Joshua 24:2 kjv
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
Joshua 24:2 nkjv
And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.
Joshua 24:2 niv
Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.
Joshua 24:2 esv
And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.
Joshua 24:2 nlt
Joshua said to the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods.
Joshua 24 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 11:27-32 | "These are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran... And Terah took Abram his son... and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldeans..." | Historical context of Terah and family's origins in Ur. |
| Gen 12:1-3 | "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country... to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation...'" | God's call of Abram out of pagan surroundings. |
| Neh 9:7-8 | "You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees and gave him the name Abraham." | Affirms God's choice and calling from Ur. |
| Eze 16:3 | "Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite." | Echoes ancestral pagan roots, emphasizing God's grace. |
| Dt 7:7-8 | "It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you... but because the Lord loves you..." | Emphasizes God's sovereign, undeserved choice. |
| Isa 51:1-2 | "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him..." | Reminds Israel of their single, chosen ancestor. |
| Act 7:2-4 | "The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran..." | Stephen's speech confirms Abraham's pre-Israelite calling from Mesopotamia. |
| Ex 4:22 | "Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son..." | A foundational declaration of Israel's chosen status. |
| 1 Sam 8:7-8 | "they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done... so they have also forsaken me and served other gods." | Serving other gods is an act of rejection against God. |
| Dt 6:14 | "You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you." | Direct prohibition against the ancestral idolatry. |
| Jos 23:7 | "nor shall you serve their gods or bow down to them..." | Direct link to Joshua's final warning against idolatry. |
| Ps 81:9 | "There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god." | Condemns the practice of serving other gods. |
| Jer 25:6 | "Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, nor provoke me to anger..." | Warns against the consequences of idolatry. |
| 1 Cor 10:1-11 | Paul uses Israel's history in the wilderness as a warning against rebellion and idolatry. | Old Testament history as instruction for the present. |
| Rom 4:1-5 | Discusses Abraham's faith and righteousness apart from the law, highlighting God's gracious calling. | Abraham's justification by faith predates the law. |
| Gal 3:6-9 | "just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness' ... so then, those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham." | Spiritual heritage tied to Abraham's initial faith in God's call. |
| Heb 11:8-10 | "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out... for he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." | Highlights Abraham's faithful obedience to God's call. |
| Ps 105:5-6 | "Remember the wondrous works that he has done... O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!" | Reminds Israel of God's deeds and their chosen lineage. |
| Eze 20:5-7 | "Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel... I swore to them and brought them out of the land of Egypt and into the wilderness." | Reinforces the theme of God's sovereign election and call. |
| Isa 43:20-21 | "This people I formed for myself; that they might declare my praise." | Emphasizes God's purpose in choosing and forming Israel. |
Joshua 24 verses
Joshua 24 2 Meaning
Joshua 24:2 is a profound opening statement in Joshua's farewell address at Shechem, delivered as a divine oracle directly from the Lord. It vividly recounts the humble and idolatrous origins of the Hebrew nation, specifically detailing that their patriarchs, including Terah, the father of Abraham, lived in Mesopotamia "beyond the River" (Euphrates) and "served other gods." This verse immediately establishes a theological framework where God's choosing of Israel was not based on any inherent righteousness or superior worship practices of their ancestors, but purely on His sovereign grace and initiative. It highlights God's active involvement in history, calling a people out of paganism to become His own, setting the stage for the covenant renewal and the ultimate choice presented to the Israelites regarding their future loyalty to Yahweh alone.
Joshua 24 2 Context
Joshua 24 marks a pivotal moment at the end of Joshua's life and ministry, functioning as a covenant renewal ceremony at Shechem. Joshua, now old and close to death, gathers all the tribes of Israel, their elders, heads, judges, and officers, to renew their commitment to the Lord. This chapter mirrors the structure of ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties, with God acting as the great King recounting His benevolent acts for His vassals. Verse 2 specifically initiates this historical prologue, reminding the people of God's grace and initiative from the earliest possible point in their history—the pagan background of their foundational patriarchs. This stark reminder serves to underscore that their current possession of the land and their very existence as a distinct people of God were not due to any merit of their own, but entirely to the Lord's unmerited favor. By recounting their idolatrous origins, Joshua sets the stage for his subsequent challenge in verse 15 to "choose this day whom you will serve," demanding exclusive devotion to the Lord in light of His consistent faithfulness despite their ancestors' idolatry.
