And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve Yahweh.”
- BSB “No!” replied the people. “We will serve the LORD!”
- NKJV And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
- NASB And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”
- NLT But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The people insist, 'No, but we will serve Yahweh.' It matters as their renewed and emphatic commitment despite the warnings.
Overview
Undeterred by Joshua's warnings, the people reaffirm their resolve to serve Yahweh. Their persistence sets the stage for the formal covenant that follows. The exchange teaches that commitment to God should be made soberly, counting the cost, as Jesus taught His followers (Luke 14:25-33).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Deut 5:27–28Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
- Isa 44:5One shall say, I am the LORD’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
- Exod 19:8And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
- Exod 20:19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
- Exod 24:3And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.
- Exod 24:7And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
- Deut 26:17Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 24:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.