וַיֶּאֱסֹף יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת כָּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁכֶמָה וַיִּקְרָא לְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְרָאשָׁיו וּלְשֹׁפְטָיו וּלְשֹׁטְרָיו וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים

After the previous limited meeting, Joshua convened a larger gathering with the people. Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shekhem, and he summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officers to approach him, and they stood before God. Many people from the nation came to this encounter, not only its leaders.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל כָּל הָעָם כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר יָשְׁבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מֵעוֹלָם תֶּרַח אֲבִי אַבְרָהָם וַאֲבִי נָחוֹר וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים

Joshua said to the entire people: So said the Lord, God of Israel: Your forefathers resided beyond the Euphrates River from ancient times; they lived there until the time of Terah father of Abraham and father of Nahor, and they served other gods, like all their neighbors.

וָאֶקַּח אֶת אֲבִיכֶם אֶת אַבְרָהָם מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וָאוֹלֵךְ אוֹתוֹ בְּכָל אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וָאַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעוֹ וָאֶתֶּן לוֹ אֶת יִצְחָק

I took your father, Abraham, from beyond [me’ever] the river. Abraham is called Ivri, “Hebrew,” because he was originally one of the inhabitants of the eastern side of the Euphrates, and he crossed the river and migrated west. And I led him throughout the land of Canaan. The purpose of Abraham’s wanderings throughout the land was both to familiarize him with it, and to conquer it symbolically by traversing the territory. And I multiplied his descendants, and I gave him Isaac there. The miracle of the birth of Isaac was extremely significant, as he was Abraham’s true heir and successor.

וָאֶתֵּן לְיִצְחָק אֶת יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת עֵשָׂו וָאֶתֵּן לְעֵשָׂו אֶת הַר שֵׂעִיר לָרֶשֶׁת אוֹתוֹ וְיַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו יָרְדוּ מִצְרָיִם

I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac; I gave Esau Mount Se’ir, to take possession of it, thereby vacating the land of Canaan. Consequently, Esau is of no further relevance to this narrative; and by contrast, Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

וָאֶשְׁלַח אֶת מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת אַהֲרֹן וָאֶגֹּף אֶת מִצְרַיִם כּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ וְאַחַר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם

I sent Moses and Aaron, and with their participation I plagued Egypt, as I did in its midst the signs and plagues that you know I performed in Egypt; and afterward, I took you out of Egypt, as some of you experienced firsthand or have heard from your fathers.

וָאוֹצִיא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וַתָּבֹאוּ הַיָּמָּה וַיִּרְדְּפוּ מִצְרַיִם אַחֲרֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בְּרֶכֶב וּבְפָרָשִׁים יַם סוּף

I took your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the edge of the Red Sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horsemen, to the Red Sea.

וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל ה' וַיָּשֶׂם מַאֲפֵל בֵּינֵיכֶם וּבֵין הַמִּצְרִים וַיָּבֵא עָלָיו אֶת הַיָּם וַיְכַסֵּהוּ וַתִּרְאֶינָה עֵינֵיכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי בְּמִצְרָיִם וַתֵּשְׁבוּ בַמִּדְבָּר יָמִים רַבִּים

They cried out to the Lord, and He placed a cloud and darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them, and you know about this not through hearsay; rather, your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. You saw the Egyptian army destroyed and the corpses of its soldiers washed up on the shore of the Red Sea. And you subsequently lived in the wilderness for many years.

וָאָבִיא אֶתְכֶם אֶל אֶרֶץ הָאֱמֹרִי הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ אִתְּכֶם וָאֶתֵּן אוֹתָם בְּיֶדְכֶם וַתִּירְשׁוּ אֶת אַרְצָם וָאַשְׁמִידֵם מִפְּנֵיכֶם

I brought you to the land of the Emorites, who live beyond the Jordan to the east, and they, the Emorite kings, Sihon and Og, made war with you, and I put them into your hand; you took possession of their land and I destroyed them from before you.

