Joshua 24:21 (WEB)

Passage

The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve Yahweh.”

Nearby Context

Joshua 24:19 Joshua said to the people, “You can’t serve Yahweh, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins.

Joshua 24:20 If you forsake Yahweh, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after he has done you good.”

Joshua 24:21 The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve Yahweh.”

Joshua 24:22 Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen Yahweh yourselves, to serve him.” They said, “We are witnesses.”

Joshua 24:23 “Now therefore put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to Yahweh, the God of Israel.”

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign..." into verse 22's "Joshua said to the people You are...", so "people" 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 "people" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.