Lectionary Calendar
Friday, May 2nd, 2025
the Second Week after Easter
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

Joshua 23:2

Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elders;   Leaders;   Religious;   The Topic Concordance - Marriage;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - God;   Joshua, the Book of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Writing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Elder;   Judges, Book of;   Police Laws;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age,
Hebrew Names Version
that Yehoshua called for all Yisra'el, for their Zakenim and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old and well stricken in years:
King James Version
And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
Lexham English Bible
Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders, heads, judges, and officials, and he said to them, "I am old and well-advanced in years,
English Standard Version
Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years.
New Century Version
He called a meeting of all the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel. He said, "I am now very old.
New English Translation
So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: "I am very old.
Amplified Bible
that Joshua called all Israel, their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old and advanced in years.
New American Standard Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, their heads, their judges, and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Ioshua called all Israel, and their Elders, and their heads, and their iudges, and their officers, and said vnto them, I am old, and stricken in age.
Legacy Standard Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years.
Contemporary English Version
One day he called a meeting of the leaders of the tribes of Israel, including the old men, the judges, and the officials. Then he told them: I am now very old.
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua summoned all Isra'el — their leaders, heads, judges and officials — and said to them, "I am old; age is taking its toll.
Darby Translation
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am become old, advanced in age;
Easy-to-Read Version
At this time Joshua called a meeting of all the older leaders, heads of families, judges, and officers of the Israelites. Joshua said, "I have grown very old.
George Lamsa Translation
And Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders, their heads, their judges, and their scribes, and said to them, I am old and well advanced in years;
Good News Translation
so he called all Israel, the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of the people, and said, "I am very old now.
Literal Translation
And Joshua called for all Israel, for its elders, and for its heads, and for its judges, and for its officers, and said to them, I have become old, I have gone on in days;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he called all Israel and their Elders, heades, iudges, and officers, and sayde vnto them: I am olde and well aged,
American Standard Version
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and well stricken in years:
Bible in Basic English
Joshua sent for all Israel, for their responsible men and their chiefs and their judges and their overseers, and said to them, I am old, and full of years:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosuah called for all Israel, and for their elders, their heades, their iudges, and officers, and sayd vnto them: I am olde and stricken in age,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them: 'I am old and well stricken in years.
King James Version (1611)
And Ioshua called for all Israel, and for their Elders, & for their Heads, and for their Iudges, and for their Officers, and said vnto them; I am old, and stricken in age.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joshua called together all the children of Israel, and their elders, and their chiefs, and their judges, and their officers; and said to them, I am old and advanced in years.
English Revised Version
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and well stricken in years:
Berean Standard Bible
he summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers. "I am old and advanced in years," he said,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the grettere men in birthe, and the princes, and dukis, and maistris, and seide to hem, Y `wexide elde, and Y am of grettere age;
Young's Literal Translation
and Joshua calleth for all Israel, for its elders, and for its heads, and for its judges, and for its authorities, and saith unto them, `I have become old; I have entered into days;
Update Bible Version
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old and well stricken in years:
Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua called for all Israel, [and] for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them, I am old [and] advanced in age:
World English Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old and well stricken in years:
New King James Version
And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: "I am old, advanced in age.
New Living Translation
called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. He said to them, "I am now a very old man.
New Life Bible
Joshua called all Israel, their leaders, their heads, and the men chosen among them who judge between what is right or wrong. Then he said to them, "I am old and have lived many years.
New Revised Standard
Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, - and said unto them, I, am old, advanced in days;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Josue called for all Israel, and for the elders, and for the princes, and for the judges, and for the masters, and said to them: I am old, and far advanced in years,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years.

Contextual Overview

1 A long time afterward, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years; 3 and you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The LORD your God will push them back before you, and drive them out of your sight; and you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. 6 Therefore be very steadfast to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 that you may not be mixed with these nations left here among you, or make mention of the names of their gods, or swear by them, or serve them, or bow down yourselves to them, 8 but cleave to the LORD your God as you have done to this day. 9 For the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations; and as for you, no man has been able to withstand you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, as he promised you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

all Israel: Joshua 24:1, Deuteronomy 31:28, 1 Chronicles 28:1, Acts 20:17-35

and for their elders: Or, "even for their elders," etc.; for it is probably that Joshua gave the following charge only to the elders, judges, etc., to communicate to the people.

Reciprocal: Numbers 25:4 - all the heads Joshua 8:33 - all Israel Joshua 13:1 - Joshua 1 Kings 1:1 - and stricken in years 1 Kings 8:1 - assembled 1 Chronicles 23:2 - he gathered

Cross-References

Genesis 13:18
So Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to the LORD.
Genesis 23:14
Ephron answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:15
"My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead."
Genesis 23:16
Abraham agreed with Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
Genesis 23:18
to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Mach-pe'lah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 27:41
Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob."
Genesis 50:10
When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
Numbers 13:22
They went up into the Negeb, and came to Hebron; and Ahi'man, She'shai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zo'an in Egypt.)
Numbers 20:29
And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 this seems to be not a stated convocation, but occasionally made, and to be understood of the representatives of the people called together, as explained in the following clause:

[and] for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; the first and is supplied, and another word or words may be supplied, as "even", or "that is", or the like, and so explanative of all Israel, namely, "their elders", both in age and office, especially the latter, the seventy elders, or who composed what in later times was called the great sanhedrim; and the "heads" of their tribes, the chief princes of every tribe; and their "judges" in their several cities, who heard and tried causes, and administered justice and judgment to the people; and their "officers", who attended on them to execute the judgment they pronounced:

and said unto them, I am old [and] stricken in age; which he observes as a reason of his calling them together to give them some advice and instructions before his death, and in order to command greater reverence of him, and respect to him, and to excite attention to what he had to say to them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All Israel, and for their elders - Omit “and,” which is not in the Hebrew. The meaning is that Joshua summoned to him all Israel as represented by its elders, etc. Deuteronomy 1:15. This gathering probably took place at the tabernacle at Shiloh.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 23:2. Joshua called for all Israel — There are four degrees of civil distinction mentioned here:

1. זקנים zekenim, the elders or senate, the PRINCES of the tribes.

2. ראשים rashim or rashey aboth, the CHIEFS or HEADS of families.

3. שפטים shophetim, the JUDGES who interpreted and decided according to the law.

4. שטרים shoterim, the OFFICERS, serjeants, c., who executed the decisions of the judges.

Whether this assembly was held at Timnath-serah, where Joshua lived, or at Shiloh, where the ark was, or at Shechem, as in Joshua 24:1, we cannot tell. Some think that the meaning here, and that mentioned in Joshua 24:1, were the same, and if so, Shechem was the place of assembling but it is more likely that the two chapters treat of two distinct assemblies, whether held at the same place or not.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile