Joshua 24:23
New International Version
“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

New Living Translation
“All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

English Standard Version
He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

King James Bible
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

New King James Version
“Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.”

New American Standard Bible
“Now then, do away with the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

NASB 1995
“Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

NASB 1977
“Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“So now, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to Yahweh, the God of Israel.”

Amplified Bible
“Now then, remove the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your hearts toward the LORD, the God of Israel.”

Christian Standard Bible
“Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

American Standard Version
Now therefore put away, said he, the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto Jehovah, the God of Israel.

Contemporary English Version
Joshua said, "But you still have some idols, like those the other nations worship. Get rid of your idols! You must decide once and for all that you really want to obey the LORD God of Israel."

English Revised Version
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD, the God of Israel.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Turn yourselves entirely over to the LORD God of Israel."

Good News Translation
"Then get rid of those foreign gods that you have," he demanded, "and pledge your loyalty to the LORD, the God of Israel."

International Standard Version
Joshua said, "Therefore abandon the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

NET Bible
Joshua said, "Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the LORD God of Israel."

New Heart English Bible
"Now therefore put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel."

Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore put away (said he) the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
“Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

World English Bible
“Now therefore put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to Yahweh, the God of Israel.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“And now, turn aside the gods of the stranger which [are] in your midst, and incline your heart to YHWH, God of Israel.”

Young's Literal Translation
and, now, turn aside the gods of the stranger which are in your midst, and incline your heart unto Jehovah, God of Israel.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And now remove the strange gods which are in the midst of you, and incline your heart to Jehovah the God of Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now therefore, said he, put away strange gods from among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Now therefore,” he said, “take away strange gods from among yourselves, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

New American Bible
“Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

New Revised Standard Version
He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then Joshua said to them, Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD God of Israel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Yeshua said to them: “From now on, put away foreign gods that are in your midst and prepare your heart in the presence of LORD JEHOVAH, the God of Israel”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD, the God of Israel.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And now take away the strange gods that are among you, and set your heart right toward the Lord God of Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Choose Whom You will Serve
22Then Joshua told them, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” “We are witnesses!” they said. 23“Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24So the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 10:16
Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.

1 Samuel 7:3
Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

1 Kings 8:57-58
May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He never leave us or forsake us. / May He incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commandments and statutes and ordinances He commanded our fathers.

2 Kings 17:35-39
For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them. / Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him. / And you must always be careful to observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments He wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ...

Jeremiah 4:1-2
“If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver, / and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”

Ezekiel 18:31
Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

Hosea 14:3
Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”

Zephaniah 1:4-6
“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests— / those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom, / and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”

Psalm 81:9
There must be no strange god among you, nor shall you bow to a foreign god.

Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. / Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 22:37
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Luke 16:13
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

John 4:24
God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. / Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.


Treasury of Scripture

Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.

put away

Joshua 24:14
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

Genesis 35:2-4
Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: …

Exodus 20:23
Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

incline

Proverbs 2:2
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Hebrews 12:28,29
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: …

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Heart Hearts Incline Israel Joshua Midst Strange Throw Turn Turning Yield
Joshua 24
1. Joshua assembles the tribes at Shechem
2. A brief history of God's benefits from Terah
14. He renews the covenant between them and God
26. A stone the witness of the covenant
29. Joshua's age, death, and burial
32. Joseph's bones are buried
33. Eleazar dies














Now, therefore,
This phrase indicates a conclusion or a call to action based on previous statements. In the context of Joshua 24, Joshua has just recounted the history of Israel, emphasizing God's faithfulness and the people's covenant relationship with Him. The "therefore" serves as a pivot from recounting past events to urging a response from the Israelites.

he said,
Joshua, as the leader of Israel, is speaking with authority. His role as Moses' successor and a military leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Land gives weight to his words. This is a moment of covenant renewal, and Joshua's leadership is crucial in guiding the people to recommit to God.

get rid of the foreign gods among you
This command addresses the presence of idolatry within the Israelite community. Despite God's clear instructions to worship Him alone, the Israelites had been influenced by the surrounding Canaanite culture, which included the worship of various deities. The call to "get rid of" these gods is a call to repentance and purification, aligning with the first commandment in Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other gods before Me."

and incline your hearts to the LORD,
This phrase emphasizes a shift in internal disposition. "Incline your hearts" suggests a deliberate turning or dedication of one's innermost being towards God. It is not merely about external actions but involves a sincere commitment and love for God, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

the God of Israel.
This title reaffirms the covenant relationship between God and the nation of Israel. It highlights God's unique identity and His special relationship with His chosen people. The phrase underscores the exclusivity of worship due to Yahweh, distinguishing Him from the foreign gods mentioned earlier. This covenant identity is central to Israel's history and future, as seen throughout the Old Testament narrative.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Joshua
The leader of Israel after Moses, who is delivering his final address to the Israelites, urging them to remain faithful to God.

