Joshua 24:26
in Joshua 24Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was near the sanctuary of the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Jehovah.
KJV
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.
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This verse in Joshua 24
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Consult the marginal references. That was by the sanctuary of the Lord - i. e. the spot where Abraham and Jacob had sacrificed and worshipped, and which might well be regarded by their posterity as a holy place or sanctuary. Perhaps the very altar of Abraham and Jacob was still remaining.
This site's exposition
Joshua made a covenant for the people
on Joshua 24:25-26
Joshua recorded these words in the Book of the Law of God, putting a hand other than Moses into it. Gill and Keil add it to the roll of Deuteronomy 31:24-26; others read a separate record at the sanctuary. The stone stands near "the sanctuary of the LORD", though the tabernacle was at Shiloh, and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown suppose the ark was brought over, as at Judges 20:27.
This site's exposition
under the oak
Judges 9:6 has the leaders of Shechem make Abimelech king beside the oak at the pillar in Shechem. Keil and Delitzsch take that pillar for this stone.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening5 voices
Possibly this agreement was written upon this stone, as was then usual. By the sanctuary - That is, near the place where the ark and tabernacle then were; for tho' they were forbidden to plant a grove of trees near unto the altar, as the Gentiles did, yet they might for a time set up an altar, or the ark, near a great tree which had been planted there before.
And Joshua wrote these words,....
The will of man is apt to glory in its native liberty, and, in a jealousy for the honour of this, adheres with most pleasure to that which is its own choice and is not imposed upon it; therefore it is God's will that this service should be, not our chance, or a force upon us, but our choice.
He set up a great stone under an oak, as a monument of this covenant, and perhaps wrote an inscription upon it (by which stones are made to speak) signifying the intention of it.
We have not now any such sensible tokens of the divine presence, but are to believe that where two or three are gathered together in Christ's name he is as really in the midst of them as God was where the ark was, and they are indeed presenting themselves before him.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
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.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Consult the marginal references. That was by the sanctuary of the Lord - i. e. the spot where Abraham and Jacob had sacrificed and worshipped, and which might well be regarded by their posterity as a holy place or sanctuary. Perhaps the very altar of Abraham and Jacob was still remaining.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּכְתֹּ֤ב | vaiyikhto | and he wrote | H3789 → | 224 times |
| יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ | yehoshua' | Joshua | H3091 → | 218 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדְּבָרִ֣ים | hadevarim | the words | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הָאֵ֔לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| בְּסֵ֖פֶר | besefer | in [the] book of | H5612 → | 186 times |
| תּוֹרַ֣ת | torat | [the] law of | H8451 → | 219 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֑ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וַיִּקַּח֙ | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֶ֣בֶן | ʾeven | a stone | H68 → | 273 times |
| גְּדוֹלָ֔ה | gedolah | large | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וַיְקִימֶ֣הָ | vaykimeha | and he set up it | H6965 → | 628 times |
| שָּׁ֔ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| תַּ֚חַת | tachat | under | H8478 → | 505 times |
| הָֽאַלָּ֔ה | haalah | the oak | H427 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּמִקְדַּ֥שׁ | bemikdash | [was] at [the] sanctuary of | H4720 → | |
| יְהוָֽה׃ ס | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיִּכְתֹּ֤בand he wrote
vaiyikhtoH3789 →224 times
יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙Joshua
yehoshua'H3091 →218 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַדְּבָרִ֣יםthe words
hadevarimH1697 →1440 times
הָאֵ֔לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
בְּסֵ֖פֶרin [the] book of
beseferH5612 →186 times
תּוֹרַ֣ת[the] law of
toratH8451 →219 times
אֱלֹהִ֑יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
וַיִּקַּח֙and he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
אֶ֣בֶןa stone
ʾevenH68 →273 times
גְּדוֹלָ֔הlarge
gedolahH1419 →526 times
וַיְקִימֶ֣הָand he set up it
vaykimehaH6965 →628 times
שָּׁ֔םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
תַּ֚חַתunder
tachatH8478 →505 times
הָֽאַלָּ֔הthe oak
haalahH427 →
אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּמִקְדַּ֥שׁ[was] at [the] sanctuary of
bemikdashH4720 →
יְהוָֽה׃ סYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
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
Genesis 35:8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth.
it leads to
- Genesis 24:59
So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.
- Genesis 24:59
Through
Genesis 35:4So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.
it leads to
- Judges 9:6
Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo gathered beside the oak at the pillar in Shechem and proceeded to make Abimelech their king.
- Exodus 32:2–4
So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
- Deuteronomy 7:25
You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it…
- Judges 8:24–27
Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
- Exodus 32:20
Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink…
- Judges 9:6
Through
Exodus 24:4And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:9
So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
- Genesis 28:18
Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it,
- Deuteronomy 31:9
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 Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole 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.
