At Shechem Joshua rehearses the whole history from Terah beyond the River: 'Choose this day whom you will serve — as for me and my house, we will serve Hashem.' The covenant is renewed, a great stone is set up under the terebinth, and Joshua and Eleazar die.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
verse value 5621
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "to·Shechem" (שְׁכֶ֑מָה, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·tribes·of" (אֶת־כׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֥י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·he·gathered" (וַיֶּֽאֱסֹ֧ף), "all·tribes·of" (אֶת־כׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֥י), "to·Shechem" (שְׁכֶ֑מָה). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua); "Israel" (root ישראל, 112x in Joshua); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 91x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Shechem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיֶּֽאֱסֹ֧ף [and·he·gathered] (157) + יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ [Joshua] (391) + אֶת־כׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֥י [all·tribes·of] (772) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + שְׁכֶ֑מָה [to·Shechem] (365) + וַיִּקְרָא֩ [and·called] (317) + לְזִקְנֵ֨י [the·elders·of] (197) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל [Israel] (541) + וּלְרָאשָׁ֗יו [and·to·his·heads] (553) + וּלְשֹֽׁפְטָיו֙ [and·for·their·judges] (441) + וּלְשֹׁ֣טְרָ֔יו [and·to·his·officers] (561) + וַיִּֽתְיַצְּב֖וּ [and·they·presented·themselves] (524) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + הָאֱלֹהִֽים [God] (91) = 5621.
Radak
"And Joshua gathered" – this was a second gathering. For it is written above, "And Joshua called all Israel." Rather, he gathered them a second time and admonished them once and again, so that they would be careful to observe the Torah.
“And they stood before God.” It appears that they brought the Ark of God there in order to cut the covenant before the Ark, as it is stated, “And Joshua wrote in the book of the Torah of God.” It seems that there the Ark was, in which the book of the Torah was contained. And Joshua gathered them to Shechem and not to Shiloh, where the Ark was. Perhaps he did this according to the divine utterance, that they should cut the covenant in Shechem, because there our father Abraham first lingered when he entered the Land, as it is written, “And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem.” Furthermore, because there a great miracle was performed for our father Jacob, and they would remember it and cleave to the Lord alone. And furthermore, because the beginning of the inheritance which Jacob had in the Land of Israel was in Shechem, when he purchased the plot of the field from the hand of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. And there Joshua said to them, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you,” just as Jacob said to his sons in Shechem, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you.”
Ralbag
And it is further mentioned that Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and brought them there in the covenant of God, when they fulfilled and accepted upon themselves again to serve the Lord. And Joshua did this to add a warning to them not to serve other gods, for it was revealed to him from the side of prophecy that their end is to be punished in this. And this will add for them the strength from following after this sin, for they themselves accepted upon themselves this before God. And were it not for this, this would not be needed, for in what Israel bound themselves in the standing at Mount Sinai, those who come after them were bound.
Metzudat David
"To the elders of Israel, etc." - That they should stand in the place of all.
“Before God.” Before the Ark that they brought to Shechem to cut the covenant before Him, as it says at the end of the matter:
And Joshua said to all the people: ‘Thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.
verse value 4835
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 94 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Terah" (תֶּ֛רַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·people" (אֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֗ם, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "thus·says" (כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר), "from·ever" (מֵֽעוֹלָ֔ם), "Terah" (תֶּ֛רַח). The root אב appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "to·all·the·people" (root איל, 135x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Nahor', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 3 words.
Ralbag
And the prophet remembered for them what is said: that God did great kindness to us. And that is: at first all our fathers served other gods, and their dwelling was beyond the river. And God took from there Abraham our father and brought him to the land of Canaan, so that that land be chosen, so that his seed be more perfect.
Metzudat David
“And beyond the River, etc.” He mentioned the acts of kindness that He had performed for them, and said, “Did your fathers not dwell from of old beyond the River?” Yet they had deeply sunk into false beliefs, like the people of that land.
"Terach, father of [Abraham], etc." He means to say: Was not Terach the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor? And both of them, the father and his son Nahor, served idolatry.
Malbim
Questions (2–4): What did he intend by this opening, and by the statement that Terah was the father of Nahor, and by the fact that he multiplied the seed of Abraham—who begot Ishmael—which is no merit, and likewise not by the fact that Isaac begot Esau?
Thus said the Lord: From Adam until Abraham, the chosenness and the divine matter were only in individuals, and they were like the heart and the fruit, while the rest of mankind were like husks. And from the time of the rising of the sun of righteousness of Abraham, God desired that the divine matter should fall upon many, namely the tribes, and after them seventy souls, and after them a complete nation with whom God spoke face to face. And therefore the Patriarchs and their children needed many refinings and trials, so that the dross would be purified, the husks removed, and everything would become heart, fruit, and choice oil, as the Kuzari wrote at length. And this is explained here: He said to them, "Behold, your fathers were not worthy of the divine matter, not on account of their place, for your fathers dwelt beyond the river, and the place successful for producing grapes and holy fruit is only the Holy Land. Not on account of their lineage and origin, for Terah was the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and Abraham was surrounded by thorns, both from his side by Nahor and from his head by Terah. And not on account of their preparation, for they served other gods."
And I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
verse value 5022
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 71 letters. Verse gematria: 5022 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "him" (אֹת֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "father of an individual" (אֶת־אֲבִיכֶ֤ם, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·I·took" (וָ֠אֶקַּ֠ח), "father of an individual" (אֶת־אֲבִיכֶ֤ם), "Abraham" (אֶת־אַבְרָהָם֙). The root רבה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·all·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua); "and·I·gave·him" (root נתן, 86x in Joshua); "from·beyond·of" (root עבר, 82x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Canaan', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וָ֠אֶקַּ֠ח [and·I·took] (115) + אֶת־אֲבִיכֶ֤ם [father of an individual] (474) + אֶת־אַבְרָהָם֙ [Abraham] (649) + מֵעֵ֣בֶר [from·beyond·of] (312) + הַנָּהָ֔ר [stream] (260) + וָֽאוֹלֵ֥ךְ [and·I·led] (63) + אֹת֖וֹ [him] (407) + בְּכׇל־אֶ֣רֶץ [in·all·the·land·of] (343) + כְּנָ֑עַן [Canaan] (190) + (וארב) [and·I·multiplied] (209) + וָֽאַרְבֶּה֙ [and·be or become great] (214) + אֶת־זַרְע֔וֹ [seed] (684) + וָאֶתֶּן־ל֖וֹ [and·I·gave·him] (493) + אֶת־יִצְחָֽק [Isaac] (609) = 5022.
Rashi
And I multiplied his seed. Lacking the heh. How many disputes and trials I did with him, until I gave him seed.
Radak
"And I multiplied." It is written without the letter heh, and read "vaarbeh," with the letter heh; and the two are equivalent as a matter of grammar. And there is a derash in this: the [ketiv] spelling suggests the language of ריב (contention) and מסה (trial) — that is to say, "I tested him with many trials, and he withstood them all."
"And I gave him Isaac." He did not mention Ishmael, because he was the son of a maidservant, and furthermore, He had said to him, "Cast out this maidservant and her son."
Ralbag
And it is mentioned that He led him through all the land of Canaan, for the places of it were many. And in all of them prophecy came to him, to indicate the perfection of that land to whoever was prepared for perfection.
Metzudat David
"And I took him." Through My kindness, I inclined his heart away from the way of his father and his brothers, and I took him away from among them, so that he would not be drawn after their false opinion.
"And I led him, etc." – Because it is a holy land, fit for the Divine Presence to rest upon.
"And I multiplied." This means: Even though I multiplied his seed through Ishmael, as it is written (Genesis 21:13), "And also the son of the bondwoman I will make into a nation, because he is your offspring," and yet he prayed only for him, as it is written (Genesis 17:18), "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" Nevertheless, I still gave him Isaac, as I had promised him.
Malbim
"And I took." He first explains the effort He exerted to prepare them for the divine matter, according to their place (in contrast to what is stated, "they dwelt beyond the river") — just as the owner of a garden, when he sees a tender sapling planted in a barren place and among stones, will observe it, then take it from its place and transplant it to a corner of rich soil, so too I took Abraham from beyond the river and led him throughout the land of Canaan, a place fit for providence and prophecy. And also, in his walking throughout the land, he was tested and refined in the furnace of trials and was scrutinized. And regarding the second matter, which is that he should be purified according to his root and lineage (in contrast to what is stated, "Terah, the father of Abraham"), this I did, and I multiplied his seed, so that through this the dregs and refuse were separated in Ishmael, and Isaac emerged as pure gold. And this is what it says, "And I gave him Isaac," that Isaac was designated for him as a fruit of holy joy. And behold, even in Isaac there were some dross, and they were separated through Esau, and this is what it says:
And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave to Esau mount Seir, to possess it; and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
verse value 6315
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "and·I·gave" (וָאֶתֵּ֣ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "Jacob" (אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֖ב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 457: and·I·gave, and·I·gave. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "to·Isaac" (לְיִצְחָ֔ק), "Jacob" (אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֖ב), "and·Esau" (וְאֶת־עֵשָׂ֑ו). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·his·sons" (root בן, 156x in Joshua); "and·I·gave" (root נתן, 86x in Joshua); "and·Esau" (root עשה, 59x in Joshua). First appearance of the root יעקב ("Jacob") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Esau', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: וָאֶתֵּ֣ן [and·I·gave] (457) + לְיִצְחָ֔ק [to·Isaac] (238) + אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֖ב [Jacob] (583) + וְאֶת־עֵשָׂ֑ו [and·Esau] (783) + וָֽאֶתֵּ֨ן [and·I·gave] (457) + לְעֵשָׂ֜ו [to·Esau] (406) + אֶת־הַ֤ר [hill] (606) + שֵׂעִיר֙ [Seir] (580) + לָרֶ֣שֶׁת [to·possess] (930) + אוֹת֔וֹ [him] (413) + וְיַעֲקֹ֥ב [and·Jacob] (188) + וּבָנָ֖יו [and·his·sons] (74) + יָרְד֥וּ [they·went·down] (220) + מִצְרָֽיִם [Egypt] (380) = 6315.
Ralbag
And it is mentioned that He gave him Isaac. And he did not mention the other sons, for only in Isaac is his seed called. But in Isaac he mentioned that He gave him Jacob and Esau. And he did not withhold from mentioning Esau, because he had need to mention that He gave him Mount Seir as an inheritance, and Israel withheld from fighting with them over it, as is mentioned in the Torah. But from the sons of Abraham, there was not one from whom the Torah warned us to fight with them. And he mentioned that Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, and God brought them out from there through Moses and Aaron, when He greatly smote Egypt. And after this they overpowered them and pursued after them, the Egyptians, with a great host and with chariots and horsemen. And they overtook them encamped at the sea, until they could not escape from them. And God did great kindness to them, and there a very dark cloud stood between Israel and Egypt. And He caused the Egyptians to sink in the sea, in a way that is mentioned in the Torah. And behold, the eyes of some of that generation saw at that time those signs and wonders that God did in Egypt. And after this they dwelt in the wilderness many days because of the spies. And after this He brought them to the land of the Amorites who dwell beyond the Jordan -- and that is the land of Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites. And Israel inherited their land from the side of divine help, not by their sword nor by their bow. And after this Balak son of Zippor endeavored to fight against Israel, when he called Balaam son of Beor to curse them. And God did not consent to listen to Balaam, and Balaam blessed them abundantly, and God saved them from him, as is mentioned in the Torah. And after this they crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, and they inherited it. And after this the people of Jericho fought against them -- and they are the Amorite, Perizzite, Canaanite, Hittite, Girgashite, Hivite, and Jebusite -- who fought with Israel, as is mentioned in this book. And this indicates that each of those kings had some portion in Jericho, as our Sages of blessed memory mentioned.
Metzudat David
“Jacob and Esau.” For it is considered a good thing for Jacob that he was in the same womb as Esau, for Esau absorbed all the impurity, and Jacob emerged clean.
"And I gave Esau, etc." The intent is to say that I immediately gave him his portion, so that he would not be enslaved in Egypt and thus not be counted among the seed of Isaac, in whom the verse (Genesis 15:16) would be fulfilled: "For your seed shall be a stranger, etc., and in the fourth generation they shall return here."
"And Jacob, etc." – so that they are counted as seed, and concerning them it is said, "Your seed shall be a stranger," and in them it shall be fulfilled, "And the fourth generation shall return here."
Malbim
"And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau." And through this, Esau absorbed all the impurity. Therefore, "And I gave to Esau Mount Seir," which is attributed to his portion.
"Jacob and his sons." They were already prepared from that time onward for the great matter, but a refinement was still needed regarding the third point mentioned above, namely that they would become worthy of it through their preparation (in contrast to what was stated, "And they served other gods"). They descended to Egypt, which served as a crucible of iron to refine their substance through the hardship of bondage. Through this, they were prepared to become the people of the Lord, such that from then on the Divine Presence would not rest upon individuals but upon large multitudes, and not intermittently but continuously.
And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did in the midst thereof; and afterward I brought you out.
verse value 5434
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 5434 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·I·struck" (וָאֶגֹּ֣ף, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Aaron" (וְאֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·Aaron" (וְאֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙), "and·I·struck" (וָאֶגֹּ֣ף), "Egypt" (אֶת־מִצְרַ֔יִם). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "I·did" (root עשה, 59x in Joshua); "Moses" (root משה, 53x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וָאֶשְׁלַ֞ח [and·I·sent] (345) + אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֤ה [Moses] (746) + וְאֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ [and·Aaron] (663) + וָאֶגֹּ֣ף [and·I·struck] (90) + אֶת־מִצְרַ֔יִם [Egypt] (781) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + עָשִׂ֖יתִי [I·did] (790) + בְּקִרְבּ֑וֹ [in·his·midst] (310) + וְאַחַ֖ר [and·after the following part] (215) + הוֹצֵ֥אתִי [I·brought·out] (512) + אֶתְכֶֽם [you] (461) = 5434.
Radak
"As I did in their midst." The plague with which I smote them was not in one instance, but through many plagues, as I performed the plagues in their midst.
Metzudat David
"And I plagued [Egypt]." Through Moses and Aaron.
"As I have done." This means: As it is known to you what I have done within it [Egypt].
Metzudat Zion
וָאֶגֹּף (va'egof, and I struck). A matter of striking, and likewise (Exodus 21:22) "and they strike a pregnant woman."
Malbim
"And I sent." Now he recounts the matter of the Exodus, at the arrival of the divine time for this awesome matter to take place. He chose: A] the appropriate emissaries to accomplish this great deed, namely Moses and Aaron. B] the means related to this goal, namely [the verse] "I plagued Egypt with wonders, signs, and wonders," as it says: "as I did in its midst." "And afterward." This means that after all the wonders, through which they recognized the power and might of the Lord, I brought you out.
And I brought your fathers out of Egypt; and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horsemen to the Red Sea.
verse value 4331
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "sea" (הַיָּ֑מָּה, 4 letters) and the longest is "fathers·your" (אֶת־אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·I·brought·out" (וָאוֹצִ֤יא), "fathers·your" (אֶת־אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙), "with·chariots" (בְּרֶ֥כֶב). The root מצרים appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·came" (root בוא, 58x in Joshua); "and·I·brought·out" (root יצא, 52x in Joshua); "after" (root אחר, 43x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וָאוֹצִ֤יא [and·I·brought·out] (114) + אֶת־אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ [fathers·your] (880) + מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם [from·Egypt] (420) + וַתָּבֹ֖אוּ [and·you·came] (415) + הַיָּ֑מָּה [sea] (60) + וַיִּרְדְּפ֨וּ [and·they·pursued] (306) + מִצְרַ֜יִם [Egypt] (380) + אַחֲרֵ֧י [after] (219) + אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֛ם [your·fathers] (479) + בְּרֶ֥כֶב [with·chariots] (224) + וּבְפָרָשִׁ֖ים [and·with·horsemen] (638) + יַם־סֽוּף [Red·Sea] (196) = 4331.
Radak
"And you came to the sea." This corresponds to those elders who crossed the Sea of Reeds. And similarly, "And your eyes saw" corresponds to those elders who were still alive.
Malbim
"And I brought out." I desired to add further miracles, so that you would not at all doubt My power and providence. Therefore, even after I had brought your forefathers out of Egypt and you came to the sea so that the Egyptians would pursue you, all of this was a cause from Me, in order that you would believe in Me, as it is stated (Exodus 14:31): "And Israel saw the great hand which the Lord had used against Egypt, and the people feared the Lord, and believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses."
And when they cried out to Hashem, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt; and you dwelt in the wilderness many days.
verse value 6389
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 102 letters. The shortest word is "and·put" (וַיָּ֨שֶׂם, 4 letters) and the longest is "that·I·did" (אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֖יתִי, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·cried" (וַיִּצְעֲק֣וּ), "darkness" (מַאֲפֵ֜ל), "Egyptian" (הַמִּצְרִ֗ים). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·did" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "days" (root יום, 79x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
And brought it upon him, the sea. On every individual among them, for if the individual was fleeing not to enter the sea, a wave of the sea pursued after him and caught him.
Radak
"And He brought the sea upon him." This refers to Pharaoh; even though he is not explicitly mentioned, Egypt is mentioned. Alternatively, the phrase "upon him" is stated in a general sense regarding Egypt, but in the Midrash, concerning each and every individual among them, it is said that if there had been even one person in Egypt who did not wish to enter the sea, the wave would have driven him into the sea.
Metzudat David
"And He placed darkness." As it is written (Exodus 14:20): "And there was the cloud and the darkness."
“And He brought [the sea], etc.” And by this [the darkness] He brought the sea upon him, for if there had not been the darkness, then he would have seen that Israel were walking in the sea on dry land, and then he would not have pursued after them upon seeing that miracle, and then he would not have been drowned in the waters of the sea. But since he went in darkness, he did not know all of this, and they came after them into the sea without knowing that it was a sea, and upon entering, he was drowned in it.
Metzudat Zion
מַאֲפֵל (ma'afel, thick darkness). From the words gloom and darkness.
