Joshua 24:22 (DRB)

Passage

And Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses, that you yourselves have chosen you the Lord to serve him. And they answered: We are witnesses.

Nearby Context

Joshua 24:20 If you leave the Lord, and serve strange gods, he will turn, and will afflict you, and will destroy you after all the good he hath done you.

Joshua 24:21 And the people said to Joshua: No, it shall not be so as thou sayest, but we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:22 And Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses, that you yourselves have chosen you the Lord to serve him. And they answered: We are witnesses.

Joshua 24:23 Now therefore, said he, put away strange gods from among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel.

Joshua 24:24 And the people said to Joshua: We will serve the Lord our God, and we will be obedient to his commandments.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "joshua", "said", "people", "witnesses", "yourselves", "chosen", "lord", and "serve". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "joshua" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "And the people said to Joshua No..." into verse 23's "Now therefore said he put away strange...", so "joshua" and "said" 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 "joshua" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.