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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Joshua 24:27

And Joshua said to all the people, "You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Covenant;   Pillar;   Shechem;   Thompson Chain Reference - Memorials;   Remembrance-Forgetfulness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Joshua;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Shechem;   Witness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Denial;   Word;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Stone;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ed;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Covenant;   Deny;   Ebal;   Joshua;   Joshua, the Book of;   Temple of Jerusalem;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Covenant;   Pillar;   Shechem;   Witness;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Quotations;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Witness;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Deny;   Joshua, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shechem;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone—it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.”
Hebrew Names Version
Yehoshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.
King James Version
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
Lexham English Bible
And Joshua said to all the people, "Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh that he spoke with us. It will be as a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God."
English Standard Version
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God."
New Century Version
Joshua said to all the people, "See this stone! It will remind you of what we did today. It was here the Lord spoke to us today. It will remind you of what happened so you will not turn against your God."
New English Translation
Joshua said to all the people, "Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God."
Amplified Bible
Joshua then said to all the people, "Look, this stone shall serve as a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that [afterward] you do not deny your God."
New American Standard Bible
Then Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, because it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Ioshua saide vnto all the people, Beholde, this stone shall be a witnesse vnto vs: for it hath heard all the wordes of the Lord which he spake with vs: it shall be therefore a witnesse against you, lest yee denie your God.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, lest you deny your God."
Contemporary English Version
and told the people, "Look at this stone. It has heard everything that the Lord has said to us. Our God can call this stone as a witness if we ever reject him."
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua said to all the people, "See, this stone will be a witness against us; because it has heard all the words of Adonai which he said to us; therefore it will be a witness against you, in case you deny your God."
Darby Translation
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us, for it hath heard all the words of Jehovah which he spoke unto us; and it shall be a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Joshua said to all the people, "This stone will help you remember what we said today. This stone was here when the Lord was speaking to us today. So this stone will be something that helps you remember what happened today. The stone will be a witness against you. It will stop you from turning against your God."
George Lamsa Translation
And Joshua said to all the people. Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us; it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deal treacherously with the LORD your God.
Good News Translation
He said to all the people, "This stone will be our witness. It has heard all the words that the Lord has spoken to us. So it will be a witness against you, to keep you from rebelling against your God."
Literal Translation
And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the sayings of Jehovah which He has spoken with us. And it shall be against you for a witness, that you not lie against your God.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde vnto all the people: Beholde, this stone shall be witnesse ouer you: For it hath herde all the wordes of the LORDE, which he hath spoken vnto vs, and shall be a witnesse ouer you, that ye denye not youre God.
American Standard Version
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of Jehovah which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.
Bible in Basic English
And Joshua said to all the people, See now, this stone is to be a witness against us; for all the words of the Lord have been said to us in its hearing: so it will be a witness against you if you are false to the Lord your God.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosuah sayde vnto al the people: Behold, this stone shalbe a witnesse vnto vs, for it hath hearde al the wordes of the Lorde whiche he spake with vs, it shalbe therfore a witnesse vnto you, lest ye denie your God.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Joshua said unto all the people: 'Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke unto us; it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.'
King James Version (1611)
And Ioshua saide vnto all the people, Behold, this stone shalbe a witnesse vnto vs; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which hee spake vnto vs; it shall be there for a witnesse vnto you, lest ye deny your God.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joshua said to the people, Behold, this stone shall be among you for a witness, for it has heard all the words that have been spoken to it by the Lord; for he has spoken to you this day; and this stone shall be among you for a witness in the last days, whenever ye shall deal falsely with the Lord my God.
English Revised Version
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to al the puple, Lo! this stoon schal be to you in to witnessing, that ye herden alle the wordis of the Lord, whiche he spak to you, lest perauenture ye wolden denye aftirward, and lye to youre Lord God.
Young's Literal Translation
And Joshua saith unto all the people, `Lo, this stone is against us for a witness, for it hath heard all the sayings of Jehovah which He hath spoken with us, and it hath been against you for a witness, lest ye lie against your God.'
Update Bible Version
And Joshua said to all the people, Look, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which he spoke to us: it shall therefore be a witness against you, in case you deny your God.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us, it shall be therefore a witness to you, lest ye deny your God.
World English Bible
Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which he spoke to us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.
New King James Version
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God."
New Living Translation
Joshua said to all the people, "This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God."
New Life Bible
Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone will be here to speak against us. For it has heard all the words the Lord spoke to us. So it will be here to speak against you, if you do not stay true to your God."
New Revised Standard
Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Joshua said unto all the people - Lo! this stone, shall serve against us as a witness, for, it, hath heard all the sayings of Yahweh, which he hath spoken with us, - so shall it serve against you as a witness, lest ye should act deceptively against your God.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to all the people: Behold this stone shall be a testimony unto you, that it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken to you: lest perhaps hereafter you will deny it, and lie to the Lord your God.
Revised Standard Version
And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God."
THE MESSAGE
Joshua spoke to all the people: "This stone is a witness against us. It has heard every word that God has said to us. It is a standing witness against you lest you cheat on your God."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God."

Contextual Overview

15But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!" 16The people replied, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17For the LORD our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us throughout our journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because He is our God!" 19But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. 20If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume you, even after He has been good to you." 21"No!" replied the people. "We will serve the LORD!" 22Then Joshua told them, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." "We are witnesses!" they said. 23"Now, therefore," he said, "get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." 24So the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice."

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
He also declared: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.
Genesis 13:8
So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers.
Genesis 14:20
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
Genesis 24:4
but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac."
Genesis 24:10
Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor's hometown in Mesopotamia.
Genesis 24:11
As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town, at the time when the women went out to draw water.
Genesis 24:12
"O LORD, God of my master Abraham," he prayed, "please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
Genesis 24:13
Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.
Genesis 24:18
"Drink, my lord," she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
Genesis 24:19
After she had given him a drink, she said, "I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink."

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.


 
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