约书亚记 24:27

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

約書亞對全體人民說：“看哪，這塊石頭可以向我們作證，因為它聽見了耶和華對我們所說的一切話；所以這塊石頭要向你們作證，免得你們否認你們的　神。”

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
约 书 亚 对 百 姓 说 ： 看 哪 ， 这 石 头 可 以 向 我 们 作 见 证 ； 因 为 是 听 见 了 耶 和 华 所 吩 咐 我 们 的 一 切 话 ， 倘 或 你 们 背 弃 你 们 的 　 神 ， 这 石 头 就 可 以 向 你 们 作 见 证 （ 倘 或 云 云 ： 或 作 所 以 要 向 你 们 作 见 证 ， 免 得 你 们 背 弃 耶 和 华 ─ 你 们 的 　 神 ） 。

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ But if you don't want to serve the Lord , you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord ." ¹⁶ Then the people answered, "We will never stop following the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the Lord our God who brought our ancestors out of Egypt. We were slaves in that land, but the Lord did great things for us there. He brought us out and protected us while we traveled through other lands. ¹⁸ Then he forced out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the Lord , because he is our God." ¹⁹ Then Joshua said, "You are not able to serve the Lord , because he is a holy God and a jealous God. If you turn against him and sin, he will not forgive you. ²⁰ If you leave the Lord and serve other gods, he will send you great trouble. The Lord may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will destroy you." ²¹ But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord ." ²² Then Joshua said, "You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord ." The people said, "Yes, we are." ²³ Then Joshua said, "Now throw away the gods that you have. Love the Lord , the God of Israel, with all your heart." ²⁴ Then the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

A curious coincidence of circumstances is related by Livy, the Roman historian: he writes that "when three ambassadors were sent from Rome to complain of the perfidious conduct of the Aqui, the General informed them, that they might deliver their message to an oak which shaded his tent." On this one of the ambassadors turning away, said, "This venerable oak, and all the gods, shall know that you have violated the peace; they shall now hear our complaints; and may they also soon be witnesses, when we revenge with our arms the violation of divine and human rights." It is worthy of remark that Joshua merely set up a pillar under an oak - the one, perhaps, to protect the other; while the General directed the ambassadors to address the oak, perhaps with an idolatrous feeling that they were addressing one of the gods, who would aid his cause; while the Roman ambassadors caught the feeling, and really invoked the aid of the oak and the gods. Joshua 22:27, Joshua 22:28, Joshua 22:34, Genesis 31:44-52, Deuteronomy 4:26, Deuteronomy 30:19, Deuteronomy 31:19, Deuteronomy 31:21, Deuteronomy 31:26, 1 Samuel 7:12

it hath: Deuteronomy 32:1, Isaiah 1:2, Habakkuk 2:11, Luke 19:40

deny: Job 31:23, Proverbs 30:9, Matthew 10:33, 2 Timothy 2:12, 2 Timothy 2:13, Titus 1:16, Revelation 3:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:30 - a witness Genesis 28:18 - set it Genesis 31:48 - This heap Genesis 49:33 - had made Exodus 24:4 - twelve pillars Joshua 4:3 - twelve stones Joshua 22:10 - built Job 31:28 - for Isaiah 19:20 - for a James 5:3 - a witness

Cross-References

Genesis 9:26
Noah also said, "May the Lord , the God of Shem, be praised! May Canaan be Shem's slave.

Genesis 13:8
Abram said to Lot, "There should be no arguing between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, because we are brothers.

Genesis 14:20
And we praise God Most High, who has helped you to defeat your enemies." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had brought back from the battle.

Genesis 24:4
Instead, go back to my country, to the land of my relatives, and get a wife for my son Isaac."

Genesis 24:10
The servant took ten of Abraham's camels and left, carrying with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Northwest Mesopotamia to Nahor's city.

Genesis 24:11
In the evening, when the women come out to get water, he made the camels kneel down at the well outside the city.

Genesis 24:12
The servant said, " Lord , God of my master Abraham, allow me to find a wife for his son today. Please show this kindness to my master Abraham.

Genesis 24:13
Here I am, standing by the spring, and the girls from the city are coming out to get water.

Genesis 24:18
Rebekah said, "Drink, sir." She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and gave him a drink.

Genesis 24:19
After he finished drinking, Rebekah said, "I will also pour some water for your camels."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Joshua said unto all the people,.... The chief of them now gathered together, and who represented the whole body:

behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; of the covenant now made, and the agreement entered into, as the heap of stones were between Jacob and Laban, Genesis 31:45;

for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us; this is said by a figure called "prosopopaeia", frequent in Scripture, by which inanimate creatures are represented as hearing, seeing, and speaking, and may signify, that should the Israelites break this covenant, and disobey the commands of the Lord they had promised to keep, they would be as stupid and senseless as this stone, or more so, which would rise in judgment against them. Nachmanides d a Jewish commentator, interprets this stone of the Messiah, the same as in

Genesis 49:24;

it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God; for a memorial and testimony to prevent them from going into atheism, a denying of the true God, or into apostasy from him, and into idolatry and false worship. The Targum of which is,

"behold, this stone shall be to us as the two tables of stone of the covenant, for we made it for a testimony; for the words which are written upon it are the sum of all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us, and it shall be unto you for a memorial, and for a testimony, lest ye lie before the Lord.''

d Apud Masium in loc.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 24:27. This stone - hath heard all the words — That is, the stone itself, from its permanency, shall be in all succeeding ages as competent and as substantial a witness as one who had been present at the transaction, and heard all the words which on both sides were spoken on the occasion.