Albert Barnes Commentary Joshua 24:1

"And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God." — Joshua 24:1 (ASV)

Shechem, situated between the mountains Ebal and Gerizim, had already been the scene of a solemn rehearsal of the covenant soon after the people first entered the promised land (Joshua 8:30–35). This made it a fitting location for the people to solemnly renew that covenant with God, which He, for His part, had so remarkably and fully kept.

The place itself suggested the allusions to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others in Joshua’s address; its historical associations inevitably gave special force and moving effect to his appeals.

This address was made not only to the rulers but to the whole nation—not, of course, to the tribes assembled all together, but to their representatives.