Joshua 24:14 (DRB)

Passage

Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and most sincere heart: and put away the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Nearby Context

Joshua 24:12 And I sent before you and I drove them out from their places, the two kings of the Amorrhites, not with thy sword nor with thy bow,

Joshua 24:13 And I gave you a land, in which you had not laboured, and cities to dwell in which you built not, vineyards and oliveyards, which you planted not.

Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and most sincere heart: and put away the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve, whether the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve thee Lord,

Joshua 24:16 And the people answered, and said, God forbid we should leave the Lord, and serve strange gods.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "fear", "lord", "serve", "perfect", "most", "sincere", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "fear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "And I gave you a land in..." into verse 15's "But if it seem evil to you...", so "therefore" and "fear" belong inside that flow. In Joshua context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "fear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.