Charles Ellicott Commentary Joshua 23

1. To the rulers (Joshua 23).
2. To the people (Joshua 24:1–25).

(a) To THE RULERS.

Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. —This is the same expression employed in Joshua 13:1. It is possible that we should translate this as follows: “It came to pass, a long time after the Lord had given rest ... and (after) Joshua had grown old, advanced in days, that Joshua called ...” Or it may be that we have here, as it were, “the two evenings” of Joshua’s life: the early evening, when his sun began to decline—the afternoon; and the late evening, just before its glorious setting in the service of Jehovah on earth, to serve Him day and night in His temple.

(Our Lord fed the five thousand between the two evenings—Matthew 14:15; Matthew 14:23. So Joshua gave Israel their inheritance between the two evenings of his life.)

Joshua called for all Israel (i.e., first) ... for their elders ... heads ... judges, and ... officers. —The first “and” in the English Version of this verse should be omitted.

And said unto them ... —The address that follows should be contrasted with that in Joshua 24. The first is suited to men of education, authority, and position in Israel, and concerns the duty of the rulers; the second contains one plain lesson for all the people, and makes no demand upon their intellect, nor does it require any position of influence or authority to carry out the instructions which it gives.

Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain. — Here, as in Joshua 13:1-7, and afterwards, in Judges 2:23, the preliminary and partial nature of the conquest achieved by Joshua is distinctly recognized. He gave Israel the land to possess, and gave them the vantage ground from which they might possess it. In Joshua 23:4-5 he instructs them to continue the work which he had begun.

Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses. —As Joshua was the servant of the law himself, so must his successors be. No higher position was attainable than this. It has been the same with the successors of the greater Joshua. With them, and with those who follow them, nothing can ever supersede the authority of the written word.

Do not come among these nations —that is, do not mix with them; literally, do not go in to them. (See Joshua 13:2-7 for the rules to be observed in dealing with the nations.)

It must always be remembered that, in proposing the extermination of the seven nations, Jehovah reserved to Himself the ordering of the details of the conquest and extermination. When the Lord your God shall deliver them before you, you shall smite them and utterly destroy them.

He did not propose to deliver them all to Israel at once, for reasons set forth in Judges 2:3. Meanwhile, it was a trial of Israel’s faith and obedience to live among idolaters without making any peace with them, or showing any approval of their idolatry.