Malbim
“And He placed darkness before them” – until they descended into the sea. In this event there were two opposites: A) You were saved, and they drowned. B) Darkness covered them, but “your eyes saw” (and the term *ma’apel* is distinct from the term *ofel*, which refers to something that obscures and covers the light, namely the cloud and darkness that obscured the Egyptians, while it illuminated the night for Israel). Nevertheless, even though “your eyes saw what I did to Egypt,” still you did not believe in Me with complete faith. Consequently, you dwelled in the wilderness for many days, and I was compelled to move you about in the wilderness for forty years in order to cleanse you of the impurity of Egypt, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 29:3-4): “And I led you in the wilderness for forty years... yet the Lord gave you no heart to know...” until this day.
And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, that dwelt beyond the Jordan; and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you possessed their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
verse value 5776
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 86 letters. Verse gematria: 5776 = 76². The shortest word is "you" (אֶתְכֶ֗ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·destroyed·them" (וָאַשְׁמִידֵ֖ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, with·you. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·I·brought" (וָאָבִ֣יא), "and·you·seized" (וַתִּירְשׁ֣וּ), "and·I·destroyed·them" (וָאַשְׁמִידֵ֖ם). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·land" (root איל, 135x in Joshua); "land" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua); "from·your·face" (root פנים, 91x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Radak
“ואביאה” – It is written with a heh and read without a heh, and the meaning is the same.
Malbim
"And I brought you into the land of the Amorites." And then two types of wars were stirred up against you: A] A war by human might, which is [the verse] "And they fought against you, and I gave them into your hand." B] A war by things that are above nature, and this is what it says:
Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.
verse value 3316
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "Balak" (בָּלָ֤ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Zippor" (בֶּן־צִפּוֹר֙, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "Balak" (בָּלָ֤ק), "son·of·Zippor" (בֶּן־צִפּוֹר֙), "to·curse" (לְקַלֵּ֥ל). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 112x in Joshua); "king" (root מלך, 102x in Joshua); "and·arose" (root קום, 22x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֨קׇם [and·arose] (156) + בָּלָ֤ק [Balak] (132) + בֶּן־צִפּוֹר֙ [son·of·Zippor] (428) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (49) + וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם [and·he·fought] (94) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [in·Israel] (543) + וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח [and·he·sent] (354) + וַיִּקְרָ֛א [and·called] (317) + לְבִלְעָ֥ם [to·Balaam] (172) + בֶּן־בְּע֖וֹר [son·of·Beor] (330) + לְקַלֵּ֥ל [to·curse] (190) + אֶתְכֶֽם [you] (461) = 3316.
Radak
"And he fought against Israel." Now, we have not seen in the Torah that Balak fought against Israel; even Jephthah said, "If he fought against us." Rather, its meaning is: this was the battle he waged, in that he sent Balaam to curse you, and he showed through his actions that if he had been able to fight against you, he would have fought, as it is written, "Perhaps I can strike him down." The thought, Scripture counts as an action.
Metzudat David
“And he fought against Israel.” It returns and explains that the war consisted of his sending for Balaam to curse them, thereby fighting against them with his mouth.
Malbim
And Balak rose up and fought against Israel. And the verse explains that his war was not with sword and spear, but rather in what he sent and called Balaam to curse you:
But I would not hearken to Balaam; therefore he even blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand.
verse value 2647
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·was·willing" (אָבִ֖יתִי, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, you. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "I·was·willing" (אָבִ֖יתִי), "and·blessed" (וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ), "Baruch" (בָּרוֹךְ֙). The root ברך appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 47x in Joshua); "to·hear" (root שמע, 29x in Joshua); "from·his·hand" (root יד, 26x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Balaam', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + אָבִ֖יתִי [I·was·willing] (423) + לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ [to·hear] (440) + לְבִלְעָ֑ם [to·Balaam] (172) + וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ [and·blessed] (238) + בָּרוֹךְ֙ [Baruch] (228) + אֶתְכֶ֔ם [you] (461) + וָאַצִּ֥ל [and·I·delivered] (127) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + מִיָּדֽוֹ [from·his·hand] (60) = 2647.
Metzudat David
"To listen to Balaam": [This refers to the need] to have sufficient power in his hand to curse according to his intention.
"And he blessed them." And further, he blessed them with a blessing:
"From his hand." From the hand of Balak, who waged war with the mouth of Balaam.
Metzudat Zion
אָבִיתִי (aviti, I was willing). A matter of willingness, like (Deuteronomy 25:7) "my brother-in-law is unwilling."
Malbim
"And I did not heed to listen to Balaam." And through this, I saved you also from this war too.
And you went over the Jordan, and came to Jericho; and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I delivered them into your hand.
verse value 5381
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 97 letters. The shortest word is "in·you" (בָכֶ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "owners·of·Jericho" (בַּעֲלֵֽי־יְ֠רִיח֠וֹ, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·you·crossed" (וַתַּעַבְר֣וּ), "to·Jericho" (אֶל־יְרִיחוֹ֒), "owners·of·Jericho" (בַּעֲלֵֽי־יְ֠רִיח֠וֹ). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Jericho" (root איל, 135x in Joshua); "and·I·gave" (root נתן, 86x in Joshua); "and·you·crossed" (root עבר, 82x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Jebusite', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 3 words.
Rashi
And they fought against you, the masters of Jericho, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, etc. All seven idolatrous nations are mentioned here, because Jericho stands on the frontier, and it was the bolt and lock of the Land of Israel; gathered into it from all seven nations were the mighty men of valor.
Radak
The inhabitants of Jericho. And behold, we have not seen that the inhabitants of Jericho fought against them. But the Scripture says, “And Jericho was shut up tightly because of the children of Israel.” Perhaps they went out from Jericho, the great men of the city, to the kings of Canaan to warn them. And in the meantime, Jericho was captured, and they were with the kings who subsequently gathered together to fight with Joshua with one accord. And if we say that from the seven nations mentioned, they gathered to Jericho because it stood on the border and it was the lock of the Land of Israel, and they gathered there to fight with Israel, behold, the Scripture did not recount this war. And if there was one, why did the Scripture not recount it? This is a matter of wonder. Rather, the correct explanation is as we have interpreted.
Metzudat David
The masters of Jericho. And he returns and explains, "The Amorite," etc., for all the kings of those nations were lords in Jericho, as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Tanchuma, Mishpatim 17) that each one had a portion in Jericho due to its great desirability, and they all gathered together to wage war against Israel, and they fell into their hands.
Metzudat Zion
בַּעֲלֵי יְרִיחוֹ (ba'alei Yerikho, the lords of Jericho). The lords of Jericho, like (Exodus 22:14) if his owner is with him.
Malbim
The Questions (11): Were not the men of Jericho not engaged in battle at all, as is explained in the verse?
"And you crossed over." By a miracle.
"And you came." By a miracle.
"And they fought." And afterward, the inhabitants of Jericho fought; thus [Scripture] calls [them] 'the kings' who assembled afterward to avenge the vengeance of Jericho, as mentioned above (ch. 9). Now, there [above] the Girgashites are not enumerated, whereas here the Girgashites are enumerated, because the Girgashite assembled first, and afterward became afraid and turned and went away to Africa, as will be explained.
"And I gave." This means that I have given some of them into your hand, namely all those enumerated, except for the Girgashites; and the remainder, which is the Girgashites, [I have not yet given].
And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; not with your sword, nor with your bow.
verse value 4780
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·hornet" (אֶת־הַצִּרְעָ֔ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "the·hornet" (אֶת־הַצִּרְעָ֔ה), "and·it·drove·out" (וַתְּגָ֤רֶשׁ), "in·your·sword" (בְחַרְבְּךָ֖). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings·of" (root מלך, 102x in Joshua); "to·your·face" (root פנים, 91x in Joshua); "and·it·drove·out" (root גרש, 47x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Amorite', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וָאֶשְׁלַ֤ח [and·I·sent] (345) + לִפְנֵיכֶם֙ [to·your·face] (230) + אֶת־הַצִּרְעָ֔ה [the·hornet] (771) + וַתְּגָ֤רֶשׁ [and·it·drove·out] (909) + אוֹתָם֙ [them] (447) + מִפְּנֵיכֶ֔ם [from·your·face] (240) + שְׁנֵ֖י [two·of] (360) + מַלְכֵ֣י [kings·of] (100) + הָאֱמֹרִ֑י [Amorite] (256) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + בְחַרְבְּךָ֖ [in·your·sword] (232) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + בְקַשְׁתֶּֽךָ [in·your·bow] (822) = 4780.
Radak
"Two kings of the Amorites." Explanation: And He drove out the two kings of the Amorites as well, namely Sihon and Og. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "There were two hornets, one for Moses and one for Joshua." The hornet is a type of harmful fly that injects venom. They said that the hornet would strike with its eyes and blind their eyes, so that they could not fight; and Israel would come and kill them, as it is stated, "Not with your sword, nor with your bow." The Targum renders "tzir'ah" (hornet) as "ar'ita." And it is asked: why is it called "ar'ita"? Because it stands to confront a person and strikes him in the face, just as we render "that befell you" [אשר קרך] as "ar'akh" [דארעך].
"Not by your sword." Explanation: [as if to say,] were it not for the help of God; and this is in the manner of "For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not save me."
Ralbag
And I sent before you the hornet -- that is to say, He brought upon them new harms by which they were harmed, other than the sword of war.
Metzudat David
“Et ha-tzara’ah.” This refers to the hornet, which injected its venom into them, and they were unable to fight, as if it had driven them out. The verse then returns to explain the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og:
"Not by your sword." For according to the natural order, you would not have been able to stand against them.
Metzudat Zion
הַצִּרְעָה (ha-tsir'ah, the hornet). Our Sages of blessed memory said (Sotah 36a) that it is a species of flying vermin, which spread its venom among them.
Malbim
The Questions (12): This verse appears out of order. After all, it now speaks of their entry into the Land, whereas the war against Sihon was already mentioned in verse 8?
"And I sent the hornet before you, and it drove them out from before you." This refers to the incident in which they fled to Africa. And he explains what this "hornet" was: "The two kings of the Amorites, not by your sword…"—meaning, the report that they heard, that you had conquered the two kings of the Amorites not by your sword and not by your bow, but solely through the salvation of God. This report acted like a hornet, for they were terrified by this news and fled from their land to Africa.
And I gave you a land whereon you hadst not laboured, and cities which you built not, and you dwell therein; of vineyards and olive-yards which you planted not do you eat.
verse value 6407
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "in·her" (בָּ֗הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·you·built" (לֹֽא־בְנִיתֶ֔ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that, that. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "not·you·labored" (לֹֽא־יָגַ֣עְתָּ), "not·you·built" (לֹֽא־בְנִיתֶ֔ם), "vineyards" (כְּרָמִ֤ים). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "and·cities" (root עיר, 138x in Joshua); "land" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Now therefore fear Hashem, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve you Hashem.
verse value 5834
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "him" (אֹת֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "God" (אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֗ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 427: Hashem, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "in·integrity" (בְּתָמִ֣ים), "and·in·truth" (וּבֶאֱמֶ֑ת), "and·put·away" (וְהָסִ֣ירוּ). The root עבד appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "beyond" (root עבר, 82x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·truth', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Radak
"With integrity." This is a noun, not an adjective; so too in the phrase "if in truth and with integrity."
“And they removed the gods.” The explanation is: the silver gods and the gold gods that they took from the cities which they conquered, and from Egypt, as it is written in Ezekiel:
Ralbag
And after he mentioned all the good things with which God blessed Israel, He commanded them to fear the Lord and serve Him, and to remove the foreign gods from among them.
Metzudat David
And now. Since He has greatly done good to you:
"And put away..." – His intention is to say: remove from the heart, completely and utterly, the thought of idolatry.
"And in Egypt." For many of them served idolatry in Egypt, as it is written (Ezekiel 20:8), "They did not forsake their detestable things of Egypt."
Malbim
The Questions (14): Why did it say, “And serve the Lord,” twice?
"And now, let them fear the Lord." After all these kindnesses, they should fear the Lord, etc. Indeed, He came to command them to fear the Lord with the fear of awe, not the fear of punishment, and to serve Him with truth and sincerity, not with hypocritical service, which is the opposite of truth, nor with service motivated by the hope of reward, as in the matter of "Do not be like servants who serve the master in order to receive a reward" (Avot 1:3), which is the opposite of sincerity. And He stipulated with them, "and put away the gods," for it is impossible to serve the Lord in association [with others]; only Him alone [must be served]. And this is what is meant by "and serve the Lord," namely, Him alone, without any association, for one who associates others with Him does not serve the Lord.
And if it seem evil to you to serve Hashem, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Hashem.’
verse value 8794
Insights
Verse structure: 29 words, 131 letters. The shortest word is "evil" (רַ֨ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·your·eyes" (בְּֽעֵינֵיכֶ֜ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "evil" (רַ֨ע), "choose" (בַּחֲר֨וּ), "you·will·work" (תַעֲבֹדוּן֒). The root אם appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·they·served" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "in·their·land" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 25 and 4 words.
Ralbag
And since he knew from their disposition then not to serve idols, even though their heart was drawn to this by these words, he said to them that if it is evil in their eyes to serve the Lord, and they choose for themselves the gods of their fathers who are beyond the river -- from which God distanced them with all strength, and for this He took Abraham from there and led him to the land of Canaan, not to serve the gods of the Amorites. And God brought them to dwell in their land when He dispossessed them of their land. And their false beliefs and deficient customs were a cause that the land vomited them out, as is mentioned in the Torah: for by the wickedness of those nations the Lord dispossesses them from before them. And this was also a cause to distance Israel from serving their gods. And Joshua also informed them that if they choose to serve other gods, he will not consent with them, but he and his house will serve the Lord -- to distance them further from choosing idols. And the endeavor was in these things so that that generation also accept before God not to serve idols, for this was fitting to distance them more from following after idols after Joshua's death. And nevertheless they did not guard themselves from this, as is mentioned at the beginning of the Book of Judges.
Metzudat David
“Choose for yourselves...” – He reckoned that once they would choose whom [to serve], he would then bring arguments to reject them.
"And I, etc." – And we will not be drawn after you.
Malbim
"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord." For your heart bears gall and wormwood, for there are matters that proceed according to nature and the constellations, and you wish to strive in other pursuits that will help you, according to your opinion, toward natural or astral success.
“Choose for yourselves this day.” This means: Therefore, you must abandon the Lord completely, for it is impossible that you serve Him alongside another. And then, either you will think that the cosmic order conducts itself with you according to the constitution of your birth, which is beyond the River, and therefore serve the God whom your fathers served beyond the River; or you will think that the cosmic order conducts itself with you according to the influence of the land in which you dwell, and therefore serve the gods of the Amorites, inasmuch as you dwell in their land. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” For we believe that we are not influenced by any ministering angel, constellation, star, or nature, but only by the Lord alone.
And the people answered and said: ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake Hashem, to serve other gods;
verse value 1674
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "to·us" (לָּ֔נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 1674 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: to·us, God. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "from·leaving" (מֵעֲזֹ֖ב). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "God" (root אלהים, 70x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤עַן [and·he·answered] (136) + הָעָם֙ [the·people] (115) + וַיֹּ֔אמֶר [and·said] (257) + חָלִ֣ילָה [far·be·it] (83) + לָּ֔נוּ [to·us] (86) + מֵעֲזֹ֖ב [from·leaving] (119) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (427) + לַעֲבֹ֖ד [to·work] (106) + אֱלֹהִ֥ים [God] (86) + אֲחֵרִֽים [another] (259) = 1674.
Ralbag
And the people answered. And the people answered that it is far from them to serve other gods, with their seeing the good things and wonders with which God blessed them.
Malbim
"And the people answered." They answered, saying, "that they would not forsake the Lord." And they gave four reasons for this. A) From the aspect of the obligation incumbent upon them, for "the Lord our God is He who brought us up and our fathers," and thereby He acquired us as an acquisition of the body, to be His servants, for "we were servants in Egypt," and one who redeems a slave from his master acquires him for himself (and this is the reason stated in the rationales for most of the commandments, "the Exodus from Egypt," for by means of it they became subservient to the Master who brought them out of the house of bondage). B) From the aspect of the fear of His majesty, and "what He did before our eyes, these great signs," whereby we recognized His power and strength to overturn the cosmic order. C) From the aspect of benefit, and this is what is said, "and He preserved us all the way that we went," that He preserved us both in providing our needs in the wilderness and in the wars against the nations, as a man preserves his son; and why should we forsake the source of living waters? D) From the aspect of fear of harm, and this is what is said:
for Hashem our God, He it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed;
verse value 8666
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 129 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·fathers·our" (וְאֶת־אֲבוֹתֵ֛ינוּ, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "who·brought·up" (הַמַּעֲלֶ֨ה), "and·fathers·our" (וְאֶת־אֲבוֹתֵ֛ינוּ), "from·the·house·of" (מִבֵּ֣ית). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "all" (root כל, 96x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'slave', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 16 words.
and Hashem drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land; therefore we also will serve Hashem; for He is our God.’
verse value 3523
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3523 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "dwelling" (יֹשֵׁ֥ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·peoples" (אֶת־כׇּל־הָעַמִּ֗ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·drove·out" (וַיְגָ֨רֶשׁ), "all·the·peoples" (אֶת־כׇּל־הָעַמִּ֗ים), "and·Amorite" (וְאֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֛י). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "earth" (root ארץ, 95x in Joshua); "from·our·face" (root פנים, 91x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·our·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְגָ֨רֶשׁ [and·drove·out] (519) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־כׇּל־הָעַמִּ֗ים [all·the·peoples] (616) + וְאֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֛י [and·Amorite] (663) + יֹשֵׁ֥ב [dwelling] (312) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [earth] (296) + מִפָּנֵ֑ינוּ [from·our·face] (236) + גַּם־אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ [also·we] (158) + נַעֲבֹ֣ד [we·will·work] (126) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (427) + כִּי־ה֖וּא [for·you] (42) + אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ [our·God] (102) = 3523.
