Joshua 23:16
in Joshua 23If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this good land He has given you.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When ye transgress the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them; then will the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Joshua 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseYe shall perish quickly from off the good land - The following note from Mr. John Trapp is very judicious: “This judgment Joshua inculcates Jos 23:13, Jos 23:15, and here, because he knew it would be a very grievous thing to them to forego so goodly a land, so lately gotten, and so short a while enjoyed. In the beginning of a speech τα ηθη, the milder affections, suit best; but towards the end τα παθη, passionate and piercing passages; according to the orator.
This site's exposition
just as every good thing the LORD your God promised you has come to pass
on Joshua 23:15-16
The address turns on one hinge: the faithfulness that brought the good things will bring the calamity, and Clarke says God's veracity is pledged equally for both. Verse 16 closes almost word for word with Deuteronomy 11:17. Henry counts the threat pressed three times, at verses 13, 15 and 16, and 2 Kings 17:7-23 and 25:21 record where it landed.
This site's exposition
transgress the covenant of the LORD
Transgressing the covenant is the charge laid against Achan at 7:11 and 7:15, where one man's theft brought defeat on the whole camp. Judges 2:20 uses the same words of the whole nation, and the anger of the LORD burned as this verse warned. One man's sin became the nation's.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
) serving other gods (which were pretended to be the ancient deities of the country) and bowing down to them. Thus the way of sin is down-hill, and those who have fellowship with sinners cannot avoid having fellowship with sin. This he represents, (1.) As a base and shameful desertion; "it is going back from what you have so well begun,"
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
): "It is a transgression of the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and which you yourselves set your hand to." Other sins were transgressions of the law God commanded them, but this was a transgression of the covenant he commanded them, and amounted to a breach of the relation between God and them and a forfeiture of all the benefits of the covenant.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
"Thus the goodness of the heavenly Canaan, says Mr. Henry, and the free and sure grant God has made of it, will aggravate the misery of those that shall forever be shut out and perish from it. Nothing will make them see how wretched they are, so much as to see, how happy they might have been." Might have been!
When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you,....
The words behind it
26 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּ֠עָבְרְכֶם | beaverekhem | when transgress you | H5674 → | 556 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּרִ֨ית | berit | [the] covenant of | H1285 → | 284 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵיכֶם֮ | ʾeloheikhem | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| צִוָּ֣ה | tzivah | he commanded | H6680 → | 494 times |
| אֶתְכֶם֒ | ʾetkhem | <obj.> you | H853 → | 10935 times |
| וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֗ם | vahalakhtem | and you will go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וַעֲבַדְתֶּם֙ | vaavadtem | and you will serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֣ים | ʾelohim | gods | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֲחֵרִ֔ים | ʾacherim | other | H312 → | 166 times |
| וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם | vehishtachavitem | and you will bow down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| לָהֶ֑ם | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| וְחָרָ֤ה | vecharah | and it will burn | H2734 → | |
| אַף־ | ʾaf- | [the] anger of | H639 → | 276 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בָּכֶ֔ם | bakhem | on <the> you | ||
| וַאֲבַדְתֶּ֣ם | vaavadtem | and you will perish | H6 → | 184 times |
| מְהֵרָ֔ה | meherah | quickly | H4120 → | 20 times |
| מֵעַל֙ | meal | from on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאָ֣רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| הַטּוֹבָ֔ה | hatovah | <the> good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַ֥ן | natan | he has given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָכֶֽם׃ פ | lakhem | to <the> you |
בְּ֠עָבְרְכֶםwhen transgress you
beaverekhemH5674 →556 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּרִ֨ית[the] covenant of
beritH1285 →284 times
יְהוָ֥הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם֮God your
ʾeloheikhemH430 →2601 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
צִוָּ֣הhe commanded
tzivahH6680 →494 times
אֶתְכֶם֒<obj.> you
ʾetkhemH853 →10935 times
וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֗םand you will go
vahalakhtemH1980 →1546 times
וַעֲבַדְתֶּם֙and you will serve
vaavadtemH5647 →288 times
אֱלֹהִ֣יםgods
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֲחֵרִ֔יםother
ʾacherimH312 →166 times
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖םand you will bow down
vehishtachavitemH7812 →172 times
לָהֶ֑םto <the> them
lahem
וְחָרָ֤הand it will burn
vecharahH2734 →
אַף־[the] anger of
ʾaf-H639 →276 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בָּכֶ֔םon <the> you
bakhem
וַאֲבַדְתֶּ֣םand you will perish
vaavadtemH6 →184 times
מְהֵרָ֔הquickly
meherahH4120 →20 times
מֵעַל֙from on
mealH5921 →5755 times
הָאָ֣רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
הַטּוֹבָ֔ה<the> good
hatovahH2896 →538 times
אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נָתַ֥ןhe has given
natanH5414 →2011 times
לָכֶֽם׃ פto <the> you
lakhem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 24:20For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.
it leads to
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11
The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,
- 2 Chronicles 36:13
He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.
- Deuteronomy 2:30
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as…
- Exodus 9:14–17
Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
- 1 Corinthians 1:20
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11
About Joshua
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.