Joshua 24:19 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 24:19

And Joshua said unto the people ,.... To their heads and representatives now assembled together, and who had returned to him the preceding answer: ye cannot serve the Lord ; which he said not to discourage or deter them from serving the Lord, since it was his principal view, through the whole of this conversation with them, to engage them in it, but to observe to them their own inability and insufficiency of themselves to perform service acceptable to God; and therefore it became them to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 24:19

Ye cannot serve the Lord : for he is a holy God - If we are to take this literally, we cannot blame the Israelites for their defection from the worship of the true God; for if it was impossible for them to serve God, they could not but come short of his kingdom: but surely this was not the case. Instead of תוכלו לא lo thuchelu , ye Cannot serve, etc., some eminent critics read תכלו לא lo thechallu , ye shall not Cease to serve, etc. This is a very ingenious... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 24:19

Verse 19 19.And Joshua said unto the people, etc Here Joshua seems to act altogether absurdly in crushing the prompt and alert zeal of the people, by suggesting ground of alarm. For to what end does he insist that they cannot serve the Lord, unless it be to make them, from a sense of their utter powerlessness, to give themselves up to despair, and thus necessarily become estranged from the fear of God. It was necessary, however, to employ this harsh mode of obtestation, in order to rouse a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:1-22

The Renewal of the Covenant Joshua gathers all the tribes together to Shechem, and calls for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God. "And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you the Lord to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day." There are few more beautiful incidents in the Old Testament than... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:1-22

The Renewal of the Covenant Joshua gathers all the tribes together to Shechem, and calls for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God. "And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you the Lord to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day." There are few more beautiful incidents in the Old Testament than... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:1-28

The possession of the inheritance and its responsibilities. The difference between this address to the children of Israel and the former is that, in the former, Joshua's object was to warn them of the danger of evil doing, whereas in this he designed to lead them, now they were in full possession of the land, to make a formal renewal of the covenant. For this purpose he briefly surveys the history of Israel from the call of Abraham down to the occasion on which he addressed them. Up to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:16-31

A great decision. One of the beautiful things about Scripture is the fine endings of all courses in which God has been leader. This book is no exception. The last view we have of Israel shows them entering into a solemn covenant with God, and one which, speaking roundly, all who made it kept. They respond grandly to Joshua's challenge. "God forbid that we should serve other gods." And even when reminded of the difficulty of serving Him, their purpose remains unshaken. In this great... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:19

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord. Calvin thinks that Joshua said this to rouse the sluggish heart of the people to some sense of their duty. But this is quite contrary to the fact, for the heart of the people, as we have seen ( Joshua 22:1-34 ), was not sluggish. As little can we accept the explanation of Michaelis, who paraphrases, "Ye will not be able, from merely human resolutions, to serve God." Joshua was stating nothing but a plain fact, which his own... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:19

The difficulties of God's service. I. THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES IN THE SERVICE OF GOD . All are freely invited to serve God; all may find ready access to God; there is no need for delay, all may come at once and without waiting to be worthy of Him; after coming through Christ, the yoke is easy and the burden light. Yet there are difficulties. Sin and self and the world must be sacrificed; God cannot be served with a divided heart, hence complete devotion must be attained; the... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 24:15-28

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 24:19

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 24:19

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 24:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:1-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:1-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:1-28

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:16-31

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 24:19

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