Metzudat David
Even we, like you and your household:
Malbim
"And the Lord drove out before us all those nations, ... the inhabitants of the land, from before us." And because of this, if we act according to the deeds of these nations, the land will also vomit us out, as it is stated (Leviticus 18:28): "And the land shall not vomit you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you." (Also, their response was directed against what was said, that they would serve the gods who are beyond the River and in Egypt; did He not bring us out of Egypt, and their gods did not save them? And against what was said, that they would serve the god of the Amorites; did He not also drive out the nation of the Amorites?)
And Joshua said to the people: ‘You cannot serve Hashem; for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression nor your sins.
verse value 4014
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 77 letters. Verse gematria: 4014 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·your·sins" (וּלְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶֽם, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 12: He, He. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "you·will·prevail" (תֽוּכְלוּ֙), "for·God" (כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים), "holy" (קְדֹשִׁ֖ים). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "to·the·people" (root איל, 135x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'He', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
A holy God. In many places every term of majesty is called in the plural, as (Genesis 42:30): masters of the land; (there 39:20): master Joseph; (Exodus 22:14): if the owner is with it; (II Samuel 7:23): which God went to redeem, for this name is a name of dominion.
Radak
"God, holy is He." "Holy" is a term denoting dignity, just as [the word] "Elohim" is; and similarly, "Let Israel rejoice in its Makers" [Psalms 149:2], [and] "Where is God, my Maker?" [Job 35:10]
Ralbag
And to distance them further from serving idols, he said to them that after they enter into His service, His service will be very difficult for them, for He will not forgive their transgressions if they turn from after Him to serve idols. But He will consume them after He has done good to them. And Joshua did not say this that the matter be in their choice to turn from after God, for all the generations already bound themselves in this in the standing at Mount Sinai. But he said this to them to add their distancing from serving idols, as we mentioned there: that he already knew from the goodness of their disposition at that time that they would not consent in any way to serve other than God. And after this Joshua said to them that they are witnesses against themselves that they chose to serve the Lord -- to distance them further in what comes after this from serving idols.
Metzudat David
"You shall not be able." Joshua's intention was that they should reveal the secrets of their hearts clearly, and bind them with the bonds of the covenant. He spoke his words to mislead them, so that they would think as if the choice were in their hands to select whomever they wished, in order to ascertain what they would reply.
"God is holy." He is holy in all kinds of holiness, and it is very difficult to be careful in His service.
"He is a jealous God." He is an avenger against those who transgress His will, and He does not bear sins.
Metzudat Zion
Kanno. He takes vengeance to exact retribution:
Yisha. The matter of atonement and forgiveness, as in (Exodus 34:7) "bearing iniquity":
Malbim
Questions (19): What was the intention of Joshua when he told them that they would not be able to serve the Lord, and what was the argument between them, since on the surface it lacks sense and understanding? And what did they add the second time compared to the first time, when he accepted their words and said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord," whereas had they not already chosen this the first time?
If you forsake Hashem, and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that He has done you good.’
verse value 3827
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·He·did·good" (אֲשֶׁר־הֵיטִ֥יב, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "you·will·leave" (תַֽעַזְבוּ֙), "foreign" (נֵכָ֑ר), "and·He·will·harm" (וְהֵרַ֤ע). The root לכם appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·He·did·good" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "for" (root כי, 70x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foreign', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + תַֽעַזְבוּ֙ [you·will·leave] (485) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (427) + וַעֲבַדְתֶּ֖ם [and·you·shall·serve] (522) + אֱלֹהֵ֣י [the·God·of] (46) + נֵכָ֑ר [foreign] (270) + וְשָׁ֨ב [and·He·will·turn] (308) + וְהֵרַ֤ע [and·He·will·harm] (281) + לָכֶם֙ [to·you] (90) + וְכִלָּ֣ה [and·He·will·consume] (61) + אֶתְכֶ֔ם [you] (461) + אַחֲרֵ֖י [after] (219) + אֲשֶׁר־הֵיטִ֥יב [that·He·did·good] (537) + לָכֶֽם [to·you] (90) = 3827.
Metzudat David
"When you abandon [Him]." And just as when you abandon Him, He will return to do evil to you and to destroy you.
"After He has done good to you." This means that the evil would thus be doubled, for a person accustomed to goodness suffers twice the pain of one who has never experienced goodness.
Malbim
"When you abandon [Me]... and turn back and do evil to you, and consume you, after having done good to you. And easily will grow from the good that you hoped for in your service, sickness and plague. And also it is said that after He did good to you through His providence that clings to you, this very fact obligates that He will turn back and do evil to you through His providence when you abandon Him, which would not have been the case if He had not done good to you and you were under nature, as it is stated (Amos 3:2), 'Only you have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities,' for His knowledge and particular providence that clings to the people of God also obligates the providential punishment."
And the people said to Joshua: ‘Nay; but we will serve Hashem.’
verse value 1408
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֕א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Joshua" (אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֑עַ, 7 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "to·Joshua" (root איל, 135x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Joshua', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הָעָ֖ם [the·people] (115) + אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֑עַ [to·Joshua] (422) + לֹ֕א [not] (31) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + נַעֲבֹֽד [we·will·work] (126) = 1408.
Metzudat David
No. He means to say: We will not abandon Him, for we shall serve the Lord all our days, and we shall be vigilant in His service.
Malbim
"And [the people] said, 'No.'" This means that our intention is not to serve the Lord for the sake of reward and punishment, but rather that we serve the Lord for His own sake. Regarding this, they did not say, 'We will serve the Lord our God,' as stated previously, because there the term 'our God,' which comes as a designation, indicates the connection He has with His creatures to do good or evil to them according to their deeds, as stated in many places. But now they clarified that they would serve Him for His own sake, not with the intention of receiving a reward.
And Joshua said to the people: ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you Hashem, to serve Him.—And they said: ‘We are witnesses.’—
verse value 3965
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. Verse gematria: 3965 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "you" (אַתֶּם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 124: witnesses, witnesses. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "for·you" (כִּי־אַתֶּ֞ם), "you·chose" (בְּחַרְתֶּ֥ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "to·the·people" (root איל, 135x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'him', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ [Joshua] (391) + אֶל־הָעָ֗ם [to·the·people] (146) + עֵדִ֤ים [witnesses] (124) + אַתֶּם֙ [you] (441) + בָּכֶ֔ם [in·you] (62) + כִּי־אַתֶּ֞ם [for·you] (471) + בְּחַרְתֶּ֥ם [you·chose] (650) + לָכֶ֛ם [to·you] (90) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + לַעֲבֹ֣ד [to·work] (106) + אוֹת֑וֹ [him] (413) + וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ [and·they·said] (263) + עֵדִֽים [witnesses] (124) = 3965.
Rashi
You are witnesses against yourselves. Joshua saw that they were destined to rebel in the days of Ezekiel and to say (Ezekiel 20:32): 'we will be like the nations,' therefore he burdened them now. And therefore it was answered them in the days of Ezekiel (there, verses 32-33): 'and that which comes into your mind shall not come to pass, etc.,' 'As I live, surely with a mighty hand, etc.' You already accepted this upon yourselves in the days of Joshua, and you cannot say: what we accepted upon ourselves in the days of Moses we did only in order to enter the land — behold, in the days of Joshua you had already entered and accepted.
Radak
"You are witnesses against yourselves." You yourselves shall be witnesses against yourselves, because you have chosen for yourselves the Lord. And there are those who explain "You are witnesses against yourselves" as referring to the soul and the body. Similarly, "Give ear, O heavens, and let the earth hear" [Deuteronomy 32:1], and "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth" [Isaiah 1:2]—the soul is from the heavens and the body is from the earth.
Metzudat David
"You are witnesses against yourselves. You yourselves were witnesses that you chose to serve the Lord."
"And they said, 'Witnesses.'" He means to say: We ourselves shall be witnesses.
Malbim
And Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord.” This means that you chose Him on account of intellectual choice, not on account of desire driven by impulse (for one who serves in order to receive reward or avoid punishment is not within the category of intellectual choice, as I have explained in many places). And the choice was to serve the Lord, not to serve yourselves; that is to say, one who serves in order to receive reward or avoid punishment does not serve the Lord, but rather serves himself, whereas your fundamental choice was to serve Him, not for your own benefit.
Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart to Hashem, the God of Israel.’
verse value 3514
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "and·incline" (וְהַטּוּ֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "inner man" (אֶת־לְבַבְכֶ֔ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "put·away" (הָסִ֛ירוּ), "foreign" (הַנֵּכָ֖ר), "and·incline" (וְהַטּוּ֙). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "Israel" (root ישראל, 112x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֕ה [now] (481) + הָסִ֛ירוּ [put·away] (281) + אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·gods·of] (447) + הַנֵּכָ֖ר [foreign] (275) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם [in·your·midst] (364) + וְהַטּוּ֙ [and·incline] (26) + אֶת־לְבַבְכֶ֔ם [inner man] (495) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (57) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3514.
Ralbag
And he said to them that they remove the foreign gods that are among them, and incline their heart to the Lord, God of Israel. And he said this to them: if their heart be seduced in secret by one of these services that are for the people of the land, that they remove from their heart the corrupt opinions in them. And they did not confess that they needed this, but they answered that they would serve the Lord, God of Israel, and obey His voice.
Metzudat David
"And now, remove." They did not allow Joshua to finish his words and replied: "Witnesses." And after this, Joshua returned to finish his words, and said: "And now, remove from your heart, completely and utterly, thoughts of idolatry."
