Joshua 24

This is the final chapter of the Book of Joshua. Having delivered a farewell exhortation to the leaders in chapter 23, Joshua now gathers all the tribes at Shechem and renews the covenant. The book closes with his death and burial.

Outline

• Verse 1 Joshua gathers all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, together with the elders, heads, judges, and officers.
• Verses 2–13 Speaking the word of the LORD, Joshua reviews Israel's past. He begins with Terah, who served other gods on the other side of the River, and proceeds through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Esau. He then recounts in turn Moses and Aaron, the plagues on Egypt and the Red Sea, the wilderness, the conquest of the land of the Amorites, Balaam's blessing, Jericho and the seven nations of Canaan, the hornet, and the land and cities Israel received without labor.
• Verses 14–15 Joshua calls the people to put away other gods and serve the LORD alone. He bids them choose this day whom they will serve and declares, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
• Verses 16–24 The people answer that they will serve the LORD. Joshua warns that they cannot serve Him, but the people reaffirm their commitment and become witnesses against themselves.
• Verses 25–28 A covenant is made at Shechem. Joshua sets a statute and an ordinance, writes these words in the book of the law, and sets up a great stone under the oak as a witness.
• Verses 29–31 Joshua dies at the age of 110 and is buried at Timnath-serah. Israel serves the LORD all the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him.
• Verses 32–33 Joseph's bones are buried at Shechem, and Eleazar also dies and is buried in the hill country of Ephraim.

Key Verses

• Joshua 24:15 "but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." This verse expresses faith as a personal and household commitment.
• Joshua 24:19 "Ye cannot serve the LORD." This verse cautions against easy promises and reveals the holiness of God.
• Joshua 24:31 This verse anticipates the background of the Book of Judges, in which one generation's faith fails to pass to the next.

People and Places

• Joshua: The son of Nun and Moses' successor as leader.
• Terah: The father of Abraham and Nahor. The text states that he "served other gods."
• Balaam: The son of Beor, summoned by Balak king of Moab, who nevertheless blessed Israel.
• Joseph: The son of Jacob. His bones, brought up from Egypt, are buried at Shechem in this chapter.
• Eleazar: The son of Aaron and the high priest. His son was Phinehas.
• Shechem: A city in the hill country of Ephraim and the place where the covenant was made.
• Timnath-serah: Joshua's inheritance, located north of the hill of Gaash.

Points for Reflection

• Verses 14–25 are treated separately in Joshua 24:14–25. Some scholars compare the chapter's structure—historical review, stipulations, witnesses, and written record—with ancient Near Eastern treaty forms.
• Interpretations of the warning in verse 19 differ. Some read it as a rhetorical challenge meant to strengthen the people's resolve; others read it as a statement that human strength alone cannot keep the covenant.
• The "hornet" of verse 12 is taken by some as literal insects and by others as a figure for the terror that fell upon Israel's enemies.
• The story that Abraham smashed his father's idols comes from Jewish tradition; it does not appear in the biblical text.
• Shechem is where Abraham first built an altar (Genesis 12:6–7). Jacob also buried foreign idols there under the oak (Genesis 35:4).
• The burial of Joseph's bones fulfills his dying charge in Genesis 50:25 and brings Exodus 13:19 to completion. Hebrews 11:22 also mentions this charge. In Stephen's speech in Acts 7:16, the purchaser of the land is described differently than in Genesis 33, which has prompted interpretive discussion.

In the Korean Church

The words of verse 15, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD," are commonly used as a family motto or as a framed wall inscription. The verse is also frequently cited in family worship, in sermons during Family Month, and in New Year's dedication services.