2. Israelites
The people of Israel, who are being called to renew their covenant with God and abandon any idolatry.

3. Foreign gods
The idols and deities from surrounding nations that some Israelites may have been tempted to worship.

4. Shechem
The location where Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to renew their covenant with God.

5. The LORD, the God of Israel
The one true God whom Joshua is urging the Israelites to serve wholeheartedly.
Teaching Points
Reject Idolatry
Just as the Israelites were called to put away foreign gods, Christians today must identify and reject modern forms of idolatry, such as materialism or anything that takes precedence over God.

Heart Inclination
The Hebrew word for "incline" (natah) suggests a deliberate turning or bending towards God. Believers are encouraged to consciously direct their hearts and lives towards God in all they do.

Covenant Renewal
Joshua's call to the Israelites is a reminder of the importance of regularly renewing our commitment to God, reflecting on our spiritual journey, and making necessary changes.

Community Accountability
The gathering at Shechem highlights the role of community in faith. Believers should support and hold each other accountable in their walk with God.

Faithfulness to God
The call to serve the LORD alone is a timeless principle, urging believers to remain steadfast in their faith amidst a world of distractions and competing loyalties.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Joshua 24:23?

2. How can we "remove the foreign gods" in our modern lives today?

3. What does it mean to "yield your hearts to the LORD" in daily actions?

4. How does Joshua 24:23 connect with the First Commandment in Exodus 20:3?

5. Why is it important to prioritize God over worldly influences in our decisions?

6. How can families collectively "yield their hearts" to God in their homes?

7. What does Joshua 24:23 mean by "put away the foreign gods among you"?

8. How does Joshua 24:23 challenge modern idolatry in our lives?

9. Why does Joshua emphasize serving the LORD in Joshua 24:23?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Joshua 24?

11. How can we reconcile Nehemiah 13:1–3 banning Ammonites and Moabites from the assembly with earlier passages showing Ruth, a Moabite, fully accepted among God’s people?

12. Numbers 15:15-16: How does one law for both Israelites and foreigners reconcile with other passages that treat outsiders differently?

13. Why would a loving God demand the execution of anyone who refused to seek Him (2 Chronicles 15:13), conflicting with other biblical passages emphasizing mercy?

14. Ruth 2:2-3 - Is it historically plausible that a foreign widow could freely glean in a stranger's field with no social or legal barriers?
What Does Joshua 24:23 Mean
Now, therefore

- This phrase ties the command directly to everything Joshua has just recounted—the Lord’s mighty acts from Abraham to the present victory (Joshua 24:1-22).

- Because God has proven Himself faithful, Israel must respond. Just as Paul urges, “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), Joshua urges a response grounded in grace already shown.

- The “therefore” signals a covenant decision moment, echoing Moses’ earlier summons: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you…” (Deuteronomy 10:12).


he said

- Joshua, the covenant mediator, speaks with God-given authority (Joshua 1:1-9).

- His words carry weight not merely as personal opinion but as God’s directive, similar to Samuel’s later role in 1 Samuel 12:20-25.

- Hearing God’s word through His appointed servant always demands obedience (Hebrews 13:7).


get rid of the foreign gods among you

- The command is literal: physical idols must be removed, smashed, and disposed of, as Jacob once buried household idols at Shechem (Genesis 35:2-4).

- God’s first commandment still stands: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

- Tolerating idols denies exclusive covenant loyalty. Centuries later Samuel repeats the same call—“Rid yourselves of the foreign gods… and commit yourselves to the LORD” (1 Samuel 7:3).