Malbim
“And now.” After you have accepted to serve Him on account of His exaltedness:
“Remove the foreign gods that are among you.” This means: any thought of idolatry that is in your heart.
"And incline your hearts to the Lord." On the basis that He is the God of Israel, meaning, on the basis that He is providentially watching over Israel, and therefore they are the portion of His inheritance and are not placed under any [angelic] prince or star (this is a general principle among us: that wherever the name Elohim appears in the designation "God of Israel," it indicates the connection and attachment He has with Israel to watch over them with particular providence). And for this reason, it is forbidden for them to engage in worship-by-association [with other powers] (even though the descendants of Noah were not warned against this), because they are designated as His unique portion. And the meaning is that even though it was stated above that they should not serve [Him] for the purpose/goal of His being the God of Israel, meaning, that He rewards and punishes, nevertheless, they are required to worship Him on account of this aspect as well, meaning that since He watches over them, they must not associate the worship of others with Him.
And the people said to Joshua: ‘Hashem our God will we serve, and to His voice will we hearken.’
verse value 2065
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Joshua" (אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֑עַ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·in·his·voice" (וּבְקוֹל֖וֹ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 140x in Joshua); "to·Joshua" (root איל, 135x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Joshua', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ [and·they·said] (263) + הָעָ֖ם [the·people] (115) + אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֑עַ [to·Joshua] (422) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (427) + אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ [our·God] (102) + נַעֲבֹ֔ד [we·will·work] (126) + וּבְקוֹל֖וֹ [and·in·his·voice] (150) + נִשְׁמָֽע [is·heard] (460) = 2065.
Metzudat David
And the people said. The people returned to complete their statement, which they had said: “We will be witnesses against ourselves that we have accepted to serve the Lord and to heed His voice.”
Malbim
“And the people said.” And this is what is meant by “We will serve the Lord our God”: without any association [of other deities].
"And we will obey His voice." Without the hope of reward or punishment, but solely to hear/heed all that He commands, on account of it being a commandment of God: (25) "And he cut [a covenant]." He cut the covenant because they accepted upon themselves willingly to perform complete service without ulterior motive.
"And he established for them a statute and judgment." He instituted for them ordinances and decrees according to the needs of the land, as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Berakhot 48b; Eruvin 17a): "The ordinances that Joshua instituted."
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
verse value 3151
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (ל֛וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for·him" (ל֛וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·cut" (וַיִּכְרֹ֨ת, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "to·the·people" (לָעָ֖ם), "statute" (חֹ֥ק), "and·judgment" (וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua); "in·the·day" (root יום, 79x in Joshua); "that" (root הוא, 77x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּכְרֹ֨ת [and·he·cut] (636) + יְהוֹשֻׁ֧עַ [Joshua] (391) + בְּרִ֛ית [covenant] (612) + לָעָ֖ם [to·the·people] (140) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וַיָּ֥שֶׂם [and·put] (356) + ל֛וֹ [for·him] (36) + חֹ֥ק [statute] (108) + וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט [and·judgment] (435) + בִּשְׁכֶֽם [Shechem] (362) = 3151.
Rashi
And he established for them statutes and judgment in Shechem. He arranged for them there the laws in the Torah, and they accepted upon themselves.
Radak
“And He established for Him a statute and a judgment.” The meaning of “for Him” is “for the people,” and its sense is like the phrase “He established for Him a statute and a judgment,” meaning that He arranged for them in general the statutes of the Torah and the judgments, and they accepted them upon themselves. Or its interpretation is: “And Joshua established for himself a statute and a judgment.”
In Shechem. [This refers] to the covenant that He made with them, and the statute and the judgment, the stone and the terebinth that he set as witnesses, and the words of the covenant that he wrote in the Book of the Torah of God. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum: "And Joshua wrote these words in the book, and he concealed them in the Book of the Torah of the Lord." And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nehemiah, one said that it refers to the eight verses in the Torah, and the other said that it refers to the Cities of Refuge. But neither of these appears to be the case according to the simple meaning. Rather, the truth is that it is as Jonathan translated.
Ralbag
"And Joshua cut a covenant with the people." For this, that they serve the Lord -- and to leave a remembrance of this deed, so that Israel would be ashamed if they turn from after God, Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Torah of God. And he set up a great stone under the oak that is by the Sanctuary of the Lord, to be a remembrance and a witness of this deed, as Jacob and Laban did in the matter of the heap and the pillar, to be a witness between them concerning their covenant with the Lord.
Metzudat David
"And He cut," etc.: To accept the service of God out of love.
"And He set for it [Israel]." He established for Israel the statutes of the Torah and its judgments.
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Hashem.
verse value 5524
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "there" (שָּׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·words" (אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 41: these, these. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·he·wrote" (וַיִּכְתֹּ֤ב), "and·set·it·up" (וַיְקִימֶ֣הָ), "in·the·sanctuary·of" (בְּמִקְדַּ֥שׁ). The root אלה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Rashi
And Joshua wrote, etc. Targum Yonatan: 'Uchtav Yehoshua yat pitgamaya ha'ilein ve'atznenun be-sefer Oraita da-Hashem' (And Joshua wrote these words and stored them away in the book of the Torah of the LORD). And in tractate Makkot (11a) the Amoraim disagreed: one said these are the eight verses (Deuteronomy 34:5-12) from 'And Moses died' until 'in the sight of all Israel,' for the Torah scroll was lacking them, and he completed it; and one said this passage about the cities of refuge he wrote in his own book, just as they were written in the Torah scroll.
Under the oak. Targum: 'techot alta' (under the oak) — that is, the doorpost of the entrance, as it is said (I Kings 6:31): 'the doorpost was a fifth [of the wall]'; and one measure for the two doorposts. And there are those who say this is the oak that is by Shechem, of which it is written concerning Jacob (Genesis 35:4): 'and Jacob hid them under the oak.'
That is by the sanctuary of the Lord. Because they brought there the ark, as it is said above (verse 1): and they stood before God.
Radak
"Under the terebinth." The dagesh [in this word] is in place of a nun, as also in [the phrase] "under the terebinth that is near Shechem" [Genesis 35:4]. And in the Midrash: "For it is the terebinth under which Jacob hid the foreign gods," as it is written, "And Jacob hid them under the terebinth that is near Shechem." But this is not the opinion of the Targum, which translated "elah" as "botima" [terebinth], and translated "ha'elah" as "alta," meaning the doorpost of the gate, like "ha'ayil" [which means] the doorpost of the gate. And the same measure applies to the "eilim" [doorposts/pillars], for he translated "elon" [oak] as "ilya" [pillar].
“Which was in the Sanctuary of the Lord.” The House that was there, where the Ark was in Shechem, they called it a Sanctuary, due to the sanctity of the Ark that was there for a time.
Metzudat David
"These words. Which he spoke with Israel in Shechem:"
"In the book," etc. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: 'And he hid them in the book of the Torah of the Lord,' meaning that it was placed in the location where the Torah is stored.
"In the sanctuary of the Lord." This refers to Shechem, and at that time it was called a sanctuary, because the Ark was there.
Metzudat Zion
הָאַלָּה (ha'allah, the oak). It is the name of a certain tree.
Malbim
"And he wrote." He wrote these words together with the entirety of his book (as it is stated [in Bava Batra 14b]: "Joshua wrote his book"), and he compiled it with the Book of the Torah of God, so that it would be included among the Holy Writings.
"And he took a large stone." Since the Torah Scroll was placed in the Ark (whether inside or outside the Ark, according to Rabbi Meir as he holds, and according to Rabbi Yehuda as he holds, as stated in Bava Batra 14b), he desired to designate a specific place in the Sanctuary for his scroll. He therefore erected a large, hollow stone to serve as a box and chest for his scroll, and he set it up beneath the terebinth tree that was in the Sanctuary at Shiloh.
And Joshua said to all the people: ‘Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Hashem which He spoke to us; it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.’
verse value 5643
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 97 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "lest·you·deny" (פֶּֽן־תְּכַחֲשׁ֖וּן, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 109: as·proof, as·proof. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "stone" (הָאֶ֤בֶן), "will·be·against·us" (תִּֽהְיֶה־בָּ֣נוּ), "for·she" (כִּי־הִ֣יא). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "will·be·against·us" (root היה, 150x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 5 words.
Rashi
This stone shall be a witness unto us. 'Ha avna hada tahi lana k'tarin luchei avan kaima ari yatah avdana le-sahda ari fatgamei d'kativin alah ma'in kol fatgamei d'Hashem d'malil imana.' (This stone shall be for us like the two stone tablets of the covenant, as we have made it a witness, for the words written upon it are like all the words of the Lord that He spoke with us.) And there is also an explanation according to its plain meaning: for it heard the words which I have spoken in the mission of the Holy One.
Radak
"Which He spoke with us." Jonathan translated the verse thusly, and said: "Joshua said to all the people: 'Behold, this stone shall be for us like the two stone tablets of the covenant, for we have made it a witness, because the words written upon it are like all the words of the Lord that He spoke with us,' etc." And according to the simple meaning, "Which He spoke with us" means that what I have spoken to you, and the covenant which I have made with you, is not from my own heart; rather, they are the words of the Lord which He spoke with us at Mount Sinai. And the meaning of "for it has heard" is in the manner of "and let the earth hear the words of my mouth."
