The Meaning of Joshua 24:15 Explained

Joshua 24:15

KJV: And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

YLT: and if wrong in your eyes to serve Jehovah -- choose for you to-day whom ye do serve; -- whether the gods whom your fathers served, which are beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorite in whose land ye are dwelling; and I and my house -- we serve Jehovah.'

Darby: And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods whom your fathers that were on the other side of the river served, or the gods of the Amorite, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.

ASV: And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And if it seem evil  unto you  to serve  the LORD,  choose  you this day  whom  ye will serve;  whether the gods  which your fathers  served  that [were] on the other side  of the flood,  or the gods  of the Amorites,  in whose land  ye dwell:  but as for me and my house,  we will serve  the LORD. 

What does Joshua 24:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 24:1-15 - The Lesson Of Israel's History
The previous chapter contains Joshua's own last words of warning to Israel; here he is God's mouthpiece: "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel."
There is, first, the recapitulation of past mercy. From time to time we should definitely recall, for our children's sake, the divine interpositions in our national and domestic life.
It is interesting in the opening words to learn that Abraham was called out of an idolatrous family. This was the pit whence he had been digged, Isaiah 51:1. He was a Gentile before he became a Jew; and was familiar with all the seductions of a lower religious type before he definitely stood for the only true God. It took long to eradicate this evil strain from Israel. During their sojourn in Egypt they had yielded to the fascinations of idolatry, Joshua 24:14. Joshua at least had made his choice! What a blessed thing for a family, when the parents make the avowal of Joshua 24:15. Why not from henceforth? [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 24

1  Joshua assembles the tribes at Shechem
2  A brief history of God's benefits from Terah
14  He renews the covenant between them and God
26  A stone the witness of the covenant
29  Joshua's age, death, and burial
32  Joseph's bones are buried
33  Eleazar dies

What do the individual words in Joshua 24:15 mean?

And if it seems evil in your sight to serve - Yahweh choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve whether the gods which served your fathers that [were] - on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose you dwell in whose land but I and my house will serve Yahweh -
וְאִם֩ רַ֨ע בְּֽעֵינֵיכֶ֜ם לַעֲבֹ֣ד אֶת־ יְהוָ֗ה בַּחֲר֨וּ לָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ מִ֣י תַעֲבֹדוּן֒ אִ֣ם אֱלֹהִ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־ עָבְד֣וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ [בעבר] (מֵעֵ֣בֶר‪‬) הַנָּהָ֔ר וְאִם֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֖ם יֹשְׁבִ֣ים בְּאַרְצָ֑ם וְאָנֹכִ֣י וּבֵיתִ֔י נַעֲבֹ֖ד יְהוָֽה פ

וְאִם֩  And  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
רַ֨ע  it  seems  evil 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
בְּֽעֵינֵיכֶ֜ם  in  your  sight 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc, second person masculine plural
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
לַעֲבֹ֣ד  to  serve 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בַּחֲר֨וּ  choose 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: בָּחוּר 
Sense: to choose, elect, decide for.
לָכֶ֣ם  for  yourselves 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
הַיּוֹם֮  this  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מִ֣י  whom 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
תַעֲבֹדוּן֒  you  will  serve 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
אִ֣ם  whether 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
אֱלֹהִ֞ים  the  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
עָבְד֣וּ  served 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם  your  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אֲשֶׁר֙  that  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
[בעבר]  - 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
(מֵעֵ֣בֶר‪‬)  on  the  other  side  of 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֵבֶר  
Sense: region beyond or across, side.
הַנָּהָ֔ר  the  River 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  the  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
הָאֱמֹרִ֔י  of  the  Amorites 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱמֹרִי  
Sense: one of the peoples of east Canaan and beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Egypt.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  in  whose 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יֹשְׁבִ֣ים  dwell 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בְּאַרְצָ֑ם  in  whose  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְאָנֹכִ֣י  but  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אָנׄכִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
וּבֵיתִ֔י  and  my  house 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
נַעֲבֹ֖ד  will  serve 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation