_A.M. 2560. B.C. 1444._ Joshua reminds the people, assembled for that purpose, of what God had done, and what he would do for them, Joshua 23:1. Exhorts them resolutely to persevere in their duty to God, Joshua 23:6; which he enforces by former benefits, and by promises,9-11: and by threatenings, J... [ Continue Reading ]
_A long time after the Lord had given rest unto Israel_ That is, about fourteen years after the conquest of the country, and seven after the division of it among the tribes: see Joshua 11:23; Joshua 14:10. _Joshua called_ Either to his own city, or rather to Shiloh, the usual place of such assemblie... [ Continue Reading ]
_And ye have seen_ Or rather, _Behold ye have seen;_ for so the particle _ve_, which we translate _and_, sometimes signifies, as Genesis 24:31. _All that the Lord hath done because of you_ For your good, that you might gain by their losses. _I have divided unto you those nations that remain_ That ar... [ Continue Reading ]
_Be ye therefore very courageous_ For it would require great courage and resolution to execute all the commands of Moses, and particularly that of expelling and destroying the residue of the Canaanites. _The right hand or the left_ That is, in one kind or other, by adding to the law, or diminishing... [ Continue Reading ]
_That ye come not among those nations_ That ye avoid all familiar converse and contracts, but especially marriage, with them. _Neither mention the name of their gods_ To wit, unnecessarily and familiarly, lest the mention of them should lead to discourse about them, and so by degrees bring them to t... [ Continue Reading ]
_But cleave to the Lord_ By constant obedience, entire affection, faithful service, and worship of him alone. _As ye have done to this day_ To wit, since you came into Canaan; since which time the body of the people (for of them he speaks, not of every particular person) had behaved themselves much... [ Continue Reading ]
_No man hath been able_, &c. To wit, whom you have attacked; otherwise some of those people did yet remain unconquered. _He fighteth_ Impute not this therefore to your own valour, as you will be apt to do, but to God's gracious and powerful assistance.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take good heed_ Now it requires more watchfulness and diligence than it did in the wilderness, because your temptations are now stronger, from the examples and insinuations of your bad neighbours, the remainders of this wicked people; and from your own peace and prosperity; and the pride, security,... [ Continue Reading ]
_If ye in any wise go back_ From God, and from his worship and service. _They shall be snares and traps to you_ By your converse with them, you will be drawn by degrees into their errors, and impieties, and brutish lusts. _Thorns in your eyes_ When they have seduced, and thereby weakened you, then t... [ Continue Reading ]
_I am going the way of all the earth_ That is, of all flesh, or of all men; the way which all men go; I am about to die, as all men must. To die is to go a journey, a journey to our long home. And Joshua himself, though he could so ill be spared, cannot be exempted from this common lot. He takes not... [ Continue Reading ]
_Bring upon you all evil things_ According to what Moses had predicted at large, Leviticus 26. and Deuteronomy 28. For God's faithfulness is no less visible in fulfilling his threatenings than his promises. Indeed the accomplishment of his promises is a pledge that he will also fulfil his threatenin... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ye shall perish quickly from off the good land_ It would aggravate their misery in their destruction, that the land from which they perished was a good land, and a land which God himself had given them: and which therefore he would have secured to them, if they had not thrown themselves out of it.... [ Continue Reading ]