Joshua 24:26

26 He recorded those things in the Scroll of the Law of God. Then he got a large stone. He set it up in Shechem under the oak tree. It was near the place that had been set apart for the Lord.

Joshua 24:26 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 24:26

And Joshua wrote these words
Which had passed between him and the people:

in the book of the law of God;
written by Moses, and which he ordered to be put in the side of the ark, and that being now present, the book could be easily taken out, and these words inserted in it, ( Deuteronomy 31:26 ) ;

and took a great stone:
on which also might be inscribed the same words:

and set it up there under an oak, that [was] by the sanctuary of the
Lord;
or "in it" ^F1; that is, in the field or place where the ark was, which made it sacred, and upon which account the place was called a sanctuary, or an holy place; for there is no need to say that the tabernacle or sanctuary itself was brought hither, only the ark; and much less can it be thought that an oak should be in it; though it was not improbable, that had it been thither brought, it might have been placed under, or by an oak, as we render it; and it is a tradition of the Jews, which both Jarchi and Kimchi make mention of, that this was the same oak under which Jacob hid the strange gods of his family in Shechem, ( Genesis 35:4 ) ; Mr. Mede ^F2 is of opinion that neither ark nor tabernacle were here, but that by "sanctuary" is meant a "proseucha", or place for prayer; such an one as in later times was near Shechem, as Epiphanius ^F3 relates, built by the Samaritans in imitation of the Jews; but it is a question whether there were any such places so early as the times of Joshua, nor is it clear that such are ever called sanctuaries.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (vdqmb) "in sanctuario", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Vatasblus, Junius & Tremellius.
F2 Discourse 18. p. 66.
F3 Contr. Haeres. l. 3. tom. 2. Haeres. 80.

Joshua 24:26 In-Context

24 Then the people spoke to Joshua. They said, "We will serve the LORD our God. We will obey him."

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people. There at Shechem he wrote down rules and laws for them.

26 He recorded those things in the Scroll of the Law of God. Then he got a large stone. He set it up in Shechem under the oak tree. It was near the place that had been set apart for the Lord.

27 "Look!" he said to all of the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all of the words the LORD has spoken to us. Suppose you aren't true to your God. Then the stone will be a witness against you."

28 Joshua sent the people away. He sent all of them to their own shares of land.