Lectionary Calendar
Friday, November 29th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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New Living Translation

Joshua 24:1

Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. So they came and presented themselves to God.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Shechem;   Thompson Chain Reference - Sychar, or Shechem;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Shechem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ebal;   King;   Shechem;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Covenant;   Leadership;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Shechem;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elder;   Israel;   Jeroboam;   Judges;   Pillars;   Shechem (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Confessions and Credos;   Covenant;   Ebal;   Israel, History of;   Joshua;   Joshua, the Book of;   King, Kingship;   Shechem;   Sin;   Temple of Jerusalem;   Transportation and Travel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Shechem;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Gerizim;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Shechem ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elder;   Shiloh;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Elder;   She'chem;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Elders;   Government of the Hebrews;   Sanhedrim;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Sacrifice;   Writing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Covenant;   Police Laws;   Shechem;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God.
Update Bible Version
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
English Revised Version
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
New Century Version
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel to stand before God.
New English Translation
Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel's elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua convened all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
World English Bible
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
Amplified Bible
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges and for their officers; they presented themselves before God.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Josue gaderide alle the lynagis of Israel in to Sechem; and he clepide the grettere men in birthe, and the princes, and iugis, and maistris; and thei stoden in the siyt of the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
And Joshua gathereth all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and calleth for the elders of Israel, and for its heads, and for its judges, and for its authorities, and they station themselves before God.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
Contemporary English Version
Joshua called the tribes of Israel together for a meeting at Shechem. He had the leaders, including the old men, the judges, and the officials, come up and stand near the sacred tent.
American Standard Version
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
Bible in Basic English
Then Joshua got all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem; and he sent for the responsible men of Israel and their chiefs and their judges and their overseers; and they took their place before God.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosuah gathered all ye tribes of Israel to Sichem, and called for the elders of Israel, & for their heades, iudges, and officers, & they presented them selues before God.
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua gathered all the tribes of Isra'el to Sh'khem; he summoned the leaders, heads, judges and officials of Isra'el; and they presented themselves before God.
Darby Translation
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
Easy-to-Read Version
Joshua called all the tribes of Israel to meet together at Shechem. Then Joshua called the older leaders, heads of the families, judges, and the officers of Israel. These men stood before God.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
King James Version (1611)
And Ioshua gathered all the Tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the Elders of Israel, and for their Heads, and for their Iudges, and for their Officers, and they presented themselues before God.
New Life Bible
Then Joshua gathered all the families of Israel to Shechem. He called for the leaders of Israel, the heads of the families and those who judged between what is right or wrong. And they showed themselves before God.
New Revised Standard
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel, unto Shechem, - and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Ioshua assembled againe all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called the Elders of Israel, and their heades, and their iudges, and their officers, and they presented themselues before God.
George Lamsa Translation
AND Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their scribes; and they presented themselves before God in front of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Good News Translation
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they came into the presence of God.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Josue gathered together all the tribes of Israel in Sichem, and called for the ancients, and the princes and the judges, and the masters: and they stood in the sight of the Lord:
Revised Standard Version
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joshua gathered all the tribe of Israel to Selo, and convoked their elders, and their officers, and their judges, and set them before God.
Christian Standard Bible®
Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned Israel’s elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God.
Hebrew Names Version
Yehoshua gathered all the tribes of Yisra'el to Shekhem, and called for the Zakenim of Yisra'el, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
King James Version
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
Lexham English Bible
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem; he summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officials, and they presented themselves before God.
Literal Translation
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for its heads, and for its judges, and for its officers. And they placed themselves before God.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Iosua gathered all the trybes of Israel together vnto Sichem, and called the Elders of Israel, the heades, iudges and officers. And wha they were come before God,
THE MESSAGE
Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called in the elders, chiefs, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before G od. Then Joshua addressed all the people: "This is what God , the God of Israel, says: A long time ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived to the east of the River Euphrates. They worshiped other gods. I took your ancestor Abraham from the far side of The River. I led him all over the land of Canaan and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac. Then I gave Isaac Jacob and Esau. I let Esau have the mountains of Seir as home, but Jacob and his sons ended up in Egypt. I sent Moses and Aaron. I hit Egypt hard with plagues and then led you out of there. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. You came to the sea, the Egyptians in hot pursuit with chariots and cavalry, to the very edge of the Red Sea! "Then they cried out for help to God . He put a cloud between you and the Egyptians and then let the sea loose on them. It drowned them. "You watched the whole thing with your own eyes, what I did to Egypt. And then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. I brought you to the country of the Amorites, who lived east of the Jordan, and they fought you. But I fought for you and you took their land. I destroyed them for you. Then Balak son of Zippor made his appearance. He was the king of Moab. He got ready to fight Israel by sending for Balaam son of Beor to come and curse you. But I wouldn't listen to Balaam—he ended up blessing you over and over! I saved you from him. "You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The Jericho leaders ganged up on you as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, but I turned them over to you. "I sent the Hornet ahead of you. It drove out the two Amorite kings—did your work for you. You didn't have to do a thing, not so much as raise a finger. "I handed you a land for which you did not work, towns you did not build. And here you are now living in them and eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant. "So now: Fear God . Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God . "If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God , then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God ." The people answered, "We'd never forsake God ! Never! We'd never leave God to worship other gods. " God is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we've traveled and among the nations we've passed through. Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land. "Count us in: We too are going to worship God . He's our God." Then Joshua told the people: "You can't do it; you're not able to worship God . He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't put up with your fooling around and sinning. When you leave God and take up the worship of foreign gods, he'll turn right around and come down on you hard. He'll put an end to you—and after all the good he has done for you!" But the people told Joshua: "No! No! We worship God !" And so Joshua addressed the people: "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen God for yourselves—to worship him." And they said, "We are witnesses." Joshua said, "Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes to God , the God of Israel." The people answered Joshua, "We will worship God . What he says, we'll do." Joshua completed a Covenant for the people that day there at Shechem. He made it official, spelling it out in detail. Joshua wrote out all the directions and regulations into the Book of The Revelation of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak that was in the holy place of God . 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." Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his own place of inheritance. After all this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of God , died. He was 110 years old. They buried him in the land of his inheritance at Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
New American Standard Bible
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
New King James Version
Exodus 24:9-18">[xr] Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

