Joshua 8:30
New International Version
Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel,

New Living Translation
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal.

English Standard Version
At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

Berean Standard Bible
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,

King James Bible
Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

New King James Version
Now Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in Mount Ebal,

New American Standard Bible
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

NASB 1995
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,

NASB 1977
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Joshua built an altar to Yahweh, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

Amplified Bible
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

Christian Standard Bible
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,

American Standard Version
Then Joshua built an altar unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

English Revised Version
Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD God of Israel.

Good News Translation
Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel.

International Standard Version
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

Majority Standard Bible
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,

NET Bible
Then Joshua built an altar for the LORD God of Israel on Mount Ebal,

New Heart English Bible
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

Webster's Bible Translation
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

World English Bible
Then Joshua built an altar to Yahweh, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Then Joshua builds an altar to YHWH, God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,

Young's Literal Translation
Then doth Joshua build an altar to Jehovah, God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

Smith's Literal Translation
Then Joshua will build an altar to Jehovah the God of Israel in mount Ebal.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Josue built an altar to the Lord the God of Israel in mount Hebal,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

New American Bible
Later, on Mount Ebal, Joshua built to the LORD, the God of Israel, an altar

New Revised Standard Version
Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in mount Gebal,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Then Yeshua built an altar to LORD JEHOVAH, the God of Israel, in the Mountain of Gebal
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in mount Gaebal,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joshua Renews the Covenant
30At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel, 31just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 27:4-8
And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster. / Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. / You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God. ...

Exodus 20:24-25
You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. / Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.

Deuteronomy 11:29-30
When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. / Are not these mountains across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh?

Deuteronomy 27:2-3
And on the day you cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. / Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.

Deuteronomy 27:12-13
“When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. / And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

Deuteronomy 31:9-13
So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. / Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles, / when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel. ...

1 Kings 8:31-32
When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple, / then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

2 Chronicles 6:24-25
When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading before You in this temple, / then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel. May You restore them to the land You gave to them and their fathers.

Nehemiah 8:1-3
At that time all the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. / On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand. / So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front of the men and women and those who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

Nehemiah 8:8-9
So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read. / Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.

Psalm 78:5-7
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, / that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own children / that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.

Isaiah 30:8
Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the days to come, a witness forever and ever.

Matthew 5:17-18
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. / For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. / But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ...

Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, / and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”


Treasury of Scripture

Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

built an altar

Genesis 8:20
And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 12:7,8
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him…

Joshua 8:33
And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

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Joshua 8
1. God encourages Joshua
3. The plan whereby Ai was taken
29. The king thereof is hanged
30. Joshua builds an altar
32. writes the law on stones
33. and pronounces the blessings and curses














At that time
This phrase indicates a specific moment in the narrative of Israel's conquest of Canaan. It suggests a divinely appointed time, emphasizing God's sovereignty and timing in the unfolding of His plans. The Hebrew word for "time" (עֵת, 'et) often denotes an appointed or proper time, underscoring the importance of obedience to God's timing in the life of believers.

Joshua
Joshua, whose name means "The LORD is salvation," is a central figure in this narrative. As Moses' successor, he leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. His leadership is characterized by faithfulness and obedience to God's commands. Joshua's actions here reflect his role as a mediator between God and the people, emphasizing the importance of godly leadership.

built an altar
The act of building an altar is significant in biblical history as it represents worship, sacrifice, and covenant renewal. Altars were places where people met with God, offered sacrifices, and remembered His promises. The Hebrew word for altar (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach) is derived from a root meaning "to slaughter," highlighting the sacrificial aspect of worship. This act of building an altar signifies a renewal of commitment to God and His covenant.

on Mount Ebal
Mount Ebal is one of the two mountains flanking the valley where Shechem is located, the other being Mount Gerizim. In Deuteronomy 27, Moses commanded the Israelites to build an altar on Mount Ebal and pronounce blessings and curses. The choice of Mount Ebal, traditionally associated with curses, for the altar underscores the need for atonement and the seriousness of sin. It also highlights God's grace in providing a means of reconciliation.

to the LORD
The use of the divine name "LORD" (יהוה, YHWH) emphasizes the covenant relationship between God and Israel. It is a reminder of God's faithfulness, holiness, and the exclusivity of worship due to Him alone. This phrase underscores the purpose of the altar: to honor and worship the one true God, reinforcing the first commandment.

the God of Israel
This phrase reaffirms the identity of the LORD as the God of Israel, highlighting the special relationship between God and His chosen people. It serves as a reminder of the covenant promises made to the patriarchs and the fulfillment of those promises in the conquest of the land. It also emphasizes the national identity of Israel as a people set apart for God's purposes, calling believers to remember their identity in Christ and their calling to live as His people.

THE LAW SET UP IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY.

