Joshua 23-24

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 23

In this and the following chapter we have two farewell sermons, which Joshua preached to the people of Israel a little before his death. Had he designed to gratify the curiosity of succeeding ages, he would rather have recorded the method of Israel's settlement in their new conquests, their husbandry, manufacturers, trade, customs, courts of justice, and the constitutions of their infant commonwealth, which one would wish to be informed of; but that which he intended in the registers of this... read more

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 23:11-16

Here, I. Joshua directs them what to do, that they might persevere in religion, Josh. 23:11. Would we cleave to the Lord, and not forsake him, 1. We must always stand upon our guard, for many a precious soul is lost and ruined through carelessness: ?Take heed therefore, take good heed to yourselves, to your souls (so the word is), that the inward man be kept clean from the pollutions of sin, and closely employed in the service of God.? God has given us precious souls with this charge, ?Take... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 23 Joshua being old, convenes the states of Israel a little before his death, Joshua 23:1 ; and in his address to them observes what God had done for them, and would do, Joshua 23:3 ; and exhorts them to keep the commandments of God, and cleave to him, and not to mix with the Gentiles, and join with them in idolatrous practices, and then it would be well with them, Joshua 23:6 ; but otherwise should they join with them, and depart from the Lord, who had so... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:1

And it came to pass a long time after ,.... Or "after many days" F15 מימים רבים "post dies multos", Pagninus, Masius, Tigurine version; "exactis maltis diebus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. , that is, years: that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about ; the greatest part of the land of Canaan was subdued, the whole divided by lot to the tribes of Israel, and they quietly settled in the respective portions assigned them, the Canaanites that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:2

And Joshua called for all Israel ,.... Summoned them together, whether at Timnathserah, his own city, he being old and infirm, and not able to go elsewhere; or whether at Shechem, where it is plain they were afterwards convened, Joshua 24:1 , or whether rather at Shiloh, where the tabernacle was, is not certain; and by "all Israel" cannot be meant the whole body of the people, unless it can be thought to be at one of the feasts, when all the males in Israel appeared before the Lord; though... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:3

And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all those nations because of you ,.... How he had destroyed them, and driven them out of their habitations to make room for them, meaning the seven nations of the Canaanites: for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you ; Joshua does not attribute any of the things that were done to his own valour, nor theirs, nor so much as mentions himself or them as instruments, but wholly ascribes all to the Lord, who fought their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:4

Behold, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain ,.... Who are unsubdued, not yet conquered, as well as those that are to be an inheritance for your tribes ; to be possessed by them and their children for ever: from Jordan, with all the nations I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward ; the phrase, "with all the nations I have cut off", is to be read in connection with "those nations that remain"; both those that were cut off by the sword of Joshua, and those... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:5

And the Lord your God he shall expel them from before you ,.... That is, such of them as yet remained among them: and drive them from out of your sight ; the same thing expressed by different words, for the confirmation of it: and ye shall possess their land, as the Lord your God hath promised unto you ; all which is to be understood on condition of their good behaviour towards the Lord, and obedience to his commands; by which tenure they held the possession of the land when put into... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 23:6

Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses ,.... To observe which required spiritual strength, fortitude of mind, a holy courage, a firm and fixed resolution, and particularly to destroy the Canaanites required in that book, and to abstain from all communion and fellowship with them: that ye turn not aside therefrom, to the right hand or the left ; See Gill on Joshua 1:7 . read more

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