all the tribes of Israel
The phrase "all the tribes of Israel" emphasizes the inclusivity and unity of the nation. Each tribe, representing a distinct lineage and territory, is called to participate. This gathering underscores the covenantal relationship between God and the entire nation, not just a select few. It is a reminder of the collective identity and shared history of the Israelites, rooted in their common ancestry and divine calling.

at Shechem
Shechem holds significant historical and spiritual importance. It is the place where God first promised the land to Abraham (Genesis 12:6-7) and where Jacob settled and built an altar (Genesis 33:18-20). By choosing Shechem, Joshua is connecting the present moment with the foundational events of Israel's history. Archaeologically, Shechem was a central city in the hill country of Ephraim, making it a practical and symbolic location for such a gathering.

He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officials of Israel
The summoning of "elders, leaders, judges, and officials" indicates a structured and organized society. Each group represents a level of authority and responsibility within the community. The elders are often seen as the wise and experienced, the leaders as those with influence, the judges as arbiters of justice, and the officials as administrators. This diverse assembly reflects the comprehensive nature of Israel's leadership and the importance of involving all levels of authority in covenantal matters.

and they presented themselves before God
The act of presenting themselves "before God" signifies a moment of accountability and reverence. It is not merely a political or social gathering but a spiritual one. The Hebrew concept of standing before God implies a readiness to listen, obey, and renew commitment. This phrase highlights the theocratic nature of Israel's society, where God is the ultimate authority, and the leaders and people are His servants. It is a call to remember their dependence on and relationship with the divine.

(b) JOSHUA'S LAST CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE.

(1, 2) Joshua gathered all the tribes . . .--At the former address the rulers alone appear to have been present; on this occasion all Israel was gathered. And what is spoken is addressed to the people in the hearing of the rulers. In the speech that now follows Joshua briefly recapitulates the national history; he had not thought this necessary for the rulers. To them he had said, "Ye know;" but "the people" embraced many persons of but little thought and education, whom it was necessary to inform and remind and instruct, even as to the leading events of their national history. The simple lesson which Joshua's words are intended to enforce is the duty of serving Jehovah, and serving Him alone. It is the first great lesson of the old covenant. "I am Jehovah, thy God; thou shalt have no other gods beside Me." The ark of this covenant had brought them over Jordan into the promised land.

(2) Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood.--The flood, i.e., the river--probably Euphrates, though it may be Jordan, or both. Flood in our English Bible has been used for river in several places: e.g., Job 22:16, "whose foundation was overflown with a flood," i.e., a river; Psalm 66:6, "He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood (the river, i.e., Jordan) on foot;" Matthew 7:25; Matthew 7:27, "The rain descended, and the floods (i.e., the rivers) came." . . .

(1) that this does not necessarily follow, and

(2) that such a conception was entertained, though erroneously, by some minds.

The Samaritan woman, for instance, supposed the Jews to believe that in Jerusalem only ought men to worship (John 4:20). When Hengstenberg says, however, that the meeting in the last chapter had reference to Israel from a theocratic and religious, and this one from an historical point of view, he is on firmer ground. The former exhortation is ethical, this historical. He goes on to refer to the deeply interesting historical traditions centering round this place, which have been noticed above. The oak in ver. 26, Hengstenberg maintains to be the same tree that is mentioned in Genesis 12:6 (where our version has, erroneously, "plain"), and which is referred to both in Genesis 35:4 and here as the (i.e, the well known) terebinth in Shechem (see note on ver. 26). He has overlooked the fact that the tree in Genesis 12:6 is not an אֵלָה but an אֵלון. He goes on to contend that the terebinth was not merely "by" but "in" the sanctuary of the Lord, which he supposes to be another sanctuary beside the tabernacle, perhaps the sacred enclosure round Abraham's altar. But he is wrong, as has been shown below, (ver. 26), when he says that בְּ never signifies near (see Joshua 5:25). The question is one of much difficulty, and cannot be satisfactorily settled. But we may dismiss without fear, in the light of the narative in ch. 22, Knobel's suggestion that an altar was erected here on this occasion. If there were any altar, it must have been the altar in the tabernacle. Other gods. That the family of Nahor were not exactly worshippers of the one true God in the same pure ritual as Abraham, may be gathered from the fact that Laban had teraphim (Genesis 31:19, 30). But recent researches have thrown some light on the condition of Abraham's family and ancestors. If Ur Casdim be identified, as recent discoverers have supposed, with Mugeyer, which, though west of Euphrates as a whole, is yet to the eastward of one of its subordinate channels (see 'Transactions of the Society of Biblical Arebaeology,' 3:229; Tomkins, 'Studies on the Time of Abraham,' p. 4), its ruins give us plentiful information concerning the creed of its inhabitants. We may also find some information about this primeval city in Rawlinson's 'Ancient Monarchies,' 1:15, and in Smith's 'Assyrian Discoveries,' p. 233. The principal building of this city is the temple of the moon god Ur. One of the liturgical hymns to this moon god is in existence, and has been translated into French by M. Lenormant. In it the moon is addressed as Father, earth enlightening god, primeval seer, giver of life, king of kings, and the like. The sun and stars seem also to have been objects of worship, and a highly developed polytheistic system seems to have culminated in the horrible custom of human sacrifices. This was a recognised practice among the early Accadians, a Turanian race which preceded the Semitic in these regions. A fragment of an early Accadian hymn has been preserved, in which the words "his offspring for his life he gave" occur, and it seems that the Semitic people of Ur adopted it from them. A similar view is attributed to Balak in Micah 6:5, 6, and was probably derived from documents which have since perished (see Tomkins, 'Studies on the Time of Abraham,' p 24). Hence, no doubt the Moloch, or Molech, worship which was common in the neighbourhood of Palestine, and which the descendants of Abraham on their first entrance thither rejected with such disgust (see also Genesis 22, where Abraham seems to have some difficulties connected with his ancestral creed). Other deities were worshipped in the Ur of the Chaldees. Sumas, the sun god, Nana, the equivalent of Astarte, the daughter of the moon god, Bel and Belat, "his lady." "In truth," says Mr. Tomkins, in the work above cited, "polytheism was stamped on the earth in temples and towers, and the warlike and beneficent works of kings. Rimmon was the patron of the all-important irrigation, Sin of brickmaking and building, Nergal of war." A full account of these deities will be found in Rawlinson's 'Ancient Monarchies,' vol. 1.

Parallel Commentaries ...