Joshua 24:15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
evil	רַ֨ע ra'	H7489	properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
you	מִ֣י mi	H4310	who? (occasionally · interrogative pronoun
serve	לַעֲבֹ֣ד la.'a.Vod	H5647	to work (in any sense) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
LORD	יְהוָ֗ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
choose	בַּחֲר֨וּ ba.cha.Ru	H977	properly · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
day	הַיּוֹם֮ hai.yOm	H3117	a day (as the warm hours) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
whom	בְּֽעֵינֵיכֶ֜ם be.'ei.nei.Khem	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
serve	תַעֲבֹדוּן֒ ta.'a.vo.Dun	H5647	to work (in any sense) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural + paragogic nun
gods	אֱלֹהִ֞ים 'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
fathers	אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם 'a.vo.tei.Khem	H1	father · noun, common feminine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
served	עָבְד֣וּ 'a.ve.Du	H5647	to work (in any sense) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
side	מֵעֵ֣בֶר me.'e.ver	H5676	properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
flood	הַנָּהָ֔ר ha.na.Har	H5104	a stream (including the sea · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
gods	אֱלֹהֵ֣י 'e.lo.Hei	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct
Amorites	הָאֱמֹרִ֔י ha.'e.mo.Ri	H567	an Emorite · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine singular absolute
land	בְּאַרְצָ֑ם be.'ar.Tzam	H776	the earth (at large · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
dwell	יֹשְׁבִ֣ים yo.she.Vim	H3427	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
house	וּבֵיתִ֔י u.vei.Ti	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
serve	נַעֲבֹ֖ד na.'a.Vod	H5647	to work (in any sense) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common plural
LORD	יְהוָֽה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then foll…
John 6:67-68 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Ruth 1:15-16 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
Deuteronomy 29:18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve…
Ezekiel 20:39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto…
Exodus 23:32-33 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
Acts 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lor…
Exodus 23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 24:15-28

Never was any treaty carried on with better management, nor brought to a better issue, than this of Joshua with the people, to engage them to serve God. The manner of his dealing with them shows him to have been in earnest, and that his heart was much upon it, to leave them under all possible obligations to cleave to him, particularly the obligation of a choice and of a covenant. I. Would it be any obligation upon them if they made the service of God their choice? - he here puts them to their choice, not as if it were antecedently indifferent whether they served God or nor, or as if they were at liberty to refuse his service, but because it would have a great influence upon their perseveranc…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 24:14

Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth--After having enumerated so many grounds for national gratitude, Joshua calls on them to declare, in a public and solemn manner, whether they will be faithful and obedient to the God of Israel. He avowed this to be his own unalterable resolution, and urged them, if they were sincere in making a similar avowal, "to put away the strange gods that were among them"--a requirement which seems to imply that some were suspected of a strong hankering for, or concealed practice of, the idolatry, whether in the form of Zabaism, the fire-worship of their Chaldean ancestors, or the grosser superstitions of the Canaanites.

Adam Clarke on Joshua 24:15

Choose you this day whom ye will serve - Joshua well knew that all service that was not free and voluntary could be only deceit and hypocrisy, and that God loveth a cheerful giver. He therefore calls upon the people to make their choice, for God himself would not force them - they must serve him with all their heart if they served him at all. As for himself and family, he shows them that their choice was already fixed, for they had taken Jehovah for their portion.

John Gill on Joshua 24:15

And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord,.... Irksome and troublesome, a burden, a weariness, and not a pleasure and delight: choose you this day whom you will serve; say if you have found a better master, and whose service will be more pleasant and profitable: whether the gods your fathers served, that were on the other side of the flood; the river Euphrates; these may bid rid rest for antiquity, but then they were such their fathers had relinquished, and for which undoubtedly they had good reason; and to take up with the worship of these again was to impeach their wisdom, judgment, and good sense: or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but then these were such as could…

Dictionary and topics

Burial — The first burial we have an account of is that of Sarah (Gen. 23). The first commercial transaction recorded is that of the purchase of a burial-place, for which Abraham weighed to Ephron “four…
Flood — An event recorded in Gen. 7 and 8. (See DELUGE.) In Josh. 24:2, 3, 14, 15, the word “flood” (R.V., “river”) means the river Euphrates. In Ps. 66:6, this word refers to the river Jordan.
Joshua — Jehovah is his help, or Jehovah the Saviour. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, the successor of Moses as the leader of Israel. He is called Jehoshua in Num. 13:16 (A.V.), and Jesus in Acts…
Shechem — Shoulder. (1.) The son of Hamor the Hivite (Gen. 33:19; 34). (2.) A descendant of Manasseh (Num. 26:31; Josh. 17:2). (3.) A city in Samaria (Gen. 33:18), called also Sichem (12:6), Sychem (Acts…
Amorites, The · Character of: Idolatrous — Character of: Idolatrous
Choice · THE SINNER’S — THE SINNER’S
Contingencies · IN DIVINE GOVERNMENT OF MAN — IN DIVINE GOVERNMENT OF MAN
Decision · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Devotedness To God · Exemplified: Joshua — Exemplified: Joshua
Families · Good — Exemplified: Joshua — Good — Exemplified: Joshua
Family · .Joshua — .Joshua
Good And Evil · Exhortation to choose between — Exhortation to choose between

Joshua 24:15

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 24:15-28

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 24:14

Adam Clarke on Joshua 24:15

John Gill on Joshua 24:15

Dictionary and topics

Joshua 24:15

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Joshua 24:15-28

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 24:14

Adam Clarke on Joshua 24:15

John Gill on Joshua 24:15

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Joshua 24:15-24

Keil & Delitzsch on Joshua 24:1-18

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Joshua 24:15

Rashi on Joshua 24:11