וַיָּקָם בָּלָק בֶּן צִפּוֹר מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב וַיִּלָּחֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׁלַח וַיִּקְרָא לְבִלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר לְקַלֵּל אֶתְכֶם

Balak son of Tzipor, king of Moav, arose and made war, meaning he instigated a struggle against Israel; he sent and summoned Bilam son of Beor to curse you, a move that presented as grave a danger as a military campaign.

וְלֹא אָבִיתִי לִשְׁמֹעַ לְבִלְעָם וַיְבָרֶךְ בָּרוֹךְ אֶתְכֶם וָאַצִּל אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדוֹ

But I was unwilling to heed Bilam, and therefore instead of cursing you, he blessed you, and I delivered you from his hand.

וַתַּעַבְרוּ אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן וַתָּבֹאוּ אֶל יְרִיחוֹ וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ בָכֶם בַּעֲלֵי יְרִיחוֹ הָאֱמֹרִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהַגִּרְגָּשִׁי הַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וָאֶתֵּן אוֹתָם בְּיֶדְכֶם

You crossed the Jordan, and you came to Jericho; the masters, the leaders, of Jericho made war against you, together with the Emorites, the Perizites, the Canaanites, the Hitites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Yevusites, the seven nations of Canaan; I delivered them into your hand. Your first victory was in Jericho, after which you triumphed in the other wars. Some interpret this verse to mean that every king of the seven nations had a share, or representation, in Jericho, which has been called the lock, or key, of the Land of Israel, because conquering this strategically situated city would facilitate the conquest of the rest of the land. Alternatively, it means that the leaders of Jericho joined with the other kings in order to wage war.

וָאֶשְׁלַח לִפְנֵיכֶם אֶת הַצִּרְעָה וַתְּגָרֶשׁ אוֹתָם מִפְּנֵיכֶם שְׁנֵי מַלְכֵי הָאֱמֹרִי לֹא בְחַרְבְּךָ וְלֹא בְקַשְׁתֶּךָ

I sent the hornet [tzira] before you, and it expelled them from before you, the two kings of the Emorites. A large swarm of flying, stinging hornets can disperse an entire army. Alternatively, tzira is some sort of disease, or something else that spreads terror. It was not with your sword and not with your bow that you achieved victory. The two Emorite kings were defeated relatively easily; considering the might of those kings, defeating them should have required a far more difficult and protracted campaign.

וָאֶתֵּן לָכֶם אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָגַעְתָּ בָּהּ וְעָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא בְנִיתֶם וַתֵּשְׁבוּ בָּהֶם כְּרָמִים וְזֵיתִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא נְטַעְתֶּם אַתֶּם אֹכְלִים

After all this I gave you a land for which you did not labor, and cities that you did not build, and you settled in them. You entered a developed land and settled areas, which you did not have to build from scratch, and you eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. The bare narrative is given here, without explanations or interpretation. Joshua has described in general terms God’s providence over Israel from the period of the patriarchs onward, including His selection of Israel as His chosen nation, and the assistance and salvation that He provided His people.

וְעַתָּה יְראוּ אֶת ה' וְעִבְדוּ אֹתוֹ בְּתָמִים וּבֶאֱמֶת וְהָסִירוּ אֶת אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בְּעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וּבְמִצְרַיִם וְעִבְדוּ אֶת ה'

Now, as you are already dwelling in the land, fear the Lord, and serve Him sincerely and truly; discard the gods that your fathers served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Until now, you were surrounded by idol worshippers. Your ancestors beyond the Euphrates were idolaters, after which they sojourned in the pagan land of Egypt, and you have now arrived in the land of Canaan, which is also filled with various forms of idolatry. You must remove these from your midst and choose God.

וְאִם רַע בְּעֵינֵיכֶם לַעֲבֹד אֶת ה'בַּחֲרוּ לָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת מִי תַעֲבֹדוּן אִם אֶת אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וְאִם אֶת אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱמֹרִי אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם יֹשְׁבִים בְּאַרְצָם וְאָנֹכִי וּבֵיתִי נַעֲבֹד אֶת ה'

If, after all the salvations and victories, when you have reached your homeland and no longer need miracles and wonders, it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, and you wish to return to the cultural past of your early ancestors and to become like all other nations, choose today whom you will serve: Will it be the gods whom your fathers, who were beyond the river, served, or will it be the gods of the Emorites, in whose land you live? You are now free and the matter depends upon you alone. If you desire, you may choose to once again resemble the other nations, but I and my household, we will serve the Lord.

