Joshua 24:19

Joshua 24:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
• New International Version (NIV)Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But 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 transgressions or your sins.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

Context of Joshua 24:19

17for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs (miracles) in our sight and kept us safe all along the way that we went and among all the peoples among whom we passed. 18The Lord drove all the peoples out from before us, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.” Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord [if you serve any other gods], for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]. He will not forgive your transgression [of His law] or your sins. 20If you do abandon (reject) the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume and destroy you after He has done you good.” 21The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve [only] the Lord.”

Joshua 24:19 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ אֶל־הָעָ֗ם לֹ֤א תֽוּכְלוּ֙ לַעֲבֹ֣ד אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים קְדֹשִׁ֖ים ה֑וּא אֵֽל־קַנּ֣וֹא ה֔וּא לֹֽא־יִשָּׂ֥א לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֖ם וּלְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• Ye cannotיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• an holyקָדוֹשׁqâdôsh qâdôsh · holyH6918
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• a jealousקַנּוֹאqannô' · jealousH7072
• Godאֵל'êl · GodH410
• he will not forgiveנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: forgiveH5375
• your transgressionsפֶּ֫שַׁעpesha‛ · transgressionH6588
• nor your sinsחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403

Cross-references for Joshua 24:19

• Joshua 24:23“Now then, remove the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your hearts toward the Lord, the God of Israel.”
• Ruth 1:15Then Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; turn back and follow your sister-in-law.”
• Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
• Luke 14:25Now large crowds were going along with Jesus; and He turned and said to them,
• Leviticus 10:3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord said: ‘I will be treated as holy by those who approach Me, And before all the people I will be honored.’ ” So Aaron, therefore, said nothing.
• Leviticus 19:2“Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
• 1 Samuel 6:20The men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?”
• Psalms 99:5Exalt the Lord our God And worship at His footstool; Holy is He.
• Isaiah 5:16But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in justice, And God, the Holy One, will show Himself holy in righteousness [through His righteous judgments].
• Isaiah 6:3And one called out to another, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is filled with His glory.”
• Isaiah 30:11Get out of the [true] way, turn aside from the path [of God], Stop bothering us with the Holy One of Israel.”
• Habakkuk 1:12Are You not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, My Holy One? We will not die. O Lord, You have appointed the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon] to execute [Your] judgment, And You, O Rock, have established them to correct and chastise.
• Exodus 20:5You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
• Exodus 34:14—for you shall not worship any other god; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]—
• 1 Corinthians 10:20On the contrary, the things which the Gentiles (pagans) sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons [in effect], and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons [by eating at feasts in pagan temples].
• Exodus 23:21Be on your guard before Him, listen to and obey His voice; do not be rebellious toward Him or provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgression, since My Name (authority) is in Him.

Commentaries on Joshua 24:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is a holy God - If we are to take this literally, we cannot blame the Israelites for their defection from the worship of the true God; for if it was impossible for them to serve God, they could not but come short of his kingdom: but surely this was not the case. Instead of תוכלו לא lo thuchelu, ye Cannot serve, etc., some eminent critics read תכלו לא lo thechallu, ye shall not Cease to serve, etc. This is a very ingenious…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-28Verses 15-28 It is essential that the service of God's people be performed with a willing mind. For LOVE is the only genuine principle whence all acceptable service of God can spring. The Father seeks only such to worship him, as worship him in spirit and in truth. The carnal mind of man is enmity against God, therefore, is not capable of such spiritual worship. Hence the necessity of being born again. But numbers rest in mere forms, as tasks imposed upon…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19He is a holy God: See “God’s Absolute Holiness” Theme Note. He is a jealous God: He created every human to have a relationship with him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-2814-28. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth--After having enumerated so many grounds for national gratitude, Joshua calls on them to declare, in a public and solemn manner, whether they will be faithful and obedient to the God of Israel. He avowed this to be his own unalterable resolution, and urged them, if they were sincere in making a similar avowal, "to put away the strange gods that were among them"--a requirement…Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 24:19

• Covenant
• Decision
• God Continued...
• Shechem

In the dictionaries

• God
• Joshua
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Atonement
• Serve
• Apostasy; Apostate
• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Forgiveness
• Joshua, Book of
• Sanctification

Commentaries on Joshua 24

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings