Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

Ye are witnesses against yourselves - Ye have been sufficiently apprised of the difficulties in your way - of God's holiness - your own weakness and inconstancy - the need you have of Divine help, and the awful consequences of apostasy; and now ye deliberately make your choice. Remember then, that ye are witnesses against yourselves, and your own conscience will be witness, judge, and executioner; or, as one terms it, index, judex, vindex.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And Joshua said unto the people,.... In reply to their answer and resolution:

ye are witnesses against yourselves, that ye have chosen you the Lord God to serve him; that is, should they, after this choice of him, which they had so publicly declared, desert his service, and go into idolatry, their testimony would rise up against them, and they would, be self-condemned:

and they said, we are witnesses; should we ever apostatize from the Lord and his worship, we are content to have this our witness produced against us.

Geneva Study Bible

(i) If you do the contrary, your own mouths will condemn you.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

Against yourselves — This solemn profession will be a swift witness against you, if hereafter you apostatize from God.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Joshua 24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye [are] witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, [We are] witnesses.

Ver. 22. Ye are witnesses against yourselves.] In case ye falsify ye shall be self-condemned, and cut of your own mouths God shall judge you: meanwhile conscience shall do its office upon you, as an index, iudex, vindex, accuser, judge, and executioner.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Ye are witnesses against yourselves; this solemn profession will be a swift witness against you, if hereafter you apostatize from God.

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Joshua 24:22 a

‘And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves Yahweh serve him.”

This was now a solemnising of the solemn covenant. It was like asking response to the marriage vows, the important words that seal the covenant. Once repeated it would be impossible to withdraw. They had stated that they would serve YHWH and Him alone. Now he called on them to act as witnesses to their own declaration.

Joshua 24:22 b

‘And they said, “We are witnesses.”

Their response was a solemn avowal of what they had committed themselves to.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Ye are witnesses

Ye have been sufficiently apprised of the difficulties in your way--of God's holiness, and the nature of his service--your own weakness, inconstancy, and insufficiency--your need of the Divine help, and the hope of assistance held out in the law--and the awful consequences of apostasy: and now ye make your choice. Remember then that ye are witnesses against yourselves; and your own conscience will be witness, judge, and executioner.

Deuteronomy 26:17; Job 15:6; Luke 19:22

ye have

Psalms 119:11,173; Luke 10:42

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

22.And Joshua said unto the people, etc We now understand what the object was at which Joshua had hitherto aimed. It was not to terrify the people and make them fall away from their religion, but to make the obligation more sacred by their having of their own accord chosen his government, and betaken themselves to his guidance, that they might live under his protection. They acknowledge, therefore, that their own conscience will accuse them, and hold them guilty of perfidy, if they prove unfaithful. ⁽²⁰³⁾ But although they were not insincere in declaring that they would be witnesses to their own condemnation, still how easily the remembrance of this promise faded away, is obvious from the Book of Judges. For when the more aged among them had died, they quickly turned aside to various superstitions. By this example we are taught how multifarious are the fallacies which occupy the senses of men, and how tortuous the recesses in which they hide their hypocrisy and folly, while they deceive themselves by vain confidence. ⁽²⁰⁴⁾