Contextual Overview

1 Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. So they came and presented themselves to God. 2 Joshua said to the people, "This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 5 "Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought terrible plagues on Egypt; and afterward I brought you out as a free people. 6 But when your ancestors arrived at the Red Sea, the Egyptians chased after you with chariots and charioteers. 7 When your ancestors cried out to the Lord , I put darkness between you and the Egyptians. I brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them. With your very own eyes you saw what I did. Then you lived in the wilderness for many years. 8 "Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Joshua: This must have been a different assembly from that mentioned in the preceding chapter, though probably held not long after the former.

Shechem: As it is immediately added, that "they presented themselves before God," which is supposed to mean at the tabernacle; some are of opinion that Joshua caused it to be conveyed from Shiloh to Shechem on this occasion, to give the greater solemnity to his last meeting with the people. The Vatican and Alexandrian copies of the Septuagint, however, read חכש, both here and in Joshua 24:25, which many suppose to have been the original reading. Dr. Shuckford supposes that the covenant was made at Shechem, and that the people went to Shiloh to confirm it. But the most probable opinion seems to be that of Dr. Kennicott, that when all the tribes were assembled as Shechem, Joshua called the chiefs to him on that mount, which had before been consecrated by the law, and by the altar which he had erected. Genesis 12:6, Genesis 33:18, Genesis 33:19, Genesis 35:4, Judges 9:1-3, 1 Kings 12:1

called: Joshua 23:2, Exodus 18:25, Exodus 18:26

presented: 1 Samuel 10:19, Acts 10:33

Reciprocal: Genesis 48:21 - God Genesis 49:24 - the shepherd Exodus 5:6 - officers Numbers 13:8 - Oshea Deuteronomy 31:14 - presented Joshua 8:33 - all Israel Joshua 17:7 - Shechem 1 Kings 8:1 - assembled 1 Chronicles 23:2 - he gathered 1 Chronicles 28:1 - assembled 2 Chronicles 10:1 - Shechem Psalms 60:6 - Shechem Psalms 108:7 - Shechem

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
Genesis 13:2
(Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.)
Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.
Genesis 21:5
Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
Genesis 24:1
Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.
Genesis 24:3
Swear by the Lord , the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women.
Genesis 24:35
"And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 25:20
When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
Genesis 49:25
May the God of your father help you; may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, and blessings of the watery depths below, and blessings of the breasts and womb.
1 Kings 1:1
King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem,.... The nine tribes and a half; not all the individuals of them, but the chief among them, their representatives, as afterwards explained, whom he gathered together a second time, being willing, as long as he was among them, to improve his time for their spiritual as well as civil good; to impress their minds with a sense of religion, and to strengthen, enlarge, and enforce the exhortations he had given them to serve the Lord; and Abarbinel thinks he gathered them together again because before they returned him no answer, and therefore he determined now to put such questions to them as would oblige them to give one, as they did, and which issued in making a covenant with them; the place where they assembled was Shechem, which some take to be Shiloh, because of what is said Joshua 24:25; that being as they say in the fields of Shechem; which is not likely, since Shiloh, as Jerom says u, was ten miles from Neapolis or Shechem. This place was chosen because nearest to Joshua, who was now old and infirm, and unfit to travel; and the rather because it was the place where the Lord first appeared to Abraham, when he brought him into the land of Canaan, and where he made a promise of giving the land to his seed, and where Abraham built an altar to him, Genesis 12:6; where also Jacob pitched his tent when he came from Padanaram, bought a parcel of a field, and erected an altar to the Lord, Genesis 33:18; and where Joshua also repeated the law to, and renewed the covenant with the children of Israel, quickly after their coming into the land of Canaan, for Ebal and Gerizim were near to Shechem, Joshua 8:30;