Metzudat David
"For she had heard." This means that it is stated here that she heard, as if she actually heard it.
"The words of the Lord." For all these things were spoken in prophecy, and not from his own heart.
Metzudat Zion
לְעֵדָה (le'edah, for a witness). The word 'ed (witness) in the feminine form.
Malbim
The Questions (27): Why did he designate the stone as a witness?
And Joshua said, etc. “Behold, this stone.” The meaning is: together with the book that is within it.
"It shall be against us as a witness." As it is stated regarding Moses, our teacher (Deuteronomy 31:26): "Take this Book of the Torah and place it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and it shall be there as a witness against you." Likewise, he designated his book, which is placed upon the stone, as a witness concerning two matters: 1) "Against us" – which includes himself among them.
"For she heard all the words of the Lord." The meaning is that there was found all that the Lord spoke to us, namely, the words of the Lord that are found in this entire book, and likewise what Joshua said to them now, beginning with "Thus says the Lord." B] "And it shall be for a witness against you, lest you deny [God]," like one who summons a witness so that one cannot deny before him. And even though they were then in Shechem, there He made the hollow stone and placed his book there, and from there they carried it to the Sanctuary in Shiloh and set it up. And behold, this oak was certainly outside the Sanctuary, for it is forbidden to plant any tree in the Sanctuary, and He showed that the rank of his book is not like that of the Torah scroll in every respect; or perhaps this oak was made of stone in the shape of an oak, like the pilasters [posts] mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel (40:9), and it was in the Sanctuary itself, and therefore the vocalization of the name changed from tsere to patach, like "if you were like an oak" (Isaiah 1:30).
So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
verse value 2096
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֖ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·his·inheritance" (לְנַחֲלָתֽוֹ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "to·his·inheritance" (לְנַחֲלָתֽוֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua); "man" (root איש, 68x in Joshua); "to·his·inheritance" (root נחלה, 50x in Joshua). Full calculation: וַיְשַׁלַּ֤ח [and·sent] (354) + יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ [Joshua] (391) + אֶת־הָעָ֔ם [the·people] (516) + אִ֖ישׁ [man] (311) + לְנַחֲלָתֽוֹ [to·his·inheritance] (524) = 2096.
And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Hashem, died, being a hundred and ten years old.
verse value 2733
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "servant·of" (עֶ֣בֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·words" (הַדְּבָרִ֣ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·he·died" (וַיָּ֛מׇת), "son·of·hundred" (בֶּן־מֵאָ֥ה), "and·ten" (וָעֶ֖שֶׂר). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "and·it·was" (root היה, 150x in Joshua); "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + אַֽחֲרֵי֙ [after] (219) + הַדְּבָרִ֣ים [the·words] (261) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + וַיָּ֛מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + יְהוֹשֻׁ֥עַ [Joshua] (391) + בִּן־נ֖וּן [son·of·Nun] (158) + עֶ֣בֶד [servant·of] (76) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + בֶּן־מֵאָ֥ה [son·of·hundred] (98) + וָעֶ֖שֶׂר [and·ten] (576) + שָׁנִֽים [years] (400) = 2733.
And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
verse value 4341
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "him" (אֹתוֹ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Timnath-serah" (בְּתִמְנַת־סֶ֖רַח, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "in·border·of" (בִּגְב֣וּל), "in·Timnath-serah" (בְּתִמְנַת־סֶ֖רַח), "in·hill·of·Ephraim" (בְּהַר־אֶפְרָ֑יִם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "in·border·of" (root גבול, 84x in Joshua); "his·inheritance" (root נחלה, 50x in Joshua). First appearance of the root קבר ("and·they·buried") in Joshua. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·hill·of·Ephraim', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְבְּר֤וּ [and·they·buried] (324) + אֹתוֹ֙ [him] (407) + בִּגְב֣וּל [in·border·of] (43) + נַחֲלָת֔וֹ [his·inheritance] (494) + בְּתִמְנַת־סֶ֖רַח [in·Timnath-serah] (1160) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + בְּהַר־אֶפְרָ֑יִם [in·hill·of·Ephraim] (538) + מִצְּפ֖וֹן [north] (266) + לְהַר־גָּֽעַשׁ [to·hill·of·Gaash] (608) = 4341.
Rashi
In Timnath-serah. So its name is. And in another place (Judges 2:9) he calls it: Timnath-heres, because they set up an image of the sun upon his grave (of Joshua), to say: this is he who caused the sun to stand still. And everyone who passes over it says: woe to him who did such a great thing and died. And there are those who say: Timnath-heres is its name. And why is it called Timnath-serah? Because its fruits rot from their abundant fat.
To Mount Gaash. Teaching that the mountain trembled over them to kill them, because they did not eulogize him properly.
Radak
"At Timnath-serah." And in the Book of Judges, [it is written] "at Timnath-heres," and both are one, just as [the words] "keves" and "kesev" [are synonymous, with the letters transposed]. And our Sages derived from this: some of them said its name was Serah, and why was it called Heres? Because Joshua, who made the sun stand still for Israel, was buried there, and the sun is called "heres," as it is said, "He who commands the sun and it does not shine" [Job 9:7]. And others say its name was Heres, and why was it called Serah? Because its fruits would rot due to their abundance of oil.
"North of Mount Gaash." Rabbi Berakhya and Rabbi Simon, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, [said]: We searched through Scripture and did not find any place whose name is "Mount Gaash." What, then, is "Mount Gaash"? Because the Israelites were negligent regarding him [Joshua] and did not eulogize him properly, the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to make the mountain quake upon them — that is to say, the mountain quaked on the day of his burial.
Ralbag
After this it is mentioned that Joshua died, one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the boundary of his inheritance.
And Israel served Hashem all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of Hashem, that He had wrought for Israel.
verse value 6278
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 6278 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·he·served" (וַיַּעֲבֹ֤ד), "the·old·men" (הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים), "made·long" (הֶאֱרִ֤יכוּ). The root יום appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 217x in Joshua); "Joshua" (root יהושע, 125x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Joshua', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 16 words.
Rashi
Lengthened days. Days they lengthened, years they did not lengthen, for they were punished.
Ralbag
And it is further mentioned that Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived the days of Joshua, and who knew all the work that the Lord did for Israel. And they are those who came out of Egypt, for others did not know all the works. And he mentioned afterward that the bones of Joseph were buried in the place that was their sons' inheritance. And that Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given to him in Mount Ephraim. And if someone says, how was it for Phinehas, if it was not for Eleazar? We say to him: as soon as Eleazar died, his heir was Phinehas, according to the roots of the Torah. And for this, when he was buried, he was buried in the hill of Phinehas his son. But our Sages of blessed memory said in the chapter 'Yesh Nochalin' that Phinehas inherited it from his wife. And this is by way of derash [homiletical exposition]. But the plain meaning is according to what we wrote. But the benefits derived from this narrative are these. The first is to publicize the magnitude of God's providence over Israel, and that He already fulfilled what He swore to our fathers and their seed, to give them the land. And for this he mentioned what they inherited of the land through Moses and through Joshua, and the many kings that fell into their hands. The second is in morals: that it is fitting for every man not to withhold from doing what is possible of the good in his lifetime. Do you not see that Joshua, because he could not complete the inheritance of the land for Israel, did not withhold from doing what was possible for him of the good -- and that is the dividing of the land as an inheritance to the tribes. For in this there was benefit, for he was a prophet, and this division would not be completed in perfection by one who is not a prophet, for it was by the word of God, as is mentioned. And although benefit was drawn from this: if they had divided only the conquered land, Israel would have been lazy in inheriting the remaining land, thinking that what they conquer would come to all Israel -- then no one of the tribes would rise unless all rise. And perhaps this laziness would be a cause that the inheritance of the land not be completed for them. But when each tribe knows what comes to him from this, he will hasten to conquer that land as much as is possible. And if he needs help, he will ask it from the other tribes, or more, and he will promise them that he also will help them to conquer his portion, as we found that the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Simeon did, as is mentioned at the beginning of the Book of Judges. The third is in the remembrance that comes to tribe and tribe of the land, to save them from the strife and quarrel. If in the long days a dispute fall between them concerning the land, then what is mentioned in this place of what comes to each of their portions will save them from the quarrel. The fourth is to remember the fulfillment of what God promised to Caleb, in that he followed after the Lord and did not go in the counsel of the other spies -- that the land on which his foot trod would be his for an inheritance and for his sons. The fifth is to inform that the promise of God was already fulfilled for the tribe of Simeon and Levi, in what Jacob said, 'I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.' For their inheritances were already scattered, as we mentioned. The sixth is to inform that Israel already fulfilled what they were commanded in the Torah to separate the cities of refuge, and to give to the Levites cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for their cattle. And we gathered the two commandments together, for it appears that all the cities of the priests and the Levites are cities of refuge. And it was revealed from the Torah that the altar is a refuge for the one who killed accidentally. And for this He needed to say, concerning the one who killed intentionally: 'From My altar you shall take him to die,' as we explained there. And it appears that because he united the cities of refuge with the remaining Levite cities in this number, and said at the end that they are forty-eight cities and their suburbs -- he already compared these to those. And for this they are all cities of refuge. The seventh, and it is from what we learned from the altar that the tribes beyond the Jordan built: when a man desires a thing, and it is possible that harm or damage arise from it, it is fitting that he make wise to remove it before its coming, and not prevent him from this his seeing that the coming of that harm or damage is only in rare times. Do you not see that these tribes, when they saw that in the length of time it would be possible that the Jordan's separating between them and the land of Israel cause their children to abandon serving the Lord, they made wise to create a remaining thing indicating that they too are from the people of the Lord. And for this they built there that altar, that it be in the pattern of the altar of the Lord, and they called its name: 'For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.' And Joshua, when he also saw the possibility of Israel turning from after God because of the remaining nations that they did not devote, also endeavored to save them from this, and brought them from this to that they accept upon themselves again the God to serve Him and to love Him, and not to turn from after Him -- to distance them further from this sin. The eighth is that we learned from the matter of sending Phinehas and the princes to the tribes that were beyond the Jordan, to investigate the truth of the matter before going up against them for war. And that is: even in matters that are thought to not wait for them to be done except immediately, one needs to settle and investigate the matter. Do you not see that were it not for this investigation, much damage would have been drawn from the children of Israel going up for war against their brothers? And it is thought that there is no waiting for these matters, for they are against God, because of the reasons that Phinehas and the princes mentioned to these tribes in this place. And for this you will find that Phinehas did not wait to take counsel from Moses our teacher in the matter of Zimri. Our Sages of blessed memory said: 'In every place where there is desecration of the Name, no honor is given to the master.' And from this place the doubt is greater: how did Israel not consult about this with Joshua, who was a prophet? Even though it was from the matters fitting to be done according to the laws of the Torah, in the inflicting of the punishments it is fitting that the action in them be according to the ways of the Torah, in the established ways of investigation in the Torah -- not that they ask how the truth is in this to a prophet. And if we come to explain this in this place, the words would be longer than is fitting for what we are in. The ninth is from what we learned: that it is fitting for every man to endeavor that he be buried in the boundary of his family, to leave his name. And for this he mentioned in the burial of Joshua in the boundary of his inheritance, and the burial of Joseph in the boundary of his sons' inheritance, and the burial of Eleazar son of Aaron in the hill of Phinehas his son. And from this place we learned the benefit that came from this side to Joseph, when his sons were divided into two tribes. And that is: in this there was multiplication in the lots for the sons of Rachel, and it is more possible that the place of her burial come to the inheritance of one of them. And it was already explained that so it was, according to what is mentioned in the Book of Samuel.
