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

13I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’ 14“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 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 in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.

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

• Ifאִם'im · ifH518
• it is disagreeableרָעַעrâ‛a‛ · be evilH7489
• in your sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
• to serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• chooseבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• for yourselves todayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
• whomמִיmîy · who?H4310
• the godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• your fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
• were beyondעֵ֫בֶר‛êber · side: beyondH5676
• the Riverנָהָרnâhâr · RiverH5104
• of the Amoritesאֱמֹרִי'ĕmôrîy · AmoriteH567
• landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• you are livingיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• but as for me and my houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004

Cross-references for Joshua 24:15

• Ruth 1:15Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
• 1 Kings 18:21Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.
• Ezekiel 20:39“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God, “Go, serve everyone his idols; but later you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols.
• John 6:67So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?”
• Joshua 24:14“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
• Exodus 23:24You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.
• Exodus 34:15otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice,
• Deuteronomy 13:7of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end),
• Deuteronomy 29:18so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.
• Judges 6:10and I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.”’”
• Genesis 18:19For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”
• Psalms 101:2I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
• Psalms 119:106I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
• John 6:68Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
• Acts 11:23Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true 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