and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers: Joshua 8:30- :;

and they presented themselves before God; Kimchi and Abarbinel are of opinion that the ark was fetched from the tabernacle at Shiloh, and brought hither on this occasion, which was the symbol of the divine Presence; and therefore the place becoming sacred thereby is called the sanctuary of the Lord, and certain it is that here was the book of the law of Moses, Joshua 24:26; which was put on the side of the ark,

Deuteronomy 31:26.

u De loc. Heb. fol. 94. I.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Shechem, situated between those mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, which had already been the scene of a solemn rehearsal of the covenant soon after the first entry of the people into the promised land Joshua 8:30-35, was a fitting scene for the solemn renewal on the part of the people of that covenant with God which had been on His part so signally and so fully kept. The spot itself suggested the allusions to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, etc., in Joshua’s address; and its associations could not but give special force and moving effect to his appeals. This address was not made to the rulers only but to the whole nation, not of course to the tribes assembled in mass, but to their representatives.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XXIV

Joshua gathers all the tribes together at Shechem, 1;

and gives them a history of God's gracious dealings with

Abraham, 2, 3;

Isaac, Jacob, and Esau, 4;

Moses and Aaron, and their fathers in Egypt, 5, 6.

His judgments on the Egyptians, 7.

On the Amorites, 8.

Their deliverance from Balak and Balaam, 9, 10.

Their conquests in the promised land, and their establishment

in the possession of it, 11-13.

Exhorts them to abolish idolatry, and informs them of his and

his family's resolution to serve Jehovah, 14, 15.

The people solemnly promise to serve the Lord alone, and mention

his merciful dealings towards them, 16-18.

Joshua shows them the holiness of God, and the danger of

apostasy, 19, 20.

The people again promise obedience, 21.

Joshua calls them to witness against themselves, that they had

promised to worship God alone, and exhorts them to put away

the strange gods, 22, 23.

They promise obedience, 24.

Joshua makes a covenant with the people, writes it in a book,

sets up a stone as a memorial of it, and dismisses the people,

25-28.

Joshua's death, 29,

and burial, 30.

The people continue faithful during that generation, 31.

They bury the bones of Joseph in Shechem, 32.

Eleazar the high priest dies also, 33.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV

Verse Joshua 24:1. Joshua gathered all the tribes — This must have been a different assembly from that mentioned in the preceding chapter, though probably held not long after the former.

To Shechem — As it is immediately added that they presented themselves before God, this must mean the tabernacle; but at this time the tabernacle was not at Shechem but at Shiloh. The Septuagint appear to have been struck with this difficulty, and therefore read σηλω. Shiloh, both here and in Joshua 24:25, though the Aldine and Complutensian editions have συξεμ, Shechem, in both places. Many suppose that this is the original reading, and that Shechem has crept into the text instead of Shiloh. Perhaps there is more of imaginary than real difficulty in the text. As Joshua was now old and incapable of travelling, he certainly had a right to assemble the representatives of the tribes wherever he found most convenient, and to bring the ark of the covenant to the place of assembling: and this was probably done on this occasion. Shechem is a place famous in the patriarchal history. Here Abraham settled on his first coming into the land of Canaan, Genesis 12:6-7; and here the patriarchs were buried, Acts 7:16. And as Shechem lay between Ebal and Gerizim, where Joshua had before made a covenant with the people, Joshua 8:30, c., the very circumstance of the place would be undoubtedly friendly to the solemnity of the present occasion. Shuckford supposes that the covenant was made at Shechem, and that the people went to Shiloh to confirm it before the Lord. Mr. Mede thinks the Ephraimites had a proseucha, or temporary oratory or house of prayer, at Shechem, whither the people resorted for Divine worship when they could not get to the tabernacle and that this is what is called before the Lord; but this conjecture seems not at all likely, God having forbidden this kind of worship.


 
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