- For believers today, anything that rivals God’s place—possessions, relationships, ambitions—must be cast aside (1 John 5:21; Colossians 3:5).


and incline your hearts

- True obedience moves from the outside in: once the idols are gone, the heart must bend toward God.

- Moses prayed, “May the LORD our God incline our hearts to Him” (1 Kings 8:58)—a work of grace we actively embrace (Philippians 2:12-13).

- Practical ways hearts incline:

• Regularly rehearsing God’s deeds (Psalm 77:11-12).

• Delighting in His Word (Psalm 119:36).

• Guarding thoughts and affections (Proverbs 4:23).

- Hard hearts drift; inclined hearts cling (Hebrews 3:12-13).


to the LORD

- The destination of loyalty is crystal clear: Yahweh alone. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

- Jesus reaffirms this exclusive devotion: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Matthew 22:37).

- Turning “to the LORD” involves both repentance from idols and faith toward the living God (Acts 14:15).


the God of Israel

- The title roots the command in covenant history. The God who named Israel, delivered Israel, and provided for Israel now claims Israel’s undivided allegiance (Exodus 3:15; Psalm 115:9).

- By reminding them whose they are, Joshua underscores identity: they are God’s treasured possession (Deuteronomy 7:6).

- For the church, grafted into God’s people (Romans 11:17-24), He remains the same faithful covenant God.


summary

Joshua 24:23 presses Israel—and us—to a decisive, heart-level loyalty. Because the God of Israel has proven His faithfulness, His people must:

1. Physically discard every rival.

2. Intentionally bend their hearts toward Him alone.

This is not optional; it is the logical, loving response to His saving work. Choosing God exclusively secures covenant blessing, while clinging to idols invites ruin. The verse is a timeless summons to wholehearted, undivided devotion to the LORD.

Verse 23. - Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you. Keil and Delitzsch notice that the words translated "among you" have also the meaning, "within you," and argue that Joshua is speaking of inward tendencies to idolatry. But this is very improbable. For

(1) the word is the same as we find translated in ver. 17, "through whom." And

(2) the internal scrutiny which the law demanded was hardly so well understood at this early period as by diligent study it afterwards became. The plain provisions of the law demanded obedience. Comparatively little heed was given at first to inward feelings and tendencies. There can be little doubt that the meaning is precisely the same as in Genesis 35:2, and that though the Israelites dare not openly worship strange gods, yet that teraphim and other images were, if not worshipped, yet preserved among them in such a way as to be likely to lead them into temptation. The history of Micah in Judges 17:5 is a proof of this, and it must be remembered that this history is out of its proper place. The zealous Phinehas (Judges 20:28) was then still alive, and the worship at Micah's house had evidently been carried on for some time previous to the disgraceful outrage at Gibeah. The putting away the strange gods was to be the outward and visible sign, the inclining of the heart the inward and spiritual grace wrought within them by the mercy of God. For it is not denied that God desired their affections, and that those affections could scarcely be given while their heart went secretly after idols. It may be further remarked in support of this view that the Israelites are not exhorted to turn their heart from the false gods, but to put them away. It is a plain, positive precept, not a guide for the inner consciousness. On the other hand, the command to incline the heart to the Lord rests upon the simple ground of common gratitude. St. Augustine thinks that if any false gods were secretly in Israel at this time, they would have been met by a severer punishment than that accorded to Achan. Masius - "pace divini viri" - proceeds to argue that murders, thefts, and adulteries were worse sins than those of Achan, that it were not reasonable to suppose that Israel was free from such sins, and they were not punished like Achan's. He forgets to urge

(1) that the condition of the children of Israel was very different in Achan's time to that of the death of Joshua, and . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Now, therefore,” [he said],
וְעַתָּ֕ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

“get rid of
הָסִ֛ירוּ (hā·sî·rū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

the foreign
הַנֵּכָ֖ר (han·nê·ḵār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5236: That which is foreign, foreignness

gods
אֱלֹהֵ֥י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

among you
בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם (bə·qir·bə·ḵem)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

and incline
וְהַטּוּ֙ (wə·haṭ·ṭū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5186: To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend

your hearts
לְבַבְכֶ֔ם (lə·ḇaḇ·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the LORD,
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

the God
אֱלֹהֵ֥י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

of Israel.”
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT History: Joshua 24:23 Now therefore put away the foreign gods (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 24:22
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