(30) Then Joshua built.--The word then is not "and" in the Hebrew; as is too often the case where "then" occurs in our English Old Testament. It is a note of time. Josephus places this transaction later. The LXX. places Joshua 8:1-2 of Joshua 9 before this passage. But there seems no reason for moving the transaction from the place where we find it in the text. By the capture of Ai, Joshua had obtained command over the road to Shechem. We hear of no strong place north of Beth-el in that part of the country. From other passages (see on Joshua 17:18) there seems reason to think that a large part of this district was wooded and uncleared. The confederacy of the southern kings had its centre far to the south of this, and there was a considerable distance between Shechem and the strong places to the north. It is in keeping with what we have already observed regarding the purpose of the conquest of Canaan, that the law of the God of Israel should be as soon as possible proclaimed and set up in the heart of the country, to be thenceforward the law of the land. For the enactment that was here carried out, see Deuteronomy 11:26-30; Deuteronomy 27:2, &c. Observe also that the command there given required the work to be done as soon after the passing of Jordan as possible. The possibility of reading the law from this position, so as to be heard by the whole congregation, has been proved by actual experiment.

(30, 31) An altar . . . in mount Ebal . . .--This was explicitly commanded in Deuteronomy. The blessing was put on mount Gerizim, the altar and the curse on mount Ebal. We do not hear elsewhere of any sacrifice on Ebal. But it is certain that God accepted sacrifices in many places in Canaan. (Cf. Exodus 19:24.) . . .

Verse 30. - Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal. This passage has been pronounced to be an interpolation by Meyer, De Wette, Maurer, Rosenmuller, Knobel, and others. The LXX. does not introduce it here, but after Joshua 9:2. For other authorities see below. It is very easy to see why its genuineness has been disputed. The Book of Joshua has many marks of having been written not so very long after the events described in it. But it has been a favourite opinion with the school which disputes the authenticity of the books of the Bible, that Deuteronomy was a late revision by Ezra of the law of Moses, though this (see Introduction) has lately been discarded for another hypothesis. But we have, if the present passage be genuine, a distinct proof that the Book of Joshua was written after the Book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is here quoted as the "book of the law of Moses" (cf. Deuteronomy 31:9, 24, 26). The grounds on which the genuine. ness of the passage has been denied are these: First, the passage begins with אָז followed by an imperfect, or future, as does the interpolated passage in Deuteronomy 4:41-43. This is Maurer's theory. But in this case we must reject every passage which begins thus, and certainly we should do so on grounds which, to say the least, are very slender. Next, we are told that Joshua could not have ventured to trust himself so far in the heart of a hostile country. But why not? Gerizim was not more than twenty miles from Ai. The Canaanites, we are told, were panic stricken at Joshua's success. The Gibeonites were not disposed to offer any hindrance to his progress; on the contrary, they hastened to form an alliance with him. And these solemn religious rites, performed by a people so clearly under the protection of the Most High, were more likely to increase than lessen the awe felt by the surrounding tribes. The only difficulty is that the women and children (v. 35) are expressly said to have gone thither also, and it seems improbable that they, whom we have supposed to have been left under a guard at Gilgal, should have been brought so far while the country was as yet unsubdued. And the difficulty is increased by finding Joshua again at Gilgal in Joshua 9:6. But there is the hypothesis that this was another Gilgal to fall back upon, and this (see note on the passage just mentioned) is an extremely probable one. The suggestion of many commentators, that the passage has been transposed, is of course possible. We can only leave the difficulty unsolved, as one which a fuller knowledge of the facts, could we obtain it, would clear up at once. But we may be sure that if the passage were an interpolation, some explanation would have been given of the circumstances which seem to us so perplexing. And on the other hand we must remember that, as has been already contended, the notion that the whole camp of Israel performed this journey at a time when stupefaction had seized upon the Canaanitish tribes, though involving some amount of impossibility, is by no means impossible. (See also note on ver. 33). A number of extraordinary interpretations of this passage have been given. A favourite Rabbinical interpretation (see note on next verse) was that this altar was erected on the very day on which the Israelites crossed the Jordan. This was of course a physical impossibility. Josephus, on the contrary, supposes that five years elapsed before its erection, while Rabbi Israel, in the Jerusalem Talmud, thinks that it was deferred until after the expiration of fourteen years, and after the land had been divided. So Masius in loc. In Mount Ebal. Between it and Gerizim stood the city of Shechem, or Sychar, as it is called in St. John 4. Gerizim was close to this city, as Judges 9:6, 7 and St. John 4:20 testify, as well as Deuteronomy 11:30, compared with Genesis 12:6. Dr. Maclear, in the 'Cambridge Bible for Schools,' suggests that the Israelites took this opportunity of interring the bones of Joseph (Genesis 1:25, 26) in the piece of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor (Genesis 33:19). (See Exodus 13:19).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
At that time
אָ֣ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

Joshua
יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ (yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3091: Joshua -- 'the LORD is salvation', Moses' successor, also the name of a number of Israelites

built
יִבְנֶ֤ה (yiḇ·neh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1129: To build

an altar
מִזְבֵּ֔חַ (miz·bê·aḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

on Mount
בְּהַ֖ר (bə·har)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

Ebal
עֵיבָֽל׃ (‘ê·ḇāl)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5858: An Edomite name

to the LORD,
לַֽיהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

the God
אֱלֹהֵ֣י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

of Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT History: Joshua 8:30 Then Joshua built an altar to Yahweh (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 8:29
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