Metzudat David
“Who prolonged their days.” Until the completion of twenty-eight years from the day Joshua stood, so it is written in Seder Olam (chapter 12). “And who knew,” etc. This means that in the days of these elders they served the Lord whom they knew—the deeds of the Lord—because they had seen them with their own eyes, and through this they straightened the hearts of Israel toward their Father in Heaven.
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
verse value 7176
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 103 letters. Verse gematria: 7176 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·bones·of" (וְאֶת־עַצְמ֣וֹת, 8 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·bones·of" (וְאֶת־עַצְמ֣וֹת), "which·they·brought·up" (אֲשֶׁר־הֶעֱל֨וּ), "buried" (קָבְר֣וּ). The root יוסף appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·they·brought·up" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 156x in Joshua); "and·they·were" (root היה, 150x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a unit of unknown value', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 3 words.
Rashi
And they buried him in Shechem. From Shechem they stole him, to Shechem they returned him.
Radak
“Which the children of Israel brought up.” Although it is written, “And Moses took up the bones of Joseph with him,” this teaches that he instructed the children of Israel to bring them up, similar to the verse “And Solomon built” and others like it. And in aggadic interpretation: Anyone who begins a mitzvah and another completes it, it is called by the name of the latter. From whom do you learn this? From Moses, as it is written, “And Moses took up the bones of Joseph with him.” Moses passed away in the wilderness and did not enter the Land, but the Israelites brought Joseph's bones into the Land and buried them, and the mitzvah was attributed to them, as it is written, “Which the children of Israel brought up from Egypt.” It does not say here, “Which Moses brought up,” but rather, “Which they brought up.”
They buried him in Shechem. Our Sages expounded upon this: "From Shechem they stole him, and to Shechem they returned him." According to the simple meaning, it was because Shechem was in the portion of Ephraim, and in honor of Joseph, they buried him in the first inheritance that had belonged to our father Jacob in the Land of Israel. And according to my opinion, in the verse "And I have given to you one portion more than your brothers" (Genesis 48:22), it alluded to him that he would be buried there, in Shechem. This is what it meant by "to you," for it had already mentioned the birthright that was given to him, that his sons would take a double portion.
"And they became to the sons of Joseph for an inheritance." And they counted the bones as a good inheritance for them, in that they were buried in their inheritance. And they expounded upon this regarding the sons of Joseph, that they occupied themselves with the graves of the bones in their inheritance.
Metzudat David
"The children of Israel brought them up." Although Moses brought them up from Egypt (Sotah 13b), since he died in the wilderness and did not succeed in bringing them to Shechem, and they brought them up, therefore it is named after them.
"And they became a possession for the sons of Joseph." The fields of that portion became a possession for the sons of Joseph, and therefore they buried Joseph their father there. Or one may say that the bones of Joseph were considered by the sons of Joseph as a good possession, for they greatly benefited and it was made good for them in that he was buried in their estate.
Metzudat Zion
In the portion. The matter of the purchase of a field, as it is written (Genesis 33:19): "And he bought the plot of the field."
Keshitah. A ma'ah, and it is a certain kind of coin.
Malbim
“And the bones of Joseph, etc., and they became to the sons of Joseph for an inheritance.” The sons of Joseph took possession of the bones of the righteous man, and they were with them as an inheritance, esteemed in their eyes as a precious inheritance, in that they merited that the righteous man be buried in their portion. And likewise, they exerted themselves so that Eleazar too would be buried in their portion. And when Eleazar died, they devoted the hill of Phinehas as a field of the ban, whose law is that it belongs to the priest of that watch, and it fell to the portion of Phinehas, so that he might bury Eleazar there. And the grave of Joseph and the grave of Eleazar were in the portion of the sons of Joseph in Mount Ephraim.
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in the Hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.
verse value 4111
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "died" (מֵ֑ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Eleazar" (וְאֶלְעָזָ֥ר, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Joshua. Unique to this verse in Joshua (hapax): "and·Eleazar" (וְאֶלְעָזָ֥ר), "son·of·Aaron" (בֶּֽן־אַהֲרֹ֖ן), "in·hill·of" (בְּגִבְעַת֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 271x in Joshua); "his·son" (root בן, 156x in Joshua); "was·given·to·him" (root נתן, 86x in Joshua). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'died', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְאֶלְעָזָ֥ר [and·Eleazar] (314) + בֶּֽן־אַהֲרֹ֖ן [son·of·Aaron] (308) + מֵ֑ת [died] (440) + וַיִּקְבְּר֣וּ [and·they·buried] (324) + אֹת֗וֹ [him] (407) + בְּגִבְעַת֙ [in·hill·of] (477) + פִּֽינְחָ֣ס [Phinehas] (208) + בְּנ֔וֹ [his·son] (58) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + נִתַּן־ל֖וֹ [was·given·to·him] (536) + בְּהַ֥ר [in·mountain·of] (207) + אֶפְרָֽיִם [Ephraim] (331) = 4111.
Rashi
In the hill of Pinchas his son. From where did Pinchas have a portion in the land? He inherited it from his wife.
Radak
"Which was given to him in the hill country of Ephraim." Our Sages of blessed memory said: From where did Phinehas derive this [portion], since it did not belong to Eleazar? Rather, this teaches that Phinehas married a woman, she died, and he inherited her [estate]. From this they derived [the law of] a husband's inheritance [from his wife]. And some of them said that perhaps it fell to him as a field of devoted property (sedeh cherem). It is also possible to interpret that Israel gave it to him, just as they gave [portions] to Caleb and Joshua, but not by the command of God, blessed be He, as [when] they gave to them. This is why it says "which was given to him" — for if it had been the inheritance of his wife or a field of cherem, it would not have said "which was given to him." And our Sages of blessed memory said that we cannot say that Phinehas purchased that hill, for if so, the field would revert in the Jubilee year, and it would turn out that this righteous man was buried in a grave that was not his. However, the wording "was given to him" did not pose a difficulty for them, for we find the language of "giving" used in the context of a sale, as in "let him give me the cave of Machpelah." And if you say that according to our interpretation there is also a difficulty, since an individual's gift reverts in the Jubilee year, but a gift from many does not revert, and this hill the tribe of Ephraim gave to him — [in response,] according to their words who said that it was the inheritance of his wife, they also said that a husband's inheritance does not revert in the Jubilee year, and so is the law.
Metzudat David
"Which was given to him." The Children of Israel gave it to him as a gift, even though he did not give an inheritance to the tribe of Levi.
Metzudat Zion
בְּגִבְעַת (begiv'at, in the hill of). From the words hill and mountain.
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David