Joshua 23:12

Joshua 23:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
• New International Version (NIV)“But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them,
• English Standard Version (ESV)For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you,

Context of Joshua 23:12

10One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who is fighting for you, just as He promised you. 11So be very careful and watchful of yourselves to love the Lord your God. For if you ever turn back and cling to the rest of these nations, these that are left among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13know and understand with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 14“Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God has promised concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.

Joshua 23:12 word by word

כִּ֣י׀ אִם־שׁ֣וֹב תָּשׁ֗וּבוּ וּדְבַקְתֶּם֙ בְּיֶ֙תֶר֙ הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֔לֶּה הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה אִתְּכֶ֑ם וְהִֽתְחַתַּנְתֶּ֥ם בָּהֶ֛ם וּבָאתֶ֥ם בָּהֶ֖ם וְהֵ֥ם בָּכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Else if ye do in any wiseשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• and cleaveדָּבַקdâbaq · to cleaveH1692
• unto the remnantיֶ֫תֶרyether · remainderH3499
• of these nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• these that remainשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
• among you, and shall make marriagesחָתַןchâthan · make oneself a daughter’s husbandH2859
• with them, and go inבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): marryH935

Cross-references for Joshua 23:12

• Psalms 36:3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
• Psalms 125:5But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways [in unresponsiveness to God], The Lord will lead them away with those who do evil. Peace be upon Israel.
• Isaiah 1:4Ah, sinful nation, A people loaded down with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing], Offspring of evildoers, Sons who behave corruptly! They have abandoned (rejected) the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel [provoking Him to anger], They have turned away from Him.
• Ezekiel 18:24“But when the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits sin and acts in accordance with all the repulsive things that the wicked man does, will he live? All of his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered because of the treachery that he has committed and for his sin which he has committed; for them he shall die.
• Zephaniah 1:6And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord [as their most important need] or inquired of Him.”
• Matthew 12:45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So will it also be with this wicked generation.”
• John 6:66As a result of this many of His disciples abandoned Him, and no longer walked with Him.
• Hebrews 10:38But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man’s relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no delight in him.
• 2 Peter 2:18For uttering arrogant words of vanity [pompous words disguised to sound scholarly or profound, but meaning nothing and containing no spiritual truth], they beguile and lure using lustful desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error.
• 1 John 2:9The one who says he is in the Light [in consistent fellowship with Christ] and yet habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in the darkness until now.
• Genesis 2:24For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
• Genesis 34:3But his soul longed for and clung to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke comfortingly to her young heart’s wishes.
• 1 Samuel 18:1When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bonded to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
• 1 Kings 11:2from the very nations of whom the Lord said to the Israelites, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for the result will be that they will turn away your hearts to follow their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these in love.
• Romans 12:9Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.
• Exodus 34:12Watch yourself so that you do not make a covenant (solemn agreement, treaty) with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a [dangerous] trap among you.

Commentaries on Joshua 23:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Else if ye do - go back - The soldier who draws back when going to meet the enemy, forfeits his life. These were the Lord's soldiers, and if they drew back they drew back unto perdition, their lives being forfeited by their infidelity.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-16Verses 11-16 Would we cleave to the Lord, we must always stand upon our guard, for many a soul is lost through carelessness. Love the Lord your God, and you will not leave him. Has God been thus true to you? Be not you false to him. He is faithful that has promised, He 10:23. The experience of every Christian witnesses the same truth. Conflicts may have been severe and long, trials great and many; but at the last he will acknowledge that goodness and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Joshua warned God's people not to marry their neighbors who worshiped many gods. Such close relationships could lead the Israelites to be unfaithful to God (Deuteronomy 7:3–4). However, people from Canaan who wanted to worship the Lord and join God's people were welcome (Joshua 6:25; Ruth 4:10). Race, language, and ethnic group did not affect God's rule against marrying non-Israelites. It was a matter of remaining loyal to the Lord (see 2 Corinthians…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212-13. Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations--As marriage connections with the idolatrous Canaanites would present many and strong temptations to transgress it, these were strictly prohibited (Ex 34:12-16; De 7:3). With his eye, as it were, upon those prohibitions, Joshua threatens them with the certain withdrawal of the divine aid in the further expulsion of the Canaanites (a threat founded Ex 23:33; Nu 33:55; De…Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 23:12

• Company
• Fear of God
• Fellowship
• Miscegenation

In the dictionaries

• Certainty
• Cleave
• Mention
• Therefrom
• Joshua, Book of

Commentaries on Joshua 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings