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Easy-to-Read Version

Joshua 23:2

At this time Joshua called a meeting of all the older leaders, heads of families, judges, and officers of the Israelites. Joshua said, "I have grown very old.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elders;   Leaders;   Religious;   The Topic Concordance - Marriage;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - God;   Joshua, the Book of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Writing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Elder;   Judges, Book of;   Police Laws;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age,
Hebrew Names Version
that Yehoshua called for all Yisra'el, for their Zakenim and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old and well stricken in years:
King James Version
And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
Lexham English Bible
Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders, heads, judges, and officials, and he said to them, "I am old and well-advanced in years,
English Standard Version
Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years.
New Century Version
He called a meeting of all the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel. He said, "I am now very old.
New English Translation
So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and told them: "I am very old.
Amplified Bible
that Joshua called all Israel, their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old and advanced in years.
New American Standard Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, their heads, their judges, and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Ioshua called all Israel, and their Elders, and their heads, and their iudges, and their officers, and said vnto them, I am old, and stricken in age.
Legacy Standard Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years.
Contemporary English Version
One day he called a meeting of the leaders of the tribes of Israel, including the old men, the judges, and the officials. Then he told them: I am now very old.
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua summoned all Isra'el — their leaders, heads, judges and officials — and said to them, "I am old; age is taking its toll.
Darby Translation
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am become old, advanced in age;
George Lamsa Translation
And Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders, their heads, their judges, and their scribes, and said to them, I am old and well advanced in years;
Good News Translation
so he called all Israel, the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of the people, and said, "I am very old now.
Literal Translation
And Joshua called for all Israel, for its elders, and for its heads, and for its judges, and for its officers, and said to them, I have become old, I have gone on in days;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he called all Israel and their Elders, heades, iudges, and officers, and sayde vnto them: I am olde and well aged,
American Standard Version
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and well stricken in years:
Bible in Basic English
Joshua sent for all Israel, for their responsible men and their chiefs and their judges and their overseers, and said to them, I am old, and full of years:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosuah called for all Israel, and for their elders, their heades, their iudges, and officers, and sayd vnto them: I am olde and stricken in age,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them: 'I am old and well stricken in years.
King James Version (1611)
And Ioshua called for all Israel, and for their Elders, & for their Heads, and for their Iudges, and for their Officers, and said vnto them; I am old, and stricken in age.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joshua called together all the children of Israel, and their elders, and their chiefs, and their judges, and their officers; and said to them, I am old and advanced in years.
English Revised Version
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and well stricken in years:
Berean Standard Bible
he summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers. "I am old and advanced in years," he said,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the grettere men in birthe, and the princes, and dukis, and maistris, and seide to hem, Y `wexide elde, and Y am of grettere age;
Young's Literal Translation
and Joshua calleth for all Israel, for its elders, and for its heads, and for its judges, and for its authorities, and saith unto them, `I have become old; I have entered into days;
Update Bible Version
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old and well stricken in years:
Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua called for all Israel, [and] for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them, I am old [and] advanced in age:
World English Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old and well stricken in years:
New King James Version
And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: "I am old, advanced in age.
New Living Translation
called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. He said to them, "I am now a very old man.
New Life Bible
Joshua called all Israel, their leaders, their heads, and the men chosen among them who judge between what is right or wrong. Then he said to them, "I am old and have lived many years.
New Revised Standard
Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, - and said unto them, I, am old, advanced in days;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Josue called for all Israel, and for the elders, and for the princes, and for the judges, and for the masters, and said to them: I am old, and far advanced in years,
Revised Standard Version
Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years.

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord gave Israel peace from their enemies around them. He made Israel safe. Many years passed, and Joshua became very old. 2 At this time Joshua called a meeting of all the older leaders, heads of families, judges, and officers of the Israelites. Joshua said, "I have grown very old. 3 You have seen what the Lord did to our enemies. He did this to help us. The Lord your God fought for you. 4 Remember that I told you that your people could have the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. I promised to give you that land, but you don't control it yet. I have taken the land away from those nations, but they are still living there. 5 But the Lord your God will force the people living there to leave. You will take that land. The Lord will force them to leave, just as he promised. 6 "You must be careful to obey every command written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Never turn away from that law. 7 There are still some people living among us who are not Israelites. They worship their own gods. Don't become friends with them. Don't serve or worship their gods. 8 You must continue to follow the Lord your God. You have done this in the past, and you must continue to do it. 9 "The Lord helped you defeat many great and powerful nations. He forced them to leave. No nation has been able to defeat you. 10 With his help, one man from Israel could defeat 1000 enemy soldiers, because the Lord your God fights for you, as he promised.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

all Israel: Joshua 24:1, Deuteronomy 31:28, 1 Chronicles 28:1, Acts 20:17-35

and for their elders: Or, "even for their elders," etc.; for it is probably that Joshua gave the following charge only to the elders, judges, etc., to communicate to the people.

Reciprocal: Numbers 25:4 - all the heads Joshua 8:33 - all Israel Joshua 13:1 - Joshua 1 Kings 1:1 - and stricken in years 1 Kings 8:1 - assembled 1 Chronicles 23:2 - he gathered

Cross-References

Genesis 13:18
So Abram moved his tents. He went to live near the big trees of Mamre. This was near the city of Hebron. There he built an altar to honor the Lord .
Genesis 23:14
Ephron answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:15
"Sir, listen to me. Ten pounds of silver mean nothing to you or me. Take the land and bury your dead wife."
Genesis 23:16
Abraham understood that Ephron was telling him the price of the land. So Abraham paid him for the land. He weighed out ten pounds of silver for Ephron and gave it to the merchant.
Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of that field near Mamre (Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 27:41
After that Esau hated Jacob because of this blessing. Esau said to himself, "My father will soon die, and after we are finished with that, I will kill Jacob."
Genesis 50:10
They went to Goren Atad, east of the Jordan River. There they had a long funeral service for Israel, which continued for seven days.
Numbers 13:22
They entered the country through the Negev and went to Hebron. (The town of Hebron was built seven years before the town of Zoan in Egypt.) Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived there. These men were descendants of Anak.
Numbers 20:29
All the Israelites learned that Aaron was dead. So everyone in Israel mourned for 30 days.
Deuteronomy 34:8
The Israelites cried for Moses for 30 days. They stayed in the Jordan Valley in Moab until the time of sadness was finished.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Joshua called for all Israel,.... Summoned them together, whether at Timnathserah, his own city, he being old and infirm, and not able to go elsewhere; or whether at Shechem, where it is plain they were afterwards convened, Joshua 24:1, or whether rather at Shiloh, where the tabernacle was, is not certain; and by "all Israel" cannot be meant the whole body of the people, unless it can be thought to be at one of the feasts, when all the males in Israel appeared before the Lord; though this seems to be not a stated convocation, but occasionally made, and to be understood of the representatives of the people called together, as explained in the following clause:

[and] for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; the first and is supplied, and another word or words may be supplied, as "even", or "that is", or the like, and so explanative of all Israel, namely, "their elders", both in age and office, especially the latter, the seventy elders, or who composed what in later times was called the great sanhedrim; and the "heads" of their tribes, the chief princes of every tribe; and their "judges" in their several cities, who heard and tried causes, and administered justice and judgment to the people; and their "officers", who attended on them to execute the judgment they pronounced:

and said unto them, I am old [and] stricken in age; which he observes as a reason of his calling them together to give them some advice and instructions before his death, and in order to command greater reverence of him, and respect to him, and to excite attention to what he had to say to them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All Israel, and for their elders - Omit “and,” which is not in the Hebrew. The meaning is that Joshua summoned to him all Israel as represented by its elders, etc. Deuteronomy 1:15. This gathering probably took place at the tabernacle at Shiloh.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 23:2. Joshua called for all Israel — There are four degrees of civil distinction mentioned here:

1. זקנים zekenim, the elders or senate, the PRINCES of the tribes.

2. ראשים rashim or rashey aboth, the CHIEFS or HEADS of families.

3. שפטים shophetim, the JUDGES who interpreted and decided according to the law.

4. שטרים shoterim, the OFFICERS, serjeants, c., who executed the decisions of the judges.

Whether this assembly was held at Timnath-serah, where Joshua lived, or at Shiloh, where the ark was, or at Shechem, as in Joshua 24:1, we cannot tell. Some think that the meaning here, and that mentioned in Joshua 24:1, were the same, and if so, Shechem was the place of assembling but it is more likely that the two chapters treat of two distinct assemblies, whether held at the same place or not.


 
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