16
And the peopleוַ הָעָםansweredיַּעַןand said,וַיֹּאמֶר“Far be itחָלִילָהfrom usלָּנוּto abandonמֵעֲזֹבYHWHיְהוָהto serveלַעֲבֹדotherאֲחֵרִיםgods!אֱלֹהִים
Joshua 24:16
Study it in the app“And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us to abandon YHWH to serve other gods!”
With the Hebrew beneath
Joshua 24:16, word by word
- And the peopleעָםam
crowd
The people gathered in a place: the crowd, or the troops that go out to war.
Where else “am” appears- answeredיַּעַןyaan
answer
To reply to what was said.
Where else “yaan” appears- and saidיֹּאמֶרyomer
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “yomer” appears- “Far be itחָלִילָchalila
far be it!
"Far be it!", "by no means!": an expression that rejects something as unthinkable.
Where else “chalila” appears- to abandonעֲזֹבazov
forsake
To turn one's back on YHWH, someone or a place.
Where else “azov” appears- YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears- to serveעֲבֹדavod
worship
To honor and obey God, or other gods, as his people.
Where else “avod” appears- otherאֲחֵרִיםacherim
other
Other, another; next.
Where else “acherim” appears- godsאֱלֹהִיםelohim
gods
The gods of other peoples.
Where else “elohim” appears
The context
15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve YHWH, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods that your fathers served that were beyond the River Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorite, in whose land you live. But I and my house will serve YHWH.”
16 · This verse (above)
17For YHWH our Elohim, he is the one who brought up us and our fathers from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, and who did before our eyes these great signs, and kept us in all the way that we walked in, and among all the peoples through whom we passed.