20
Ifכִּיyou abandonתַעַזְבוּYHWHיְהוָהand serveוַעֲבַדְתֶּםforeignנֵכָרgods,אֱלֹהֵיthen he will turnוְשָׁבandוְdo harmהֵרַעto you,לָכֶםand consumeוְכִלָּהyou,אֶתְכֶםafterאַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁרhaving done goodהֵיטִיבto you.”לָכֶם
Joshua 24:20
Study it in the app“If you abandon YHWH and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do harm to you, and consume you, after having done good to you.””
With the Hebrew beneath
Joshua 24:20, word by word
- you abandonתַעַזְבוּtaazvu
forsake
To turn one's back on YHWH, someone or a place.
Where else “taazvu” 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- and serveעֲבַדְתֶּםavadtem
worship
To honor and obey God, or other gods, as his people.
Where else “avadtem” appears- foreignנֵכָרnechar
foreign
What is foreign; "son of a foreigner" is someone of another people.
Where else “nechar” appears- godsאֱלֹהֵיelohe
gods
The gods of other peoples.
Where else “elohe” appears- then he will turnשָׁבshav
return
To go back to a place.
Where else “shav” appears- do harmהֵרַעhera
do evil
To harm someone; evildoers.
Where else “hera” appears- and consumeכִלָּהchila
destroy
To put an end to something, destroy it.
Where else “chila” appears- having done goodהֵיטִיבhetiv
go well
For it to go well for someone: "that it may go well with you".
Where else “hetiv” appears
The context
19And Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve YHWH, for he is a holy Elohim; he is a jealous El; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
20 · This verse (above)
21And the people said to Joshua, “No, but YHWH we will serve.”