Joshua 8:30-35

Joshua Renews the Covenant

30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, ¹on Mount Ebal,

31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, "an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool." And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings.

32 And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on ²the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

33 And all Israel, ³sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests ⁴who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, ⁵just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel.

34 And afterward ⁶he read all the words of the law, ⁷the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, ⁸and the women, and the little ones, and ⁹the sojourners who lived^[a] among them.

Joshua 8:30-35 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 8

Joshua is encouraged to go up and take Ai, and is directed what method to make use of, Jos 8:1,2; accordingly he set an ambush on the west side of it, and, he and the rest of the army went up before it, Jos 8:3-13; which, when the king of Ai saw, he and all his forces came cut against them, and the Israelites making a feint as if they were beaten, drew on the men of Ai to pursue them, upon which the ambush arose and entered the city and set fire to it, Jos 8:14-19; the smoke of which being observed by Joshua and Israel, they turned back upon the pursuers, and the ambush sallying out of the city behind them, made an entire destruction of them, then slew all the inhabitants, took the spoil, burnt the city, and hanged the king of it, Jos 8:20-29; after this Joshua built an altar at Ebal, wrote the law on stones, and read the blessings and curses in it before all Israel, Jos 8:30-35.

Cross References

• 1. See Exodus 20:24, 25; Deuteronomy 27:4-6
• 2. Deuteronomy 27:2-4
• 3. Deuteronomy 31:12
• 4. Deuteronomy 31:9, 25
• 5. Deuteronomy 11:29; Deuteronomy 27:11-13
• 6. Deuteronomy 31:11; Nehemiah 8:2, 3; Nehemiah 13:1
• 7. Deuteronomy 30:19; See Deuteronomy 28:2-68
• 8. Deuteronomy 31:12
• 9. ver. 33

Footnotes

• [a]. Or traveled