Joshua 24:27 (DRB)

Passage

And he said to all the people: Behold this stone shall be a testimony unto you, that it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken to you: lest perhaps hereafter you will deny it, and lie to the Lord your God.

Nearby Context

Joshua 24:25 Joshua therefore on that day made a covenant, and set before the people commandments and judgments in Sichem.

Joshua 24:26 And he wrote all these things in the volume of the law of the Lord: and he took a great stone, and set it under the oak that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.

Joshua 24:27 And he said to all the people: Behold this stone shall be a testimony unto you, that it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken to you: lest perhaps hereafter you will deny it, and lie to the Lord your God.

Joshua 24:28 And he sent the people away every one to their own possession,

Joshua 24:29 And after these things Joshua the son of Nun the servant of the Lord died, being a hundred and ten years old:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "people", "behold", "stone", "shall", "testimony", "hath", and "heard". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "And he wrote all these things in..." into verse 28's "And he sent the people away every...", so "said" and "people" 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 "said" and "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.