Josh. 24 Joshua assemble all the tribes at Shechem, Josh. 24:1. A brief history of God’s benefits from Terah: he exhorts them faithfully to serve the true God, Josh. 24:2–13.

Gathered all the tribes of Israel, to wit, by their representatives, as Josh. 23:2. To Shechem; either, 1. To Shiloh, where the ark and tabernacle was; because they are here said to present themselves before God; and because the stone set up here is said to be set up in or by the sanctuary of the…

Unto all the people, i.e. that people which were present, to wit, to the elders, &c., by whom it was to be imparted to all the rest, and to as many of the people as came thither. The flood, or, the river, to wit, Euphrates, as all agree; so called by way of eminency. They served other gods, i.e.

I took your father; I apprehended him by my grace, and snatched him out of that idolatrous and wicked place, and took him into acquaintance and covenant with myself, which was the highest honour and happiness he was capable of. Led him throughout all the land of Canaan, i.e.

I gave unto Esau Mount Seir to possess it, that he might leave Canaan entire to his brother Jacob and his posterity, Gen. 36:7–8. Jacob and his children went down into Egypt, where they long lived in grievous bondage; which God having delivered us from, I shall now pass it over.

According to that which I did, i.e. in such manner, and with such plagues as I inflicted, and are recorded.

He speaketh this to the elders, Josh. 24:1, who were so, not only by power and dignity, but many of them by age; and there being now not sixty years past since those Egyptian plagues, it is very probable that a considerable number of those here present had seen those things in Egypt, and being not…

Balak warred against Israel. Quest. How is this true, when Balak did never fight against Israel, Judg. 11:25? Answ. One prince may commence a war against another, though he never come to a battle, nor strike one stroke; so Balak warred, though not by open force, yet by crafty counsel and warlike…

I would not hearken unto Balaam, who hereby appears to have desired of God leave to curse Israel; and therefore it is not strange that God, who permitted him simply to go, was highly angry with him for going with so wicked an intent, Num. 22:20, Num. 22:22, Num. 22:32. Out of his hand, i.e.

Fought against you; made opposition against you, by shutting their gates, by endeavouring to cut off your spies, &c. they warred against you, if not by an offensive, yet by a defensive war.

The hornet; either, 1. Figuratively, i.e. terrors and plagues, or other destroying judgments. Or, 2. Properly so called. See Poole “Ex. 23:28”. And this being done before Joshua’s entrance into Canaan, it is not strange if it be not mentioned in this book or record of Joshua’s actions.

Cities which you built not. See Poole “Josh. 11:12”.

In sincerity and in truth; either these two expressions note the same thing; or sincerity is opposed to the mixture of false gods with the true, as it here follows, or of a false and corrupt worship of God with that which God appointeth; and truth is opposed to dissimulation and falseness, and…

If it seem evil; unjust, unreasonable, or inconvenient. Choose you this day whom ye will serve: not that he leaves them to their liberty, whether they would serve God or idols; for Joshua had no such power or liberty himself, nor could give it to any other; and both he and they were obliged by the…

Ye cannot serve the Lord: he speaks not of an absolute impossibility, (for then both his resolution to serve God himself, and his exhortation to them to do so, had been vain and ridiculous,) but of a moral impossibility, or a very great difficulty, which he allegeth not to discourage them from…

He will turn, i.e. he will alter his course and the manner of his dealing with you, and will be as severe as ever he was kind and gracious. Consume you, after that he hath done you good; he will repent of all his former kindness, and his goodness abused will be turned into fury.

To wit, him only, and not strange gods, as was supposed by Joshua, Josh. 24:20.

Ye are witnesses against yourselves; this solemn profession will be a swift witness against you, if hereafter you apostatize from God.

The strange gods which are among you; those idols which yon either brought out of Egypt, or have taken in Canaan, which I have too much reason to believe that some of you, contrary to God’s command, do keep, whether for the preciousness of the matter, or rather for some secret inclination to…

Either, 1. He set, or propounded, or declared unto them the statute and ordinance, i.e. the sum of the statutes and ordinances of God, which their covenant obliged them to Or, 2. He set or established it, to wit, that covenant, with them, i.e.

These words, i.e. this covenant or agreement of the people with the Lord. In the book of the law of God, i. e. in that volume which was kept in the ark, Deut. 31:9, Deut. 31:26, whence it was taken and put into this book of Joshua.

It hath heard; it shall be as sure a witness against you as if it had heard. This is a common figure, called prosopopaie, whereby the sense of hearing is oft ascribed to the heavens and the earth, and other senseless creatures, as Deut. 32:1, Isa. 1:2, Jer. 2:12.

In Shechem; not in the city of Shechem, but in a field near and belonging to it, as appears from the following words, and from Gen. 33:18, and from the ancient custom of the Israelites to have their burying-places without cities, in fields or gardens.

By special favour, and for his better conveniency in attending upon the ark, which then was, and for a long time was to be, in Shiloh, which was near to this place; whereas the cities which were given to the priests were in Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon, which were remote from Shiloh, though near to…