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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 23:1-10

As to the date of this edict of Joshua, I. No mention at all is made of the place where this general assembly was held; some think it was at Timnath-serah, Joshua's own city, where he lived, and whence, being old, he could not well remove. But it does not appear that he took so much state upon him; therefore it is more probable this meeting was at Shiloh, where the tabernacle of meeting was, and to which place, perhaps, all the males that could had now come up to worship before the Lord, at... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:8

But cleave unto the Lord your God ,.... To his word, worship, and ordinances; externally, by close adherence to them, and strict observation of them; and internally, by strong affection to him, hope, trust, and confidence in him, expectation of all good things from him, and constant application to him for help in all times of need, and a fixed dependence on him: as ye have done unto this day ; that is, since they came into the land of Canaan, and had been under the government of Joshua;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:9

For the Lord hath driven out before you great nations and strong ,.... Especially as they were reckoned in those times, before any great monarchies had existed, as did afterwards; and indeed these were, considering the land they inhabited, very numerous and populous, and were very stout and able bodied men, and some of a gigantic stature; and all dwelt in strong fortified cities, and were able to bring out large armies into the field, with chariots of iron, so that they were very formidable;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:10

One man of you shall chase a thousand ,.... Here Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, that the future tense is put for the past, and that the sense is, one of them had chased a thousand in their war with the Canaanites; but Abarbinel disapproves of this observation, and thinks it refers to time to come, what they should be able to do if they cleaved unto the Lord; this was fulfilled in Samson, Judges 15:15 ; such a promise was made, Leviticus 26:8 , for the Lord your God he it is that... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 23:10

One man of you shall chase a thousand - Do not remain inactive on the supposition that you must be much more numerous before you can drive out your enemies, for it is the Lord that shall drive out nations great and strong; and under his direction and influence one of you shall chase a thousand. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 23:9

Verse 9 9.For the Lord has driven out from before you, etc He intimates that so long as they do not themselves change, there will certainly be no change on the part of God. Therefore he asserts that, provided they conciliate the favor of God, they shall have an uninterrupted course of victory. At length he again exhorts them, as they value their life and safety, to be careful in maintaining love to God. From this source all true obedience springs; for if we do not cling to him with free and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 23:1-16

The last words of the aged servant of God. The influence gained by a long and successful life is immense. It was so in Joshua's case, for it outlasted his life, and continued as long as any of his former colleagues and companions in arms were alive. It was only when a fresh generation arose who knew him not, save by the report of the younger men, such as Othniel, that Israel declined from the true path. Joshua's last charge, therefore, is full of interest and profit. I. HOW A LONG... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 23:6-8

Cleaving unto the Lord. I. THE DUTY . II. THE DANGER . Joshua saw that there was a danger that the people should cease to "cleave unto the Lord." This arose from various causes: III. THE MOTIVES FOR OVERCOMING THE DANGER AND FULFILLING THE DUTY . The great source of devotion is love to God. Joshua says, "Take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God." We cannot cleave to the Lord out of a mere sense of duty. We must feel... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 23:8

But cleave unto the Lord your God. Or, ye shall cleave unto Jehovah your God. The phrase denotes the intimate union between God and the soul (see above, and Genesis 2:24 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 23:9

For the Lord your God hath driven out. So the Masora and the LXX . The Vulgate and the margin of our version translate by the future. So Luther also. The next verse is undeniably future. An appeal to their experience, which did not fail (see Joshua 24:31 ) to be effective as long as the memory of these things was fresh in their minds. So in the Prayer Book of the Church of England we find the appeal, "O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us, the noble... read more

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