Joshua 24:19
in Joshua 24But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve Jehovah; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgression nor your sins.
KJV
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
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This verse in Joshua 24
Commentary
6 notes on this verseYe cannot serve the Lord: for he is a holy God - If we are to take this literally, we cannot blame the Israelites for their defection from the worship of the true God; for if it was impossible for them to serve God, they could not but come short of his kingdom: but surely this was not the case.
This site's exposition
You are not able to serve the LORD
on Joshua 24:19-20
The line "You are not able to serve the LORD" stands without softening. Matthew Henry and John Gill read it as Joshua pressing the cost so the oath is not taken lightly, and the witness clause of verse 22 supports that. Others read it of people still holding foreign gods, as verse 23 says, and the refusal to forgive stands beside Exodus 34:7, where God forgives transgression; both stand.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
I cannot but fear that after my decease you will think the service of God burdensome, and therefore will cast it off and revolt from him, if you do not carefully avoid all occasions of idolatry. A jealous God - In the Hebrew, He is the holy Gods, holy Father, holy Son, holy Spirit. He will not endure a partner in his worship; you can not serve him and idols together.
You cannot serve God in your own strength, nor will he forgive your transgressions for any righteousness of your own; but all the seed of Israel must be justified and must glory in the Lord alone as their righteousness and strength, " Isa. xlv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And Joshua said unto the people,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth--After having enumerated so many grounds for national gratitude, Joshua calls on them to declare, in a public and solemn manner, whether they will be faithful and obedient to the God of Israel.
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ | yehoshua' | Joshua | H3091 → | 218 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָעָ֗ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| לֹ֤א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֽוּכְלוּ֙ | tukhelu | you will be able | H3201 → | 194 times |
| לַעֲבֹ֣ד | laavod | to serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֥ים | ʾelohim | [is] a God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| קְדֹשִׁ֖ים | kedoshim | holy | H6918 → | |
| ה֑וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| אֵֽל־ | ʾel- | [is] a God | H410 → | 241 times |
| קַנּ֣וֹא | kano' | jealous | H7072 → | |
| ה֔וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִשָּׂ֥א | yisa' | he will forgive | H5375 → | 656 times |
| לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֖ם | lefishakhem | to transgression your | H6588 → | |
| וּלְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶֽם׃ | ulechatoteikhem | and <to> sins your | H2403 → |
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַJoshua
yehoshua'H3091 →218 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָעָ֗םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
לֹ֤אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תֽוּכְלוּ֙you will be able
tukheluH3201 →194 times
לַעֲבֹ֣דto serve
laavodH5647 →288 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֱלֹהִ֥ים[is] a God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
קְדֹשִׁ֖יםholy
kedoshimH6918 →
ה֑וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
אֵֽל־[is] a God
ʾel-H410 →241 times
קַנּ֣וֹאjealous
kano'H7072 →
ה֔וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִשָּׂ֥אhe will forgive
yisa'H5375 →656 times
לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֖םto transgression your
lefishakhemH6588 →
וּלְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶֽם׃and <to> sins your
ulechatoteikhemH2403 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
Leviticus 19:2“Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
it leads to
- Leviticus 11:44–45
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.
- Leviticus 20:7
Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.
- 1 Peter 1:15–16
But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do,
- 2 Corinthians 6:14–16
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?
- Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- Leviticus 11:44–45
Through
Isaiah 5:16But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
it leads to
- Psalms 46:10
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”
- Isaiah 12:4
and on that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.
- Psalms 46:10
Through
Exodus 23:21Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.
it leads to
- Psalms 78:56
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.
- Psalms 78:56
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Joshua
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.