- 156-
(^161) In the Hebrew with the article "the God," to indicate that it was the only true and
living Elohim. Israel in Canaan.
(^162) In 24:9: "Then Balak.... arose and warred against Israel;" not with outward weapons,
but through Balaam.
(^163) The expressive figure is here used: "And I sent the hornet before you," to designate
that which carries terror among the inhabitants of a place. Comp. Exodus 23:28;
Deuteronomy 7:20.
(^164) The call to "choose this day" whom they would serve (ver. 15), does not place the
duty of their allegiance to Jehovah in any doubt, but is rather the strongest and most
emphatic mode of enforcing the admonition of ver. 14, especially followed, as it is, by
the declaration: "but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah."
(^165) So in substance J. H. Michaelis in his notes on the passage.
(^166) Keil argues that the expression (ver. 23), "put away the strange gods which are
among you," means "in your hearts." But this interpretation is critically untenable, while
such passages as Amos 5:26 and Acts 7:43 prove the existence of idolatrous rites
among the people, even though they may have been discarded in public.
(^167) He took, as we would say, "Minutes" of this transaction, which were placed inside
the roll of the law of Moses.
(^168) The deaths of Joshua and Eleazar were, of course, chronicled at a later period.
According to the Talmud (Baba Bathra, 15 a), the former was written down by Eleazar,
and the latter by Phinehas.
(^169) See some interesting remarks in Herzog's Real Encycl., vol. 7 p. 41. If any reader,
able to follow out such questions, should feel interested in "the higher criticism" of the
Book of Joshua, we would direct him to the masterly essay by L. Konig, in Alttest.
Studien, part 1.
(^170) Jesus is the Greek equivalent for Joshua.
(^171) This is not in any way inconsistent with Exodus 23:29, etc., Deuteronomy 7:22. For,
as Keil rightly remarks, there is a vast difference between exterminating the whole of
the ancient inhabitants of the land, say, in one year, and suspending even their gradual
extermination.
(^)