Bible Strands
Joshua 24:19
But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Joshua addresses the assembled Israelites immediately after they pledge to serve the LORD following His deliverance from the Amorites.
The words — The Hebrew לֹא תֽוּכְלוּ (lo tu.khe.Lu) literally renders "you will not be able," establishing the text's explicit claim of human incapacity to fulfill the covenant demand.
The thread — The declaration echoes Exodus 23:21 regarding divine refusal to forgive rebellion, Exodus 20:5 on God's jealousy, and Isaiah 5:16 on His holiness.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that covenant loyalty requires divine enablement rather than mere human resolve, and warns that disobedience carries inevitable consequences.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
Cross-references
- Exodus 23:21 Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.
- Isaiah 5:16 But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
- Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- Psalms 99:5 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; He is holy!
- Psalms 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
- Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
- 1 Samuel 6:20 The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”
- Exodus 34:14 For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
- Isaiah 6:3 And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.”
- 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.