Joshua 24 2 Word analysis
- And Joshua said: This marks the beginning of a formal address, indicating the solemnity and importance of the message that follows. Joshua acts as a prophetic figure, delivering a divine word.
- to all the people: Underscores the universal reach of the message to the entire nation of Israel, signifying a collective responsibility.
- “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel”: This is a direct prophetic formula, `kōh ’āmar YHWH ’ělōhê yiśrā’ēl` (כה אמר יהוה אלהי ישראל). It signifies that the message is not Joshua's human wisdom but a direct divine revelation. It highlights God's sovereignty and His special covenantal relationship with Israel as "the God of Israel," reinforcing His unique identity among nations. The divine name YHWH (the Lord) emphasizes His personal, relational, and covenant-keeping nature.
- ‘Long ago’: The Hebrew `mē’ōlām` (מעולם), means "from eternity," "from of old," "since ancient times." It emphasizes the distant past, dating back to their fundamental origins as a people, setting a historical precedent for God's action.
- ‘your fathers’: Refers to their ancestral lineage, particularly those before the time of Moses, with the primary focus here being the direct lineage of Abraham. This emphasizes the continuous historical connection between generations and the weight of their heritage.
- ‘lived beyond the River’: The "River" (הַנָּהָר, `han-nāhār`) unequivocally refers to the Euphrates River. This phrase `‘ēber han-nāhār` (עבר הנהר) locates their geographical origins in Mesopotamia, specifically "across the river," referencing regions like Ur of the Chaldeans, which was a prominent city-state and cultic center in ancient Sumer.
- ‘namely Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor’: The specific naming of Terah grounds the narrative in the historically identifiable patriarchal family. It highlights God's initiative in choosing Abram from a pagan family, rather than a lineage already devoted to Yahweh. Mentioning Nahor alongside Abraham confirms Terah's patriarchal role and anchors the narrative within the Gen 11 genealogical records.
- ‘and they served other gods.’: This is a shocking, yet crucial, admission. The Hebrew verb `‘ābādû` (עבדו), "they served," implies active devotion and worship, including participation in the cultic practices of polytheistic Mesopotamian religions (e.g., deities associated with the moon god Nanna/Sin). This declaration underscores the fundamental truth that God's covenant with Israel was not based on pre-existing merit or exclusive ancestral worship of Yahweh, but purely on divine grace and elective love. It is a powerful polemic against any notion that Israel's favored status was due to its origins being inherently purer or religiously distinct. This point sets a foundational contrast to the exclusive monotheism Israel was called to.
- “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Long ago your fathers lived beyond the River”: This combined phrase emphasizes the divine perspective on their ancestral past, rooted in specific geographical and temporal history. God himself testifies to their origins and the setting where His call of Abraham would take place, stressing His sovereign pre-ordainment of their national history.
- “Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.”: This phrase juxtaposes the human lineage of their great patriarch, Abraham, with the reality of his family's polytheistic practices. The placement of "they served other gods" directly after identifying the family line accentuates the radical shift initiated by God's call. It powerfully illustrates the "ex nihilo" nature of God's covenant people, called out of absolute idolatry into a unique relationship with the one true God.
Joshua 24 2 Bonus section
This verse is often cited by scholars to underscore the anti-triumphalist nature of Israelite historiography. Unlike many ancient Near Eastern foundation myths that boasted of their people's inherent greatness or divine lineage from the start, the Bible candidly reveals the humble, even idolatrous, beginnings of Israel. This narrative honesty emphasizes that God's election of Israel was purely by grace, rather than any pre-existing merit. This theological understanding helps to counter any nationalistic pride and continually points back to God's character as the initiator and sustainer of the covenant relationship. It sets a precedent for understanding salvation as God's work, drawing individuals and communities out of their former state to new life.
Joshua 24 2 Commentary
Joshua 24:2 serves as the bedrock of Joshua's powerful call to commitment. By revealing that their revered patriarchs, including Abraham's direct family, were once idolaters beyond the Euphrates, it shatters any pretense of inherited spiritual purity. This stark truth underlines the unmerited grace that lies at the heart of Israel's election. God, in His sovereign love, chose them despite their pagan past, pulling Abraham from idolatry to establish His covenant people. This historical reminder of divine initiative and unworthiness serves as a profound basis for the upcoming exhortation to "choose whom you will serve." It signifies that their relationship with Yahweh is founded on His faithful calling rather than their worthiness, compelling them to respond with exclusive devotion to the God who transformed their origins.