וַיַּעַן הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר חָלִילָה לָּנוּ מֵעֲזֹב אֶת ה' לַעֲבֹד אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים

The people responded resentfully and said: Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods. How could we possibly worship idolatry?

כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ הוּא הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ וְאֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים ואֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְעֵינֵינוּ אֶת הָאֹתוֹת הַגְּדֹלוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וַיִּשְׁמְרֵנוּ בְּכָל הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הָלַכְנוּ בָהּ וּבְכֹל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בְּקִרְבָּם

For the Lord our God, it is He who took us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who performed these great signs before our eyes, and it is He who safeguarded us the entire way on which we went and among all the peoples in whose midst we passed.

וַיְגָרֶשׁ ה' אֶת כָּל הָעַמִּים וְאֶת הָאֱמֹרִי יֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ מִפָּנֵינוּ גַּם אֲנַחְנוּ נַעֲבֹד אֶת ה' כִּי הוּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ

The Lord drove out all the peoples, and the Emorites, the inhabitants of the land, from before us. God guided us in His great mercy and love; how could we now abandon Him? Therefore, we too will serve the Lord, as He is our God.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל הָעָם לֹא תוּכְלוּ לַעֲבֹד אֶת ה' כִּי אֱלֹהִים קְדֹשִׁים הוּא אֵל קַנּוֹא הוּא לֹא יִשָּׂא לְפִשְׁעֲכֶם וּלְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶם

Although the response of the people was exactly what Joshua had hoped to hear, he continued his sharp tone, almost taunting the nation. Joshua said to the people: You will be unable to serve the Lord, as He is a holy God, a zealous God, who expects a correspondingly holy people; He will not bear your transgression and your sins. Idolaters think they can bribe or make deals with their gods. However, the true God demands exclusivity.

כִּי תַעַזְבוּ אֶת ה' וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֱלֹהֵי נֵכָר וְשָׁב וְהֵרַע לָכֶם וְכִלָּה אֶתְכֶם אַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר הֵיטִיב לָכֶם

If you forsake the Lord, and serve foreign gods, He will turn and harm you, and He will eliminate you, after He did you good. One who has chosen God cannot subsequently reject Him.

וַיֹּאמֶר הָעָם אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא כִּי אֶת ה' נַעֲבֹד

The people said to Joshua: No, but we will serve the Lord. We have decided to worship God, with all the consequences that this choice entails.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל הָעָם עֵדִים אַתֶּם בָּכֶם כִּי אַתֶּם בְּחַרְתֶּם לָכֶם אֶת ה' לַעֲבֹד אוֹתוֹ וַיֹּאמְרוּ עֵדִים

Joshua said to the people: There are no other witnesses to this choice; you are your own witnesses that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him. They said: We are our own witnesses.

וְעַתָּה הָסִירוּ אֶת אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וְהַטּוּ אֶת לְבַבְכֶם אֶל ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Joshua continued: Now, discard the foreign gods that are in your midst. You are in possession of plunder from various nations, including Egypt, and have also encountered the nations of this land. If you have any of their ritual objects in your possession, or if you have adopted any of their beliefs or practices, you must rid yourselves of all traces of such influences, and direct your heart to the Lord, God of Israel.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָעָם אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ נַעֲבֹד וּבְקוֹלוֹ נִשְׁמָע

The people said to Joshua: We will serve the Lord our God, and heed His voice.

וַיִּכְרֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּרִית לָעָם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיָּשֶׂם לוֹ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט בִּשְׁכֶם

Joshua established a covenant with the people on that day, and he instituted statutes and laws for them in Shekhem. This is referring to various social policies and regulations. Other commentaries maintain that Joshua summarized for them the commandments of the Torah, or that he established the covenant he enacted with them as a permanent statute.

