Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 8:35
There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.
35. There was not a word ] The acoustic properties of the valley between Ebal and Gerizim are interesting, the more so that several times they are incidentally brought before us. Comp. with this passage Jdg 9:7, “And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.” “It is impossible to conceive a spot more admirably adapted for the purpose than this one, in the very centre of the newly acquired land, nor one which could more exactly fulfil all the required conditions. Let us imagine the chiefs and the priests gathered in the centre of the valley, the tribes stretching out as they stood in compact masses, the men of war and the heads of families, half on the north and half on the south, crowding the slopes on either side, the mixed multitude, the women and the children extending along in front till they spread into the plain beyond but still in sight: and there is no difficulty, much less impossibility in the problem. A single voice might be heard by many thousands, shut in and conveyed up and down by the enclosing hills. In the early morning we could not only see from Gerizim a man driving his ass down a path on Mount Ebal, but could hear every word he uttered, as he urged it; and in order to test the matter more certainly, on a subsequent occasion two of our party stationed themselves on opposite sides of the valley and with perfect ease recited the commandments antiphonally.” Tristram’s Land of Israel, pp. 149, 150. “The people in these mountainous countries are able, from long practice, so to pitch their voices as to be heard distinctly at distances almost incredible. They talk with persons across enormous wdies, and give the most minute directions, which are perfectly understood; and in doing this they seem to speak very little louder than their usual tone of conversation.” Thomson’s Land and the Book, pp. 473, 474.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 35. With the women and the little ones] It was necessary that all should know that they were under the same obligations to obey; even the women are brought forward, not only because of their personal responsibility, but because to them was principally intrusted the education of the children. The children also witness this solemn transaction, that a salutary fear of offending God might be early, diligently, and deeply impressed upon their hearts. Thus every precaution is taken to ensure obedience to the Divine precepts, and consequently to promote the happiness of the people; for this every ordinance of God is remarkable, as he ever causes the interest and duty of his followers to go hand in hand.
1. IT may be asked, Seeing God promised to deliver Ai into the hands of the Israelites, why needed they to employ so many men and so many stratagems in order to its reduction? To this it may be answered, that God will have man to put forth the wisdom and power with which he has endued him, in every important purpose of life; that he endued him with those powers for this very end; and that it would be inconsistent with his gracious design so to help man at any time as to render the powers he had given him useless.
2. It is only in the use of lawful means that we have any reason to expect God’s blessing and help. One of the ancients has remarked, “Though God has made man without himself he will not save him without himself;” and therefore man’s own concurrence of will, and co-operation of power with God, are essentially necessary to his preservation and salvation. This co-operation is the grand condition, sine qua non, on which God will help or save. But is not this “endeavouring to merit salvation by our own works?” No: for this is impossible, unless we could prove that all the mental and corporeal powers which we possess came from and are of ourselves, and that we held them independently of the power and beneficence of our Creator, and that every act of these was of infinite value, to make it an equivalent for the heaven we wished to purchase. Putting forth the hand to receive the alms of a benevolent man, can never be considered a purchase-price for the bounty bestowed. For ever shall that word stand true in all its parts, Christ is the AUTHOR of eternal salvation to all them that OBEY him, Heb 5:9.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
There was not a word which Joshua read not; therefore he read not the blessings and curses only, as some think, but the whole law, as the manner was when all Israel, men and women, were assembled together, as we read, Deu 31:10-12. That were conversant among them, i.e. who were proselytes, for no others can be supposed to be with them at this time.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
35. There was not a word of all thatMoses commanded, which Joshua read notIt appears that a muchlarger portion of the law was read on this occasion than the briefsummary inscribed on the stones; and this must have been the essenceof the law as contained in Deuteronomy (Deu 4:44;Deu 6:9; Deu 27:8).It was not written on the stones, but on the plaster. The immediatedesign of this rehearsal was attained by the performance of the actitself. It only related to posterity, in so far as the record of theevent would be handed down in the Book of Joshua, or the documentswhich form the groundwork of it [HENGSTENBERG].Thus faithfully did Joshua execute the instructions given by Moses.How awfully solemn must have been the assemblage and the occasion!The eye and the ear of the people being both addressed, it wascalculated to leave an indelible impression; and with spiritselevated by their brilliant victories in the land of promise, memorywould often revert to the striking scene on mounts Ebal and Gerizim,and in the vale of Sychar.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not,…. So punctually, precisely, and exactly did he observe the instructions and commands that were given him by Moses; and this he did in the most public manner:
before all the congregation of Israel; who were on this occasion called together, and not before the men only, but
with the women, and little ones: who all had a concern in the things that were read to them: yea, even
and the strangers that were conversant among them; not the proselytes of righteousness only, but the proselytes of the gate, that dwelt, walked, and conversed with them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
REFLECTIONS
BLESSED Jesus! while I behold Ai and her king, and everything appertaining to her subdued, brought down, and destroyed, under thy servant Joshua, as thy type and representative, oh! give me to see, and as firmly to believe, that all the Ai’s of the present moment, shall bow down and be vanquished, which oppose the salvation of thy people. Lead me on, blessed Captain, conquering and to conquer: from grace to grace, and from strength to strength. And like thine army, which I here behold, teach me by thy Holy Spirit, to pause over the several victories and the redemptions which thou workest for me, to offer my sacrifice and to bless my God, as I go on, even in the presence of my foes. Do thou, blessed Jesus, who hast with thine own arm, gotten thyself the victory; do thou only hold me up, and bear me on, and carry me through, until thou shalt bring me in to the full possession of the Canaan which is above; be thou my sun and my shield, my hiding place and my covert, and then shall I assuredly know, that my God which giveth grace, will assuredly give glory.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.
Ver. 35. And the strangers. ] The proselyted strangers that professed the true religion.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the congregation = assembly (as mustered).
were conversant. Hebrew walked.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
was not: Deu 4:2, Jer 26:2, Act 20:27
women: Deu 29:11, Deu 31:12, Ezr 10:1, Neh 8:2, Joe 2:16, Mar 10:14, Act 21:5
strangers: Jos 8:33
were: Heb. walked
conversant: The word conversant, from the Latin conversor, is here used in the classical sense of having intercourse with.
Reciprocal: Deu 31:11 – shalt read Jos 8:31 – as it is
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the {o} women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.
(o) So neither young nor old, man nor woman, were exempted from hearing the word of the Lord.