Joshua 24:23

Joshua 24:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
• New International Version (NIV)“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel."
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”

Context of Joshua 24:23

21The people said to Joshua, ‘Never! We will only serve the Lord.’ 22Joshua said to them, ‘You yourselves have chosen to serve the Lord. Agree now that you have done that.’ They replied, ‘Yes, we agree!’ Joshua said, ‘So now you must throw away the foreign gods that you still keep. Trust the Lord, Israel's God, and obey him.’ 24The people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey him.’ 25That same day, Joshua made an agreement for the people to accept. There at Shechem, he made a list of rules and laws for them to obey.

Joshua 24:23 word by word

וְעַתָּ֕ה הָסִ֛ירוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֥י הַנֵּכָ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וְהַטּוּ֙ אֶת־לְבַבְכֶ֔ם אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now therefore put awayסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
• the strangeנֵכָרnêkâr · foreignH5236
• godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• amongקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
• you, and inclineנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• your heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478

Cross-references for Joshua 24:23

• Joshua 24:14Joshua said to the people, ‘Now you must serve the Lord with fear. You must worship him. You must continue to trust him. Throw away the gods that your ancestors worshipped when they lived beyond the Euphrates river and in Egypt. Worship the Lord.
• Genesis 35:2So Jacob told the people in his house and everyone who was with him, ‘Throw out all the foreign idols that you have with you. Wash your body very well and put on clean clothes.
• Exodus 20:23Do not make any idols to take my place. Do not use silver or gold to make an idol that you will worship.
• Judges 10:15But the Israelites said to the Lord, ‘We are guilty. Punish us in whatever way you think is right, but please rescue us now.’
• 1 Samuel 7:3Then Samuel said to all the Israelite people, ‘If you truly want to turn back to the Lord, you must show that you mean it. You must remove all your foreign gods and the images of Ashtoreth. You must give your lives completely to the Lord. You must worship only the Lord. If you do that, he will save you from the power of the Philistines.’
• Hosea 14:2Return to the Lord and pray to him! Say to him, ‘Please forgive all our sins. Be kind to us as we come to you. We will praise you with our mouths, as our sacrifice to you.
• 1 Corinthians 10:19So think about food that people offer to idols as a sacrifice. I am not saying that the idols are real gods. The food that people offer to them is not special food.
• 2 Corinthians 6:18He also says: ‘I will be a Father to you. You will be my sons and my daughters. That is what the Almighty Lord God says.’
• Proverbs 2:2Listen carefully, so that you understand what wisdom really is.
• Hebrews 12:28But we are receiving a place where we will rule with God. We belong to God's kingdom, and nobody can ever shake that! So we should thank God. We should worship him in a way that makes him happy. He is great, and we should serve him well and respect him.

Commentaries on Joshua 24:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Now therefore put away - As you have promised to reform, begin instantly the work of reformation. A man's promise to serve God soon loses its moral hold of his conscience if he do not instantaneously begin to put it in practice. The grace that enables him to promise is that by the strength of which he is to begin the performance.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. 23Some Israelites had continued to worship idols since they left Egypt and after experiencing 40 years of God’s love and power. Joshua directed them to destroy the idols and turn their hearts to the Lord to serve him alone.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 24:23

• Backsliders
• Covenant
• Decision
• Polytheism
• Shechem

In the dictionaries

• God
• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Strange Gods
• Joshua
• Serve
• Apostasy; Apostate
• Covenant, in the Old Testament

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