and purified” (Joshua [WBC], 247).
[22:19] 32 tn Heb “the land of the possession of the
[22:19] 33 tn Heb “where the dwelling place of the
[22:19] 34 tn Heb “and take for yourselves in our midst.”
[22:19] 35 tc Heb “and us to you rebel.” The reading of the MT, the accusative sign with suffix (וְאֹתָנוּ, vÿ’otanu), is problematic with the verb “rebel” (מָרַד, marad). Many Hebrew
[22:20] 36 tn Heb “Is it not [true that] Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
[22:20] 37 tn The second half of the verse reads literally, “and he [was] one man, he did not die for his sin.” There are at least two possible ways to explain this statement: (1) One might interpret the statement to mean that Achan was not the only person who died for his sin. In this case it could be translated, “and he was not the only one to die because of his sin.” (2) Another option, the one reflected in the translation, is to take the words וְהוּא אִישׁ אֶחָד (vÿhu’ ’ish ’ekhad, “and he [was] one man”) as a concessive clause and join it with what precedes. The remaining words (לֹא גָוַע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ, lo’ gava’ ba’avono) must then be taken as a rhetorical question (“Did he not die for his sin?”). Taking the last sentence as interrogative is consistent with the first part of the verse, a rhetorical question introduced with the interrogative particle. The present translation has converted these rhetorical questions into affirmative statements to bring out more clearly the points they are emphasizing. For further discussion, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 240.
[22:21] 38 tn Heb “answered and spoke to the heads of.”
[22:22] 39 sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: (1) אֵל (’el), “El” (or “God”); (2) אֱלֹהִים (’elohim), “Elohim” (or “God”), and (3) יְהוָה (yÿhvah), “Yahweh” (or “the
[22:22] 41 tn Heb “if in rebellion or if in unfaithfulness against the
[22:22] 42 tn Heb “do not save us.” The verb form is singular, being addressed to either collective Israel or the Lord himself. The LXX translates in the third person.
[22:23] 43 tn Heb “by building.” The prepositional phrase may be subordinated to what precedes, “if in unfaithfulness…by building.”
[22:23] 44 tn Heb “or if to offer up.”
[22:23] 45 tn Heb “or if to make.”
[22:23] 46 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[22:23] 47 tn Heb “the
[22:24] 48 tn Heb “Surely, from worry concerning a matter we have done this, saying.”
[22:24] 49 tn Heb “What is there to you and to the
[22:25] 50 tn Heb “You have no portion in the
[22:27] 52 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”
[22:27] 53 tn Heb “to do the service of the
[22:27] 54 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[22:27] 55 tn Heb “You have no portion in the
[22:28] 56 tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[22:28] 58 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”
[22:29] 59 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[22:29] 60 sn The Lord’s dwelling place here refers to the tabernacle.
[22:30] 61 tn Heb “the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh.”
[22:30] 62 tn Heb “it was good in their eyes.”
[22:31] 63 tn Heb “the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh.”
[22:31] 64 tn Heb “because you were not unfaithful with this unfaithfulness against the
[22:31] 65 tn On the use of אָז in a logical sense, see Waltke-O’Connor, Hebrew Syntax, 667.
[22:31] 66 tn Heb “the hand (i.e., power) of the
[22:32] 67 tn Heb “and Phinehas…returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And they brought back to them a word.”
[22:33] 68 tn Heb “and the word was good in the eyes of the sons of Israel and the sons of Israel blessed God.”
[22:33] 69 tn Heb “and they did not speak about going up against them for battle to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living.”
[22:34] 70 tn Heb “a witness between us.”
[23:1] 72 tn Heb “the
[23:1] 73 tn Heb “was old, coming into the days.” This expression, referring to advancing in years, also occurs in the following verse.
[23:3] 74 tn Heb “for the
[23:4] 75 tn Heb “I have assigned by lots to you these remaining nations as an inheritance for your tribes.”
[23:4] 76 tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
[23:4] 77 tn Heb “from the Jordan and all the nations which I cut off and the Great Sea [at] the place where the sun sets.” The relationship of the second half of the verse, which mentions nations already conquered, to the first half, which speaks of “remaining nations,” is difficult to understand.
[23:5] 78 tn The Hebrew text reads, “from before you.” This has not been included in the translation because it is redundant in English.
[23:5] 79 tn Or “take possession of.”
[23:6] 81 tn Heb “Be strong so you can be careful to do.”
[23:7] 83 tn Heb “and in the name of their gods you must not invoke and you must not make solemn declarations.” The words “and you must not make solemn declarations” are omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition to elucidate the immediately preceding command. The Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) without an object occurs only here and in Josh 6:26.
[23:9] 87 tn Heb “not a man has stood before you.”
[23:10] 88 tn Or “chases a thousand.”
[23:10] 89 tn Heb “for the
[23:10] 90 tn Heb “as he said to you.”
[23:11] 91 tn Heb “Watch carefully yourselves so as to love the
[23:12] 93 tn Heb “the remnant of the these nations, these nations that are with you.”
[23:12] 94 tn Heb “and go into them, and they into you.”
[23:13] 95 tn Heb “be a trap and a snare to you.”
[23:13] 97 tn Heb “thorns in your eyes.”
[23:14] 99 tn Heb “go the way of all the earth.”