וַיִּכְתֹּב יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרַת אֱלֹהִים וַיִּקַּח אֶבֶן גְּדוֹלָה וַיְקִימֶהָ שָּׁם תַּחַת הָאַלָּה אֲשֶׁר בְּמִקְדַּשׁ ה'

Joshua wrote these matters of the covenant, the statutes and laws, in the book of the Torah of God; and he took a great stone, and he set it up there as a memorial, beneath the terebinth tree that was in the Sanctuary of the Lord.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל כָּל הָעָם הִנֵּה הָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת תִּהְיֶה בָּנוּ לְעֵדָה כִּי הִיא שָׁמְעָה אֵת כָּל אִמְרֵי ה' אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר עִמָּנוּ וְהָיְתָה בָכֶם לְעֵדָה פֶּן תְּכַחֲשׁוּן בֵּאלֹהֵיכֶם

Joshua said to the entire people: Behold, this stone will be a witness against us, as it heard all the words of the Lord that He spoke to us; it will be a witness for you, lest you deny your God.

וַיְשַׁלַּח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת הָעָם אִישׁ לְנַחֲלָתוֹ

Joshua sent the people away, each man to his inheritance.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיָּמָת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן עֶבֶד ה' בֶּן מֵאָה וָעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים

It was after these matters that Joshua son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died. Joshua was not merely Moses’ attendant, as he is described at the beginning of the book (1:1). Although his career and character were not as dazzling as those of his teacher, upon his death he too is called “servant of the Lord,” like Moses himself. Joshua passed away at the age of one hundred and ten years. According to the tradition of the Sages, Joshua led Israel for about thirty years.

וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ בִּגְבוּל נַחֲלָתוֹ בְּתִמְנַת סֶרַח אֲשֶׁר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם מִצְּפוֹן לְהַר גָּעַשׁ

They buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnat Serah, which is in the highlands of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

וַיַּעֲבֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת ה' כֹּל יְמֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכֹל יְמֵי הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר הֶאֱרִיכוּ יָמִים אַחֲרֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַאֲשֶׁר יָדְעוּ אֵת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה ה' אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל

Israel served the Lord properly all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders, the judges, officers, and the entire leadership class, who lived after Joshua and who knew all the actions of the Lord that He had performed for Israel.

וְאֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם קָבְרוּ בִשְׁכֶם בְּחֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר קָנָה יַעֲקֹב מֵאֵת בְּנֵי חֲמוֹר אֲבִי שְׁכֶם בְּמֵאָה קְשִׂיטָה וַיִּהְיוּ לִבְנֵי יוֹסֵף לְנַחֲלָה

This verse describes the conclusion of another historical process, which may have actually occurred before the death of Joshua: The bones of Joseph that the children of Israel took up out of Egypt, they buried in Shekhem. At the end of the book of Genesis, the Torah recounts the death of Joseph and the oath he made his brothers take to eventually bring his body to be buried in the land of Canaan. In order to fulfill this oath, Moses took Joseph’s bones with him upon the exodus from Egypt, and they were carried by the Israelites throughout their wanderings in the wilderness. After all their travels, travails, and troubles, this mission was finally completed. Joseph’s last wish was fulfilled, and he was buried in the land of Canaan, in the portion of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shekhem, for the sum of one hundred kesita. And they, the areas included in the portion of field that Jacob acquired, including the part where Joseph was buried, became an inheritance of the children of Joseph.

וְאֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן מֵת וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ בְּגִבְעַת פִּינְחָס בְּנוֹ אֲשֶׁר נִתַּן לוֹ בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם

Elazar son of Aaron also died. Although Elazar the High Priest was not a military officer or a prophet, and was not mentioned frequently in this book, he was active alongside Joshua throughout the entire period of his leadership. And they buried him on the hill of Pinhas, his son, a plot near his son’s home that would remain a permanent family gravesite, which had been given him in the highlands of Ephraim.