Joshua 22:19

22:19 But if your own land ¹  is impure, ²  cross over to the Lord’s own land, ³  where the Lord himself lives, ⁴  and settle down among us. ⁵  But don’t rebel against the Lord or us ⁶  by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God.

Joshua 24:15

24:15 If you have no desire ⁷  to worship ⁸  the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, ⁹  whether it be the gods whom your ancestors ¹⁰  worshiped ¹¹  beyond the Euphrates, ¹²  or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family ¹³  will worship ¹⁴  the Lord!”

[22:19]  ¹ tn Heb “the land of your possession.”

[22:19]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “the land of the possession of the Lord.”

[22:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “where the dwelling place of the Lord resides.”

[22:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “and take for yourselves in our midst.”

[22:19]  ⁶ 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 mss correctly read the negative particle אַל (’al) for the preposition אֶל (’el, “to”).

[24:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”

[24:15]  ⁸ tn Or “to serve.”

[24:15]  ⁹ tn Or “will serve.”

[24:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “served.”

[24:15]  ¹² tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.

[24:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “house.”

[24:15]  ¹⁴ tn Or “will serve.”