Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 23:16
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.
16. ye shall perish ] The latter part of this 16th verse occurs word for word in Deu 11:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 16. Ye 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 , the milder affections, suit best; but towards the end , passionate and piercing passages; according to the orator. This rule Joshua observes, being Ex utroque Caesar; no less an orator than a warrior.”
In all this exhortation we see how closely Joshua copies the example of his great master Moses. See Le 26:7-8; Le 26:14, c. De 28:7; De 32:30. He was tenderly concerned for the welfare of the people, and with a deeply affected heart he spoke to their hearts. No people ever were more fairly and fully warned, and no people profited less by it. The threatenings pronounced here were accomplished in the Babylonish captivity, but more fully in their general dispersion since the crucifixion of our Lord. And should not every Christian fear when he reads, If God spared not the natural branches, take heed that he spare not thee? Surely a worldly, carnal, and godless Christian has no more reason to expect indulgence from the justice of God than a profligate Jew. We have a goodly land, but the justice of God can decree a captivity from it, or a state of bondage in it. The privileges that are abused are thereby forfeited. And this is as applicable to the individual as to the whole system.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God,
which he commanded you,…. The law, so called, and the several precepts of it, particularly those which relate to the faith and worship of the one only true God; see Ex 24:7;
and have gone and served other gods, and have bowed down yourselves unto them; been guilty of idolatry, of having and worshipping other gods, which are no gods, with or besides the God of Israel, see
Jos 23:7;
then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you; nothing being more provoking to him than idolatry, he being a jealous God of his honour and worship:
and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you; as they did at the time of the Babylonish captivity, and at the last destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(16) The resemblance between this verse and an exhortation in Deuteronomy should be noticed, Jos. 11:16-17, Take heed to yourselves, lest . . . ye turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; and then the Lords wrath be kindled against you . . . and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“When you transgress the covenant of YHWH your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them, then the anger of YHWH will be kindled against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which he has given you.”
All outwardly depends on obedience to His covenant. In that covenant they have bound themselves to Him as their Supreme Sovereign, and have sworn to love and serve Him and to obey His commandments. They have agreed only to offer sacrifices at the central sanctuary, or at places where God was pleased to record His name and reveal Himself, and to gather at the covenant festivals to worship Him. They have sworn to abjure idolatry and the ways of the Canaanites. But if they turn aside from this and seek and serve other gods, then they will have broken their covenant vows, and YHWH’s just anger will be roused and He will bring judgment on them. The covenant will lose its effect. They will be removed from the land.
Thus were covenant love and covenant obedience bound closely together. In the end God’s promises to Abraham were unconditional. He would bring about their fulfilment. But delay was possible through disobedience and during that process those who fell short would suffer the due reward for their disobedience. Yet as we see later in Judges, His wrath was tempered with mercy. If they repented then He would again act for them and deliver them from the position in which they had placed themselves.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
REFLECTIONS
BLESSED Jesus! In the close of Joshua’s ministry and labours, I see that all things and all men come to an end. But though Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and Joshua must die, yet thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. Oh! the sweet consoling thought! the Lord liveth, and blessed be my strong helper; and praised be the God of my salvation.
But though the saints and servants of my God go the way of all the earth, yet through thy grace, O Lord, the fruits of their labours, their zeal and patience, their prayers and examples, are left behind. Here would I, for myself and Reader, pray that the dying words and legacy of the man of God, might live in my remembrance. Oh! for grace to cleave unto thee, thou dearest Jesus, for thou art indeed my life. And in the awful day of idolatry, and the pleasure-loving age, in which the Lord hath cast our lot, Oh! for faith to resist stedfastly all the enemies of our salvation. Make them, O Lord, thorns and briars in our path; hedge up our way with thorns if need be, that we may never find such lovers. Keep our souls close unto thee, and so powerfully restrain us, by the sweet influences of thy Spirit, that we may be more and more dead unto the world, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 23:16 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.
Ver. 16. And ye shall perish quickly from off the good land. ] This judgment Joshua inculcateth, Jos 23:13-16 because he knew it would be very grievous to them to forego so goodly a land so lately gotten, and so little a while enjoyed. In the beginning of a speech milder affections suit best; but toward the end thereof , saith the orator, passionate and piercing passages. This rule Joshua here observeth, being ex utroque Caesar, no less an orator than a warrior, as hath been already observed.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
then shall: 2Ki 24:20
perish: Jos 23:13
Reciprocal: Exo 20:5 – bow down Exo 22:20 – utterly Num 25:2 – bowed Num 33:56 – General Deu 4:23 – lest ye forget Deu 4:26 – ye shall Deu 17:2 – in transgressing Deu 28:20 – until thou be Deu 30:18 – General Jos 7:11 – transgressed Jdg 2:15 – had said Jdg 2:20 – transgressed Jdg 10:7 – was hot 1Ki 8:15 – hath 1Ki 9:6 – go 1Ki 14:15 – this good land 2Ki 17:7 – sinned 2Ki 17:13 – all 2Ki 17:35 – charged them 2Ch 7:19 – shall go 2Ch 28:6 – because 2Ch 34:24 – I will bring Ezr 8:22 – his power and his wrath Isa 24:6 – hath Jer 16:13 – will I Jer 17:4 – shalt Jer 26:4 – If Jer 32:23 – therefore Jer 32:24 – what Jer 34:18 – have transgressed Jer 35:17 – Behold Eze 33:26 – and shall Mic 2:10 – and Rom 11:22 – therefore Heb 8:9 – they continued
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 23:16. Ye shall perish quickly from off the good land It would aggravate their misery in their destruction, that the land from which they perished was a good land, and a land which God himself had given them: and which therefore he would have secured to them, if they had not thrown themselves out of it. 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 who shall for ever be shut out and perish from it. Nothing will make them see how wretched they are, so much so as to see how happy they might have been.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
23:16 When ye have {h} 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.
(h) He shows that no evil can come to man, except he offend God by disobedience.