FocusUnity, loyalty, and final exhortation
Connection to the wholeThe closing events and Joshua's speeches urge the tribes to serve the LORD and warn against abandoning the covenant.
interpretation Joshua 23:16
KJVWhen ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.
Read it in context
Joshua’s Charge to Leaders
Start reading at Joshua 23:1 (Joshua 23:1 to Joshua 23:16).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The closing events and Joshua's speeches urge the tribes to serve the LORD and warn against abandoning the covenant.
- 23:1 And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.
- 23:2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
- 23:3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.
- 23:4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.
- 23:5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.
- 23:6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
- 23:7 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
- 23:8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.
- 23:9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.
- 23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.
- 23:11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.
- 23:12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
- 23:13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
- 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
- 23:15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
- 23:16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Joshua is the traditional principal author, and Joshua 24:26 credits him with writing covenant words. The closing record of his death and later events means the completed account includes a later contribution. Biblical references: Joshua 24:26; Joshua 24:29. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Joshua 23:1–23:16): Joshua addresses Israel's elders, heads, judges, and officers in his old age. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Israel living in the land and later generations learning how the land was allotted and why covenant faithfulness mattered. No individual first recipient is known. Biblical references: Joshua 4:6; Joshua 4:21; Joshua 24:24. book background
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Joshua’s Charge to Leaders. Read Joshua 23:1 through Joshua 23:16 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The closing events and Joshua's speeches urge the tribes to serve the LORD and warn against abandoning the covenant. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The account follows Moses' death and proceeds through the entry, campaigns, allotments, and Joshua's final covenant addresses. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The people cross from east of Jordan into Canaan. Campaign locations, tribal boundaries, and cities are distinct settings within that broader movement. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Joshua’s Charge to Leaders (Joshua 23:1 to Joshua 23:16). Start reading at Joshua 23:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Hebrews 4 distinguishes the rest associated with Joshua from the rest still discussed in its exhortation. In the KJV of Hebrews 4:8, the name Jesus refers in context to Joshua. See Joshua 1:1, Hebrews 4:8, Hebrews 4:9. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Take the repeated calls to faithfulness and obedience seriously. Historical warfare commands to Israel should not be converted into permission for a reader's private violence. interpretation
Cited: Joshua 23:1, Joshua 23:16, Joshua 1:1, Hebrews 4:8, Hebrews 4:9
Who wrote it, and how we know
Joshua (traditional)
From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book records that Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God.
Joshua 24:26
Early traditionJewish tradition (Baba Bathra 14b) names Joshua.
What is debatedThe closing verses record Joshua's death and later events, so a later hand completed the book.
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Joshua 23
Joshua concerns Israel's entry into Canaan, the distribution of the land, and covenant exhortations. It identifies Joshua's leadership and records his writing in Joshua 24:26, but that does not establish that he wrote every later event in the book. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Joshua 1:1 Joshua 24:26 Joshua 24:29
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Joshua
Joshua concerns Israel's entry into Canaan, the distribution of the land, and covenant exhortations. It identifies Joshua's leadership and records his writing in Joshua 24:26, but that does not establish that he wrote every later event in the book.
Joshua 1:1 Joshua 24:26 Joshua 24:29
Entering the land
Joshua 1:1–5:12FocusCommission, crossing, and covenant signs
Connection to the wholeJoshua's commission and the Jordan crossing lead into renewed covenant signs before the campaigns begin.
interpretation Conflict and the taking of the land
Joshua 5:13–12:24FocusVictory, failure, and the LORD's commands
Connection to the wholeThe campaigns include both victories and Israel's failure concerning the devoted things; the record ends with a list of defeated kings.
interpretation The land distributed
Joshua 13:1–21:45FocusInheritance and provision
Connection to the wholeBoundaries, allotments, refuge cities, and Levitical cities describe the ordering of Israel's inheritance.
interpretation FocusUnity, loyalty, and final exhortation
Connection to the wholeThe closing events and Joshua's speeches urge the tribes to serve the LORD and warn against abandoning the covenant.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.