The Meaning of Joshua 24:4 Explained

Joshua 24:4

KJV: And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

YLT: And I give to Isaac, Jacob and Esau; and I give to Esau mount Seir, to possess it; and Jacob and his sons have gone down to Egypt.

Darby: And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; and Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.

ASV: And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it: and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I gave  unto Isaac  Jacob  and Esau:  and I gave  unto Esau  mount  Seir,  to possess  it; but Jacob  and his children  went down  into Egypt. 

What does Joshua 24:4 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 24:4 mean?

And I gave to Isaac - Jacob and Esau to Esau - the mountains of Seir to possess - but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt
וָאֶתֵּ֣ן לְיִצְחָ֔ק אֶֽת־ יַעֲקֹ֖ב וְאֶת־ עֵשָׂ֑ו לְעֵשָׂ֜ו אֶת־ הַ֤ר שֵׂעִיר֙ לָרֶ֣שֶׁת אוֹת֔וֹ וְיַעֲקֹ֥ב וּבָנָ֖יו יָרְד֥וּ מִצְרָֽיִם

וָאֶתֵּ֣ן  And  I  gave 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לְיִצְחָ֔ק  to  Isaac 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִצְחָק  
Sense: son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of Jacob and Esau.
אֶֽת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יַעֲקֹ֖ב  Jacob 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.
עֵשָׂ֑ו  Esau 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵשָׂו  
Sense: eldest son of Isaac and Rebecca and twin brother of Jacob; sold the birthright for food when he was hungry and the divine blessing went to Jacob; progenitor of the Arab peoples.
לְעֵשָׂ֜ו  to  Esau 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵשָׂו  
Sense: eldest son of Isaac and Rebecca and twin brother of Jacob; sold the birthright for food when he was hungry and the divine blessing went to Jacob; progenitor of the Arab peoples.
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.
הַ֤ר  the  mountains 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
שֵׂעִיר֙  of  Seir 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שֵׂעִיר 
Sense: patriarch of the Horites, the inhabitants of Edom before the descendants of Esau, the Edomites.
לָרֶ֣שֶׁת  to  possess 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
אוֹת֔וֹ  - 
Parse: Direct object marker, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
וְיַעֲקֹ֥ב  but  Jacob 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.
וּבָנָ֖יו  and  his  children 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יָרְד֥וּ  went  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
מִצְרָֽיִם  to  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.