New King James Version
Joshua 24:19
19But 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and 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, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.” 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. 20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.” 21And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
Read all of Joshua 24Joshua 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 therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”
- Ruth 1:15And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after 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 else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
- Luke 14:25Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,
- Leviticus 10:3And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.
- Leviticus 19:2“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
- 1 Samuel 6:20And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”
- Psalms 99:5Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy.
- Isaiah 5:16But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
- Isaiah 6:3And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
- Isaiah 30:11Get out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before us.”
- Habakkuk 1:12Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.
- Exodus 20:5you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- Exodus 34:14(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
- 1 Corinthians 10:20Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.
- Exodus 23:21Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name 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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries