Joshua 23 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: MT 23:5
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Joshua 23
Cling to the Lord: persevering in Christ’s covenant
Editorial Christian reading: Joshua’s final charge can be read alongside Hebrews 3:12–14 on holding firmly and avoiding a heart that turns away. The Hebrew and Greek promises and warnings are compared on their own wording.
23:1–8 | Remember the gift; keep the written instruction
Verse MT 23:1 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:1
After many days, after YHWH had given Israel rest from all their enemies all around, Joshua was old, advanced in days.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:1
After many days, after the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies all around, Joshua was old, advanced in days,
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: The same setting of rest and Joshua’s old age.
Verse MT 23:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:2
Joshua called all Israel—its elders, heads, judges, and officers—and said to them, “I am old, advanced in days.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:2
and Joshua summoned all the sons of Israel, their council of elders, leaders, scribes, and judges, and said to them, “I have grown old and advanced in days.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: The representative leadership corresponds; Greek renders the administrative officials as scribes and changes their order.
Verse MT 23:3 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:3
You have seen all that YHWH your God has done to all these nations before you, for YHWH your God is the One who fights for you.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:3
You have seen all that the Lord your God did to all these nations before you, for the Lord your God is the One who fought for you.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: The divine agent agrees; Hebrew has the continuing participle fights and Greek a past participle fought.
Verse MT 23:4 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:4
See, I have allotted to you these remaining nations as an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations I cut off, to the Great Sea toward the sunset.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:4
See, I have assigned these nations left to you in the lots for your tribes: from the Jordan, all the nations I destroyed; and the boundary shall extend from the Great Sea toward the sunset.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both summarize the allotted region and conquered peoples, with different boundary syntax.
Verse MT 23:5 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:5
YHWH your God Himself will thrust them out before you and dispossess them before you, and you shall possess their land, as YHWH your God told you.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:5
The Lord your God Himself will destroy them before you until they perish. He will send wild animals against them until He destroys them and their kings before you. Inherit their land, as the Lord your God told you.
Classification & Notes
Disparate
Text: Greek adds destruction by wild animals and the kings’ destruction, where Hebrew promises expulsion and possession. The means and force of the promise differ substantially.
Verse MT 23:6 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:6
Be very strong to keep and do all that is written in the book of the Torah of Moses, without turning from it to the right or to the left,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:6
Therefore be very strong to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn aside to the right or to the left,
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: The command to obey the Mosaic written instruction corresponds.
Verse MT 23:7 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:7
so that you do not enter among these nations remaining with you, invoke the name of their gods, cause oaths to be sworn by them, serve them, or bow down to them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:7
so that you do not enter among these remaining nations, and the names of their gods shall not be named among you; neither shall you bow down to them nor serve them,
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Greek lacks a separate oath prohibition. Both forbid invoking and worshiping the other gods.
Verse MT 23:8 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:8
But cling to YHWH your God, as you have done to this day.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:8
but you shall cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: The positive exhortation to attachment agrees.
23:9–13 | Love the Lord and resist apostasy
Verse MT 23:9 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:9
YHWH has dispossessed great and mighty nations before you; as for you, no one has stood before you to this day.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:9
The Lord destroyed them before you, great and strong nations; no one has stood against you to this day.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew dispossession and Greek destruction retain their distinct force.
Verse MT 23:10 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:10
One man of you shall pursue a thousand, for YHWH your God is the One who fights for you, as He told you.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:10
One of you pursued a thousand, for the Lord your God was fighting for you, as He told you.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Hebrew presents the pursuit prospectively; Greek recalls it as past. Both attribute the victory to God.
Verse MT 23:11 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:11
Take great care for your lives, to love YHWH your God.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:11
Take great care to love the Lord your God.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Hebrew includes for your lives; the central command agrees.
Verse MT 23:12 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:12
For if you indeed turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining with you, intermarry with them, and enter among them and they among you,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:12
For if you turn back and attach yourselves to these remaining nations with you, make marriages with them, and mingle with them and they with you,
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both warn against alliances that compromise the covenant in the context of verses 7–8 and 16.
Verse MT 23:13 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:13
know for certain that YHWH your God will no longer dispossess these nations before you. They shall be a trap and a snare for you, a whip at your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good ground that YHWH your God has given you.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:13
know that the Lord will certainly no longer destroy these nations before you. They shall be traps and stumbling blocks for you, nails in your heels and darts in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the Lord your God has given you.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: The warning agrees in consequence, but the images differ: whip/sides and thorns/eyes versus nails/heels and darts/eyes. Destruction/dispossession also remains distinct.
23:14–16 | Every promise and every warning
Verse MT 23:14 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:14
Look, today I am going the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and all your soul that not one word has failed of all the good words YHWH your God spoke concerning you. All have come to you; not one word of them has failed.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:14
I am departing on the way of all who are upon the earth. You shall know in your heart and soul that not one word has failed of all the words the Lord your God spoke concerning everything that belongs to you; none of them has proved at variance.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both affirm the reliability of God’s words; Hebrew repeats the fulfillment more fully and explicitly calls the words good here.
Verse MT 23:15 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:15
As every good word that YHWH your God spoke to you has come upon you, so YHWH will bring upon you every harmful word, until He destroys you from this good ground that YHWH your God has given you,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:15
As all the good words that the Lord spoke to you have come upon you, so the Lord God will bring upon you all the harmful words until He destroys you from this good land that the Lord gave you,
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both connect fulfilled benefits with the certainty of covenant sanctions. Harmful describes threatened calamity, not a claim that the divine speaker is morally evil.
Verse MT 23:16 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 23:16
when you transgress the covenant of YHWH your God that He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then YHWH’s anger will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land He has given you.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 23:16
when you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God that He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Greek lacks the final anger-and-swift-perishing sentence. The preceding Greek verse still explicitly threatens destruction from the land.