Joshua 24:15

Joshua 24:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Context of Joshua 24:15

13So I gave you a land that you hadn’t farmed, cities to live in that you hadn’t built, vineyards and olive groves that you hadn’t planted. So you ate all you wanted! 14“Fear the Lord, and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. But if you don’t want to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve the Lord.” 16The people responded, “It would be unthinkable for us to abandon the Lord to serve other gods. 17The Lord our God brought us and our ancestors out of slavery in Egypt. He did these spectacular signs right before our eyes. He guarded us wherever we went, especially as we passed through other nations.

Joshua 24:15 word by word

וְאִם֩ רַ֨ע בְּֽעֵינֵיכֶ֜ם לַעֲבֹ֣ד אֶת־יְהוָ֗ה בַּחֲר֨וּ לָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ אֶת־מִ֣י תַעֲבֹדוּן֒ אִ֣ם אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֣וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ מֵעֵ֣בֶר הַנָּהָ֔ר וְאִם֙ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֖ם יֹשְׁבִ֣ים בְּאַרְצָ֑ם וְאָנֹכִ֣י וּבֵיתִ֔י נַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And if it seem evilרָעַעrâ‛a‛ · be evilH7489
• unto youמִיmîy · who?H4310
• to serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• chooseבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• you this dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
• whomעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
• whether the godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• which your fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
• on the other sideעֵ֫בֶר‛êber · side: beyondH5676
• of the floodנָהָרnâhâr · RiverH5104
• of the Amoritesאֱמֹרִי'ĕmôrîy · AmoriteH567
• in whose landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• ye dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• but as for me and my houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004

Cross-references for Joshua 24:15

• Ruth 1:15Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law.”
• 1 Kings 18:21Elijah stood up in front of all the people and asked them, “How long will you try to have it both ways? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him.” The people didn’t say a word.
• Ezekiel 20:39“ ‘Nation of Israel, this is what the Almighty Lord says: Serve your disgusting idols. But afterwards, you will listen to me. You will no longer dishonor my holy name with your gifts and your disgusting idols.
• John 6:67So Jesus asked the twelve apostles, “Do you want to leave me too?”
• Joshua 24:14“Fear the Lord, and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord.
• Exodus 23:24Never worship or serve their gods or follow their practices. Instead, you must destroy their gods and crush their sacred stones.
• Exodus 34:15Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in that land. When they chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes and sacrifice to them, they may invite you to eat the meat from their sacrifices with them.
• Deuteronomy 13:7They may be the gods of the people around you, who live near or far, from one end of the land to the other.)
• Deuteronomy 29:18Make sure there is no man, woman, family, or tribe among you today who turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of those nations. Make sure that no one among you is the source of this kind of bitter poison.
• Judges 6:10I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must never fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you will live.’ But you have not obeyed me.”
• Genesis 18:19I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his family after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. In this way I, the Lord, will do what I have promised Abraham.”
• Psalms 101:2I want to understand the path to integrity. When will you come to me? I will live in my own home with integrity.
• Psalms 119:106I took an oath, and I will keep it. I took an oath to follow your regulations, which are based on your righteousness.
• John 6:68Simon Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, to what person could we go? Your words give eternal life.
• Acts 11:23When he arrived there, he was pleased to see what God had done for them out of kindness. So he encouraged all the people to remain solidly committed to the Lord.

Commentaries on Joshua 24:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Choose you this day whom ye will serve - Joshua well knew that all service that was not free and voluntary could be only deceit and hypocrisy, and that God loveth a cheerful giver. He therefore calls upon the people to make their choice, for God himself would not force them - they must serve him with all their heart if they served him at all. As for himself and family, he shows them that their choice was already fixed, for they had taken Jehovah for their…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Choose - Service of God in sincerity and truth can only result from a free and willing allegiance of the heart. This accordingly is what Joshua invites, as Moses had done before him (Deuteronomy 30:15 ff).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. 15Joshua used his influential leadership and achievements to support his declaration to serve the Lord.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 24:15

• Choice
• Contingencies
• Decision
• Family
• Good and Evil
• Obedience
• Shechem
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Flood
• Joshua
• Serve
• Shechem
• Apostasy; Apostate
• Catechist; Catechumen
• Choose; Chosen
• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Israel, Religion of
• Joshua, Book of

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