[23:14] 101 tn Heb “one word from all these words which the
[23:15] 102 tn Heb “and it will be as every good word which the
[23:15] 103 tn Heb “so the
[23:16] 104 tn Heb “when you violate the covenant of the
[23:16] 105 tn Heb “and you walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
[24:2] 107 tn Heb “your fathers.”
[24:2] 108 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:3] 110 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:4] 112 tn Heb “I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it.”
[24:5] 113 tn Heb “by that which I did in its midst.”
[24:7] 114 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the fathers) has been specified in the translation for clarity (see the previous verse).
[24:7] 115 tn Or “put darkness between you and the Egyptians.”
[24:7] 116 tn Heb “and he brought over them the sea and covered them.”
[24:7] 117 tn Heb “your eyes saw.”
[24:7] 118 tn Heb “many days.”
[24:8] 119 tn Or “took possession of.”
[24:9] 120 tn Heb “arose and fought.”
[24:9] 121 tn Heb “sent and called.”
[24:10] 123 tn The infinitive absolute follows the finite verb in the Hebrew text and indicates continuation or repetition of the action. Balaam pronounced several oracles of blessing over Israel (see Num 23-24).
[24:10] 124 tn Heb “blessing.” Balaam’s “blessings” were actually prophecies of how God would prosper Israel.
[24:11] 126 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[24:11] 127 tn Or perhaps, “citizens.”
[24:12] 128 tn Traditionally, “the hornet” (so KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) but the precise meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain (cf. NEB “panic”).
[24:12] 129 tn The LXX has “twelve,” apparently understanding this as a reference to Amorite kings west of the Jordan (see Josh 5:1, rather than the trans-Jordanian Amorite kings Sihon and Og (see Josh 2:10; 9:10).
[24:12] 130 tn Heb “and it drove them out from before you, the two kings of the Amorites, not by your sword and not by your bow.” The words “I gave you the victory” are supplied for clarification.
[24:13] 131 tn Or perhaps, “for.”
[24:13] 132 tn The words “the produce of” are supplied for clarification.
[24:14] 133 sn Joshua quotes the
[24:14] 135 tn Or “and serve.”
[24:14] 136 tn Heb “your fathers.”
[24:14] 138 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
[24:14] 139 tn Or “and serve.”
[24:15] 140 tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”
[24:15] 142 tn Or “will serve.”
[24:15] 143 tn Heb “your fathers.”
[24:15] 145 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
[24:15] 147 tn Or “will serve.”
[24:16] 149 tn Or “can serve.”
[24:17] 150 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
[24:17] 151 tn Heb “for the
[24:17] 152 tn Or “great signs.”
[24:17] 153 tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.”
[24:18] 154 tn Or “will serve.”
[24:19] 156 tn Heb “you are not able to serve.”
[24:19] 157 sn For an excellent discussion of Joshua’s logical argument here, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 274-75.
[24:19] 158 tn In the Hebrew text both the divine name (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) and the adjective (קְדֹשִׁים, qÿdoshim, “holy”) are plural. Normally the divine name, when referring to the one true God, takes singular modifiers, but this is a rare exception where the adjective agrees grammatically with the honorific plural noun. See GKC §124.i and IBHS 122.
[24:19] 159 tn Heb “lift up” or “take away.”
[24:20] 161 tn Or “and serve.”
[24:20] 162 tn The words “against you” are added for clarification.
[24:20] 163 tn Heb “bring you to an end.”
[24:20] 164 tn Heb “after he did good for you.”
[24:21] 165 tn The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is emphatic. Another option is to take it as explanatory, “No, for we will….”
[24:21] 166 tn Or “will serve.”
[24:22] 167 tn Heb “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the
[24:22] 168 sn Like witnesses in a court of law, Israel’s solemn vow to worship the Lord will testify against them in the divine court if the nation ever violates its commitment.
[24:23] 169 tn The words “Joshua said” are supplied for clarification.
[24:23] 170 tn Heb “bend your heart toward.” The term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) probably here refers to the people’s volition or will.
[24:24] 171 tn Or “will serve.”
[24:24] 172 tn Heb “and listen to his voice.”
[24:25] 173 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[24:25] 174 tn Heb “a statute and a judgment.”
[24:27] 175 tn Heb “all the words of the
[24:27] 176 tn Or “lest,” “so that you might not.”
[24:28] 177 tn Heb “And Joshua sent the people away, each to his inheritance.”
[24:29] 178 tn Heb “after these things.”
[24:30] 179 tn Heb “in the territory of his inheritance.”
[24:31] 181 tn Heb “all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived him.”
[24:31] 182 tn Heb “who knew all the work of the
[24:32] 183 tn Heb “one hundred qesitahs.” The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qesitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value and/or weight is unknown. The word occurs only here and in Gen 33:19 and Job 42:11.
[24:32] 184 tn Heb “and they became for the sons of Joseph an inheritance.” One might think “bones” is the subject of the verb “they became,” but the verb is masculine, while “bones” is feminine. The translation follows the emendation suggested in the BHS note, which appeals to the Syriac and Vulgate for support. The emended reading understands “the part (of the field)” as the subject of the verb “became.” The emended verb is feminine singular; this agrees with “the part” (of the field), which is feminine in Hebrew.
[24:33] 185 tn Heb “in Gibeah of Phinehas, his son, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.”
