Joshua 24:4-14

4 And to Isaac I gave 1Jacob and Esau. 2And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, 3but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5 4And I sent Moses and Aaron, 5and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and 6afterward I brought you out.
6 "'Then 7I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and 8you came to the sea. 9And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
7 10And when they cried to the LORD, 11he put darkness between you and the Egyptians 12and made the sea come upon them and cover them; 13and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. 14And you lived in the wilderness a long time.
8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. 15They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.
9 16Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. 17And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you,
10 18but I would not listen to Balaam. 19Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand.
11 20And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, 21and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also 22the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand.
12 And I sent 23the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was 24not by your sword or by your bow.
13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored 25and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.'

Choose Whom You Will Serve

14 26"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. 27Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 24

This chapter gives us an account of another summons of the tribes of Israel by Joshua, who obeyed it, and presented themselves before the Lord at Shechem, Jos 24:1; when Joshua in the name of the Lord rehearsed to them the many great and good things the Lord had done for them, from the time of their ancestor Abraham to that day, Jos 24:2-13; and then exhorted them to fear and serve the Lord, and reject idols, Jos 24:14; and put them upon making their choice, whether they would serve the true God, or the gods of the Canaanites; and they choosing the former, he advised them to abide by their choice, Jos 24:15-24; and made a covenant with them to that purpose, and then dismissed them, Jos 24:25-28; and the chapter is concluded with an account of the death and burial of Joshua and Eleazar, and of the interment of the bones of Joseph, Jos 24:29-33.

Cross References 27

  • 1. Genesis 25:24-26
  • 2. Genesis 36:8; Deuteronomy 2:5
  • 3. Genesis 46:1, 6; Acts 7:15
  • 4. Exodus 3:10; Exodus 4:14
  • 5. See Ex. 7 - 12
  • 6. Exodus 12:37, 51
  • 7. [See ver. 5 above]
  • 8. Exodus 14:2
  • 9. Exodus 14:9
  • 10. Exodus 14:10
  • 11. Exodus 14:20
  • 12. Exodus 14:27, 28
  • 13. Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 29:2
  • 14. See Joshua 5:6
  • 15. See Numbers 21:21-35
  • 16. [Judges 11:25]
  • 17. Numbers 22:5; Deuteronomy 23:4
  • 18. Numbers 23:11, 20; Numbers 24:1, 10
  • 19. Numbers 23:11, 20; Numbers 24:1, 10
  • 20. Joshua 3:14, 17; Joshua 4:10-13
  • 21. Joshua 6:1; See Joshua 10:1-3; Joshua 11:1-3
  • 22. Joshua 6:1; See Joshua 10:1-3; Joshua 11:1-3
  • 23. Exodus 23:28; Deuteronomy 7:20
  • 24. Psalms 44:3
  • 25. Deuteronomy 6:10, 11; [Joshua 11:13]
  • 26. Deuteronomy 10:12; 1 Samuel 12:24
  • 27. ver. 2, 23
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.